Adoption bill still separating parties
DENVER - Same-sex couples would be allowed to adopt a partner’s child in Colorado under a bill given preliminary approval Wednesday by the Senate.
The bill passed on a party line voice vote over the objections of critics who accused majority Democrats of trying to override the voters’ will.
Sen. Ted Harvey, R-Highlands Ranch, said HB1330 would essentially overturn voters’ rejection last November of Referendum I, which would have sanctioned gay unions.
Harvey said that voters might have been somewhat supportive of civil unions for gay and lesbian couples, but he has no doubt about where they stand on adoption by same-sex couples.
“The people of the state of Colorado, who may be split on civil unions, are not split on and are very adamant against same-sex adoptions,” he said.
The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Jennifer Veiga, D-Denver, disagreed.
“HB1330 does nothing to recognize any relationships,” Veiga said. “What it does is recognize that there are gay couples out there who have kids.”
Veiga pointed out that the bill does not allow a gay couple to adopt a child that is un- related to either partner, leaving intact Colorado’s law prohibiting such adoptions.
She also argued that children growing up with two parents of the same gender fare as well as their counterparts in traditional families.
“There’s no evidence that children of gay or lesbian parents are any less likely to succeed than children of heterosexual parents,” she said. “You cannot determine that, simply because kids were raised by gay parents, that they’re having any disadvantage compared to kids raised by heterosexual parents.”
A number of national organizations of health care professionals, including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Society of Pediatric Psychology, have endorsed second-parent adoption laws as being beneficial to children.
Sen. Shawn Mitchell, R-Broomfield, said that children living in nontraditional families can be protected through contracts and guardianships, but Veiga said that is unrealistic.
“Can you have a guardianship relationship? You could, but those are contested all the time,” Veiga said. “And it’s not the same as adoption in the eyes of the law. A guardianship will also only get you so far. It won’t address health care, disability, child care issues. It’s expensive, and it’s inadequate.”
The bill also allows grandparents, aunts and uncles, and adult siblings of the child to adopt a child and assume parental status along with the birth parent.
“We can argue all day long about whether it’s best to have a mother and father, but that’s not the point,” Veiga said. “The fact is, not all children have that in Colorado and we need to recognize the reality of what exists and not what we want to exist.”
HB1330 faces a third reading in the Senate before going to Gov. Bill Ritter.
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