http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0328montini0328.html
Throwing out baby with bath water, on purpose this time
Mar. 28, 2006 12:00 AM
Over the past several weeks, I've heard from adoptive parents and adoption professionals who say that politicians at the state Capitol are trying to pass a law that would make it harder for some good people to adopt, would keep kids in foster care longer, could cost taxpayers more money and would decrease the pool of individuals willing to take in our most needy children.
And, as you're doing right now, I asked, "Why would they do that? It doesn't make any sense."
And it didn't. At least not until I heard from Rep. Rick Murphy.
It isn't often that a politician says exactly what he means. However, in an e-mail to a constituent about House Bill 2696, the adoption bill, Murphy did just that. He is a supporter of the bill, though he wants to make it clear that the proposed law wasn't his idea and he didn't write it.
The primary sponsor of the bill, Rep. Steve Tully, told me that all he wanted to do was to establish a preference for married couples over single people when it comes to adopting kids in Arizona.
"It seemed to me that all things being equal, and you have a married couple and a single person, that the state should put it with a married couple," Tully told me. "That's all this bill is about."
But Susan Frank, a lawyer working in the foster care system and a single adoptive parent, thinks differently.
"This law would throw so many obstacles in front of single people that it will scare them off," she said. "And that is crazy. It's difficult enough for a single person to adopt. And often it is singles who are willing to take the most difficult placements. Why would you want to mess with that?"
Rep. Tully didn't have an answer to that question. But Rep. Murphy did.
He forwarded me a copy of an e-mail he had sent to a concerned citizen in which he explains exactly why he likes Tully's bill. Murphy, an adoptive parent, wrote in part:
"The bottom line is, some people want to use any loophole possible to facilitate adoptions by gay individuals and 'couples' masquerading as individuals. This bill will restrict (although not totally eliminate) those efforts, while allowing for adoptions by singles when truly appropriate. Since the reasonable exceptions are included, I don't believe this policy preference will delay or prevent any child from being adopted. Taking all of that into account, I continue to fully support this bill."
Right now, the state simply looks for the best parent, married or single, for the 10,000 or so Arizona children in foster care.
"We believe that this proposal would have a negative impact on the system," said Ron Adelson of the non-profit agency Aid to Adoption of Special Kids.
Susan Frank added: "Single people will be discouraged from going through the process and will not put themselves at risk. They will pursue foreign adoption, which will be a quicker and easier process with greater chance of getting a child."
Rep. Tully also points to private adoption as an alternative for single people who may be discouraged by the new law.
"Individuals who want to adopt have options," he told me.
And they do. But it isn't the options of adoptive parents we should be most concerned about. It's the options of children.
The supporters of HB 2696 seem to view the proposed law as a way of cleansing the system. But of what? People willing to love and support needy kids?
It's not surprising for politicians to throw out the baby with the bath water. But they don't usually do so on purpose.
Reach Montini at ed.montini@arizonarepublic.com or (602) 444-8978. Read his blog at montiniblog.azcentral.com.