In a May 15 article on the Advocate website, Julie Bolcer reported on an effort by Louisiana legislators to ban adoptions by gay and lesbian couples:

The Louisiana house voted overwhelmingly [May 12] to pass a bill that would prohibit the issuance of birth certificates that list the names of two unmarried parents who adopt a Louisiana-born child in another state.

The legislation, which passed by a vote of 77-18, stems from a December ruling in which U.S. district judge Jay Zainey sided with two California men seeking a joint birth certificate for the Shreveport-born child they adopted in New York in 2006.

Though the Louisiana effort is designed to outlaw adoption by gay adults, Bolcer notes that, as currently written, the legislation may not accomplish what its supporters intended.

"Single adults and married couples would qualify as adoptive parents, but unmarried couples would not, regardless of their sexual orientation," she wrote. "Presumably, single gay people could still adopt."

Labels: legislation, adoption rights, same-sex couples

Posted By: Aspen/CRC