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Those dastardly homosexual apologists have done it again! As The Denver Post reports:
Republicans warned of a “homosexual agenda” to redefine the family as the Colorado Senate advanced legislation Wednesday that would let gay couples adopt each other’s children. The measure, which won initial passage along mostly party lines, will get a final vote as soon as today. “This bill is about the homosexual agenda, and it’s not about what’s best for children,” said state Sen. Scott Renfroe, R- Greeley, who also said the measure “undermines marriage.” Republican remarks about that “agenda” prompted Sen. Jennifer Veiga, the bill co-sponsor and Colorado’s only openly gay lawmaker, to comment: “Apparently I left mine up at the office and forgot what point we’re on.” Current Colorado law allows gay individuals to adopt, but a Colorado Supreme Court ruling bars same-sex couples from qualifying for stepparent or second- parent adoptions. House Bill 1330, which already has passed the House, would let any two unmarried people adopt each other’s children. Veiga, D-Denver, said it’s wrong to deny children with two same-sex parents the same rights and protections as other children. Both parents should have the authority to put children in a will, include them on health insurance benefits and give medical consent if a child is injured on the school playground, said Veiga, who is sponsoring the bill with House Majority Leader Alice Madden.
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There is no clear definition of a “homosexual agenda,” but it’s easy to spot a political agenda when you see one. Republicans are hoping to use this as a wedge issue for political purposes, but from a policy standpoint they’re fighting the wrong fight. Let me repeat some key parts of that story above:
Current Colorado law allows gay individuals to adopt, but a Colorado Supreme Court ruling bars same-sex couples from qualifying for stepparent or second- parent adoptions. House Bill 1330, which already has passed the House, would let any two unmarried people adopt each other’s children. Veiga, D-Denver, said it’s wrong to deny children with two same-sex parents the same rights and protections as other children. Both parents should have the authority to put children in a will, include them on health insurance benefits and give medical consent if a child is injured on the school playground, said Veiga, who is sponsoring the bill with House Majority Leader Alice Madden.
A gay man or woman CAN ALREADY ADOPT A CHILD! Surely Republicans aren’t happy about this, but the law already exists. House Bill 1330 has nothing to do with that. If one gay person can adopt a child, it certainly makes sense that two gay people should be allowed to adopt a child for legal and medical purposes. What difference does it make how many gay people adopt one kid? It’s only a legal issue after the first person signs the paperwork, so it makes sense for the child to be fully protected in case something happens to one of the parents. This law also makes great sense for straight couples to adopt a child together. House Bill 1330 corrects a legal exemption. It doesn’t decide whether gay people can or cannot adopt a child. We already decided that. Let’s skip the rhetoric now.