The news that Florida may strike the ban on homosexual couples adopting, which was made in 1977, has been met with mixed response.
Certain groups are all for it, calling it a massive step forward for the rights of gay couples, but certain others are opposed to it, as evidenced by the popular-vote constitutional amendment against gay marriage made several years ago.
Florida is still a Republican-controlled state, and the conservative politicians have responded to the homosexual adoption issue by crafting a new bill that would put control in the individual adoption agencies’ hands.
The plan, which was approved by the House Health & Human Services Committee just this week, allows “private child-placing agencies to object to performing, assisting in, recommending, consenting to, or participating in the placement of a child if a placement violates the agency’s written religious or moral convictions or policies.”
Basically, this would allow agencies to choose to allow adoptions to homosexual couples if they wanted to, based on their own particular moral or religious grounds.
The proposal goes on to specifically mention that any adoption agency that chooses to not allow homosexual adoptions for moral or religious reasons will be protected from losing its ability to participate in government programs, as well as protecting the business license, and any existing grants or contracts. Michigan is debating a similar proposal, as well.
It is unknown whether this proposal will make it into law, but until it does (and possibly even after), it will undoubtedly remain a source of intense debate and argument.