Yesterday afternoon, rainbow flags were held high and well-groomed men kissed on the steps of the state capitol building after the Utah Supreme Court approved adoptions for same-sex couples.
While many cheered the decision, I have to admit that I found the whole thing to be a bit ridiculous. Not because of the same-sex issue, but because those who want nothing more than the privilege of providing a loving family for a child in need must get permission from the state to do so.
Think about that for a moment. Think about how ludicrous that is.
There are more than 140 million orphans in the world. And this number does not include those who are abandoned or sold as slaves.
About 250,000 are adopted annually, while every 2.2 seconds one more orphan ages out of the system with no family and no home. About ten to fifteen percent of these kids commit suicide before they reach eighteen and as many as 60 percent of orphaned girls become prostitutes.
Yet before any gay individual or couple willing to step up and save some of these kids from a lifetime of tragedy, violence and heartbreak, they must be authorized by the state to do so. Not because this is all part of the regular vetting process, by the way, but because they’re not heterosexual.
An Act of Tyranny
While I understand the argument that adoptive parents must be properly vetted, there is no evidence to suggest that same-sex couples are less capable of providing a safe and loving family than heterosexual couples.
Oh, I’m sure I’ll get a few hateful comments about this, complete with a link to some random study conducted by a team of dogmatists who surveyed members of their “God Hates Fags” church. But the bottom line is that if you oppose violence and support liberty, you simply cannot deny a sovereign individual the right to adopt.
Now understand, I’m not writing these words to criticize those who have a religious basis for opposing or being offended by homosexuality. I don’t get it, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have the right to express your beliefs. However, there is no honor in denying a child the joy and security of a family.
And any government seeking to keep a child in an institution instead of staying out of it altogether is committing an act of tyranny
I don’t mean to sound over-the-top, but I cannot see any other way to put it.
By disallowing a child access to a loving family, you potentially condemn that child to lifetime of tragedy and violence. And that is exactly what some state governments continue to do, thereby making these governments accomplices in what is arguably a criminal act. Yes, I’m looking at you Mississippi!
But kudos to the judges in Utah who had the good sense to allow same-sex couples to adopt. Although let’s be honest, the state of Utah never should’ve had the authority to control which couples get to adopt and which don’t.
By the way, if you have any interest in adoption, I highly recommend checking out Rainbowkids.com, which helps thousands of special needs and waiting children find families.
