The Arizona state legislature is considering a bill that would give married couples priority in adoptions.
A Feb. 23 article by Alia Beard Rau of the Arizona Republic provided the following details on the bill, which is sponsored by Rep. Warde Nichols, a Republican who represents the town of Gilbert:

Unmarried adults could still be considered for adoption when they are related to or already have a relationship with the child, or if there is not a married couple available. The best interests of the child would remain the determining factor in choosing adoptive parents.

"We're not going to be leaving children in the system because we're waiting for a married couple. That's not the intent of the bill," said Cathi Herrod, president of the Center for Arizona Policy. The non-profit group lobbies for conservative family issues, and it is backing the bill. "It simply says, all things being equal, a child deserves a chance to have a mom and a dad."

From April through September 2009, there were 892 state adoptions, 266 of which involved single people. ...

Kris Jacober, the president of Arizona Association for Foster and Adoptive Parents, told the Republic that passing the bill would establish "one more barrier to people trying to decide whether or not to even get started. And when you limit the pool, you limit the options for children."

Labels: adoption laws, same-sex couples, single_parenting

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Butler County, Ohio's adoption policy is a source of controversy because it does something that the state adoption laws don't: It gives preference to married couples.

The conflict, according to the four-page opinion signed ... by Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Roger Gates, is that the Butler County rule adds a line that would put married couples before single parents, unmarried couples, and same-sex couples in adoption cases. Even though these groups would not be excluded from adopting ... the rule does place a priority on placing children with married couples. (Source: The Cincinnati Enquirer)

The policy, which was quietly enacted by outgoing agency Director Michael Fox, was suspended in late March pending a legal review.

Labels: adoption rights, same-sex couples, single_parenting, unmarried couples, controversy

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From the time he submitted his application, Jose Arevalo had to wait for three years before he was able to adopt. Arevalo represents a new trend, as more single men explore adoption possibilities.

"In August, a report by the National Center for Health Statistics identified more than 73,000 single male adoptive fathers in the United States. Although there are no previous reports for comparison, it is believed the number of single adoptive fathers is rising..."

Though the general trend of single parenthood started with mothers, single fathers are now becoming more common. Jose and his son, Michael, have now been together for two years. Source: Review Journal (Las Vegas)

Labels: single_parenting, fathers, men

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