ACLU sues Arkansas over adoption law

One of the less-discussed anti-gay ballot initiatives that passed in November was an Arkansas measure that bars unmarried couples from adopting or foster-parenting. Now the ACLU has filed a suit that says the law is not in the best interest of children — which makes sense, because at a time when there are 3,700 children in foster care and only 1,000 foster homes, the state is further limiting the number of potential caregivers.

“Act 1 violates the state’s legal duty to place the best interest of children above all else,” Marie-Bernarde Miller, a Little Rock attorney in the lawsuit, told the Associated Press.
The group filed the suit on behalf of 29 adults and children from more than a dozen families. The families claim the act’s language was confusing and voters were therefore misled.
The Arkansas Family Council, a group that campaigned heavily for the ban, admitted to targeting gay couples but said it will affect both gay and straight people.

To say that they’re doing this on behalf of kids is just ridiculous. Laws like these are opposed by nearly every child welfare organization in the country. And don’t you love that twisted line of argument? “We discriminate against gay people and unmarried straight people, so it’s not actually discriminatory.” WTF.
There’s some minor comfort in the fact that the ban doesn’t affect adoptions approved prior to November 4. I’m not sure about foster-care situations, though.

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