The upper house of parliament in Switzerland voted this week to allow same-sex couples to adopt children. The lower house must now consider the measure before it becomes law.

The group decided that “anyone should be able to adopt a child, regardless of their choice of lifestyle, so long as such adoption would be in the best interests of the child.” This is not the most friendly, inclusive or even accurate phrasing, but it seems the measure has a lot of opposition from conservatives. The measure passed 21 to 19, a very close vote.

Those seeking to adopt would have to be entered into some kind of registered partnership to be eligible, though couples wouldn’t have to be legally married. Some Swiss officials acknowledged that family dynamics are changing in the country and the world, and the “traditional” family structure is no longer applicable for a lot of people.

If support for this measure stays strong, this could be the beginning of very good news. Fingers crossed!

The European Court of Human Rights ruled this week that France did not discriminate in keeping a lesbian from adopting her partner’s child.

French courts refused to let the woman become the girl’s other legal parent because a French law says that only married couples can do this. From the AP:

The couple appealed to the European court, based in Strasbourg, saying they were discriminated against because they are gay. But the court ruled Thursday that all non-married couples in France — including homosexual and heterosexual ones in civil unions — face the same adoption restriction.

But see, the difference is that same-sex couples can’t get married in France, so this kind of adoption is not a possibility for these women at all. Sigh.

The state of Virginia has essentially passed legislation making it legal for private adoption agencies to discriminate against LGBT parents. 

This bill would allow agencies to deny couples adoptions on the basis of a conflict with their religious or moral beliefs, subtly but surely pointing to homosexuality. Virginia’s state Senate and House have both passed the bill and Gov. Bob McDonnell has promised to sign it. Virginia would be the second state to pass this kind of measure, second after North Dakota. 

The bill is “the first step toward actually outlawing adoption by LGBT people,” said Sen. Adam Ebbin, the legislature’s only openly gay member. The Child Welfare League of America and the American Civil Liberties Union also opposed the measure. It “in essence codifies state-supported discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, which is not only unconstitutional but also unconscionable as it will deny many parentless children the family placements they so desperately need,” Kent Willis, executive director of the ACLU of Virginia, said in an email.

Children need loving homes. There are plenty of loving parents ready with open arms and open homes. What seems to be the problem? 

Last week the state senate in Virginia voted to approve a bill that would allow private adoption and foster care agencies to deny placement of children based on “religious or moral beliefs,” essentially opening the door to banning gay parents from adopting. 

The state house approved an identical bill the week before and the governor has already said he’ll sign the bill, so it’s very likely to become law. Every Republican in the Senate plus two Democrats voted to pass the bill. 

Lawmakers attempted to include amendments to the bill, such as banning foster parents from giving their potentially LGBT children “reparative therapy,” but the amendments were all shot down. 

“This bill authorizes every one of the 80 private adoption agencies licensed in Virginia to refuse to offer their services to any GLBT person based on a written moral policy, which they can make up tomorrow,” said State Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-Alexandria and Fairfax), who is gay.

“The bill says they can do that no matter how qualified the prospective mom and dad is to become a parent,” said Ebbin in an impassioned floor speech urging his colleagues to vote against the bill.

On Wednesday in Virginia, a state senate subcommittee approved a bill that would allow public adoption agencies to refuse to approve adoptions or foster care on “religious or moral grounds” - namely, allowing them to discriminate against LGBT people. 

State Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-Alexandria), who is gay, said that although the words “sexual orientation” or “gay” and “lesbian” are not in Senate Bill 349, lawmakers clearly understand that it’s aimed at justifying the denial of adoptions or foster child placement for gay people.

“This would put into the law that they can be turned away,” Ebbin said. “The issue is simple –whether or not state dollars should be used or taxpayers’ funds should be used to fund discrimination in adoption and foster care.”

At the same time, bills banning job discrimination against state workers and adoption-related discrimination for LGBT people both died in committee this week. Talk about kicking us when we’re down; why so hateful, Virginia? 

Sen. Ross Romero introduced a bill in Utah that would allow any unmarried couple living together to adopt a child. 

Any two people living together, married or unmarried, could become the legal parents of a child, Romero explained. Perhaps his most controversial example includes “sisters who move in together” as people who could become a child’s two legal parents. 

Balkan says the bill would have substantial impact on the state’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual community by allowing them to adopt. But Romero says the bill is more than just about LGBT rights, but about parental rights, gay or straight.

“What this bill says is ‘I know what is best for my child and it will be judged on what’s in the best interest of the child,’” Romero explains.

Romero says the parent could be able to designate a co-parent to raise the child, whether that person is a sister, brother, or significant other. 

It’s very unlikely this will pass, but certainly still worth talking about. What do you all think?

Virginia’s Board of Social Services approved on Wednesday certain measures relating to adoption that will aid in blocking same-sex couples from adopting kids. 

A previous version of the regulations included an anti-discrimination policy that kept adoption agencies from discriminating against potential parents based on sexual orientation, among other factors. But a new version of the policy, which will take effect in May, does not include protection for any characteristics except race, color or national origin.

This means that adoption agencies can legally discriminate against prospective parents based on sexual orientation, age, gender, disability, religion, political belief, and family status. To top it off, the state already bans adoption of children by same-sex couples, but not by gay individuals - this changes that exception.

The Advocate article above points out that more than 1,500 children in Virginia are waiting to be adopted. Why deny children the chance to be adopted by loving, capable parents? Why?