On January 10th, The Human Rights Campaign expressed disappointment in
the Supreme Court's refusal to hear a case challenging Florida's ban on
adoption by gays and lesbians. Lofton v. Secretary of the Florida
Department of Children and Families was seeking to overturn the only
state law denying gay and lesbian individuals and couples the right to
adopt children.
"This ban hurts thousands of Florida children who deserve loving
parents," said HRC Political Director Winnie Stachelberg. "The Supreme
Court's refusal to hear this case marks its refusal to heed the advice
of all major child welfare organizations and health care professionals
who say that gay parents are no different from other loving parents."
The American Academy of Pediatrics, Child Welfare League of America, the
American Medical Association and other leading organizations have issued
policy statements in the last several years saying that sexual
orientation has nothing to do with someone's ability to be a good
parent. A recent ruling in Arkansas overturned the state's ban on foster
care by gay parents based largely on the research of such organizations.
Florida allows gay parents to serve as foster parents but then denies
them the right to adopt these children.
"Loving, caring parents are now being denied the ability to legally
protect the children they've been raising in foster care for so long.
That's wrong," added Stachelberg. "We laud the American Civil Liberties
Union and the families in this case for bringing their stories forward."
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