RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Legislation allowing private adoption agencies to discriminate against gay prospective parents is on its way to Virginia's governor, who has said he will sign it.
The Senate voted 22-18 Tuesday to pass legislation allowing private agencies to deny placements that conflict with their religious or moral beliefs, including opposition to homosexuality. The House had already passed the bill, which only needs Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell's signature to take effect July 1.
North Dakota is the only other state with such a law.
Democrats Charles Colgan and Phillip Puckett joined all 20 Senate Republicans in voting for the so-called "conscience clause" legislation.
Proponents say the measure protects the religious rights of agencies that contract with the state to provide child placement services. Opponents say the state should not sanction discrimination.
Comments: I want very much to love my home state, and it does have its good sides, but I am so ashamed to be a Virginian these days.
wtf.
(also wtf at spelling virginia about fifteen different ways before I got it right. fingers, why you so wacky?)
Question - does this limit same sex families ability to adopt? like, are there non-private agencies they could go through??
That isn't, of course, a solution for any kids who are put through the discriminatory adoption agencies. It'd suck to be a gay or lesbian child in one of them and have the pool of potential parents skewed towards the non-gay-accepting, not to mention picking up somewhere along the way the message that people like themselves aren't fit to be parents.
How dare they wanna make a kid happy.
I could make the same claim about many heterosexual people I know.
I can't with Virginia at all.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMLZO-sO
*sigh*