Texas Bans Gay Foster Parents While Connecticut Approves Civil Unions
Texas today passed a law banning gay foster parents on the same day that Connecticut passed a la law permitting gay civil unions.
Texas bans gay foster parents (AP)
The Texas House of Representatives passed a bill banning homosexuals, bisexuals and transsexuals from being foster parents. If the bill gains approval from the Texas Senate, the state will be allowed to investigate the backgrounds of current foster parents and remove children living in non-heterosexual households. All future foster parents will be required to disclose their sexual preference on an application form, a legislative aide said.
Connecticut Approves Civil Unions for Gays (NYT)
Gov. M. Jodi Rell on Wednesday signed into law a measure allowing same-sex couples to enter into civil unions, making Connecticut the second state to approve such unions and the first to do so without pressure from the courts. “I think that it certainly bodes well for Connecticut that we didn’t have to be ordered to do this,” said Mrs. Rell, a Republican, who signed the bill about an hour after the Democratic-controlled Senate approved the measure by a three to one ratio. The House passed the bill last week 85 to 63.
Under the law, which takes effect on Oct. 1, couples in civil unions will essentially have all of the rights and protections the state provides married couples, from tax benefits and insurance coverage to hospital visiting rights to family leave from work.
The law also includes an amendment, added last week, that defines marriage as being between a man and a woman.
Can you guess which is the Red state and which is the Blue state?
This may be semantics, but Texas didn’t approve the ban, the Texas House approved the ban.
It’s a 25-75 shot that the Texas Senate will pass the bill, let alone that it will come out of conference committee in time.
And then there’s the Governor….
Good point. I was responding to the headline and just half-ass reading the story.
I am deeply hurt that there are people in this country who seem to care more about themselves then the lives of children. Children just want a loving home, with parents who love them. I don’t think there sexual prefrence or color should matter. I am a lesbian who has 4 kids and every child in the neigborhood loves us. They would rather be with us then there own parents. We have four of the best behaved, smartest kids in the neighborhood. The lord said thou shall not judge. I do understand some people interpret the bible the way they see fit. But come on thou shall not judge is not a hard one. If it were not for so many straight parents who abuse there children, there would not be such a need for foster care. When was the last time you heard of gay parents abusing there children. Not often, so what an excuse to include this in your cps laws. Just another excuse to discriminate. If you are not gay why do we bother you so much. Why don’t you ask the kids, because all they need is love something some Texas senaters know nothing about. We are not becoming there foster parents. It seems they waste a lot of there lives trying to ruin ours.
I’m not religous, but I agree with the Texas House from a purely scientific point of view. Homosexuals are an evolutionary dead-end. Why should they be raising children?
TheyTheir you are a complete idiot. So you would prefer these children should sit in foster care or group housing facilities when there are men and women out there who would love to adopt them. You are correct that two gay men can not reproduce and two lesbian women can not reproduce on their own either. But that does not mean that two gay men or two lesbian women can not teach a child the values of self respect, love, and committment. It does not mean that homosexuals can’t instill proper values to a child, it does not mean they can not teach a child to love his country, and all the people in it – no matter what their background.
It’s not AP, either, but AFP.