Posted on 03/16/2005 2:24:37 PM PST by pnz1
Committee defeats bill to ban gays from adopting children
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A House committee voted down a bill to ban homosexuals from adopting children, during an emotional debate Wednesday that included the House speaker calling the bill's sponsor a "master at political divisiveness."
The Children and Family Affairs Committee voted 11-9 to defeat the measure, which had been watered down by a House subcommittee last week to remove references to homosexuals and to instead give preference to heterosexual, married couples over singles.
But the full committee decided Wednesday to vote on the original bill and not include the amendment.
During his opening statement, sponsor Chris Clem told committee members he knew the speaker and governor were "leaning" on them to vote against the bill, but he asked for their support.
Chairman John DeBerry, D-Memphis, told Clem his statement was inappropriate and "speaks to the lowest level of political pandering."
"You were totally out of order to call the governor's name, and the governor has not spoken to me at all about this bill," DeBerry said. "And the speaker has not asked me to make any decision other than to conduct this committee with integrity."
Gov. Phil Bredesen said later in the day that Clem's statement concerning him was "simply not true."
"I cannot recall a single conversation that I have had with any member of the Legislature on that particular bill, either directly or behind the scenes," Bredesen said. "That's just flat wrong."
House Speaker Jimmy Naifeh, who made a surprise visit during the committee meeting and appeared to exercise his right to cast a vote in any committee, denounced Clem's tactics as politics.
"This was a show," said Naifeh, D-Covington. "That's all this was."
Clem, R-Lookout Mountain, had earlier told the committee he was simply appealing for the bipartisan support he knew his bill needed to pass.
"That's the way it's going to be in the House of Representatives when you have the leadership that runs this House," Clem said.
"The bill is dead," he said and credited its survival "this far because of a couple of Democrats that have stood against the leadership."
One of those lawmakers, Rep. Nathan Vaughn of Kingsport and a member of the committee, said he voted in favor of the bill because he believes allowing homosexuals to adopt goes against the nation's "family structure."
"I see no reason at this point in time to change what we have stood for as a nation," Vaughn said. "Children are best suited for a family environment that involves a mother and father."
Teri Sogo, a social worker with Jewish Family Service in Nashville, disagreed with Vaughn, and said she's pleased with the outcome.
"It was the right way to go," she said. "Banning gays and lesbians from adoption is really doing a disservice to the children in state custody and it's also discriminatory."
(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
If this were to become Federal law, it would overcome my major objection to homosexual "marriage".
I wonder if they will go back and vote on the amended version that gives married couples preference over singles.
"Banning gays and lesbians from adoption is really doing a disservice to the children..."
So children are bettor off with gay parents? Whoda thunk it.
Yes here in TN it's been before the Senate. And I am just now hearing about this. Just disgusting in my opinion. It would totally mess kids up allowing same sexes to adopt children.
I'm in TN and this was the first I'd seen of it, too.
The fact that this kind of insanity is even considered worthy of a vote is....insane
imo
They cant breed so they adopt, Nothing like raising your own fruits.
Queers should pro-create their own children. Of course, since there is nothing 'un-natural' about being gay, this solution will work.
Adoption should be about discriminating between good and bad parents. Openly immoral adults do not make good parents, especially when their immorality is also so abnormal and perverse.
I wouldn't have wanted to be adopted by homosexuals. That would have been horrible.
This really shows how little adults care about kids anymore. So what if the kids have to live with it.
I think the order of preference for adoptions should be married couples, then straight singles, then homosexuals.
Agreed. Clearly it's best for children to be in a Mother-Father houshold.
Bones
Yup. However, if I was a kid up for adoption and my options were living in foster care or being adopted by a couple of lesbians, I'm going to go eat tofu and listen to the Indigo Girls rather than face the dangers of the foster care system.
"I see no reason at this point in time to change what we have stood for as a nation," Vaughn said. "Children are best suited for a family environment that involves a mother and father."
Sanity. Homosexuals have chosen a lifestyle that prevents them from having children; if there desire to raise children is so great, why do they not produce them the way that heterosexuals do? Biologically, they are able to reproduce, thier choice has rendered them in a position of being unable to reproduce, and this is the way that it should remain. Heterosexuals are not on earth to be "breeders" for homosexuals. Darwanism would dictate that their numbers should naturally decline due to their choice to not reproduce, heterosexuals would be fools to allow adoption. I believe even Europe does not allow this.
Homosexual Agenda Ping.
Is this it? Nothing any sane legislators can do in Tennesee? I hope those who voted against this righteous piece of legislation don't get re-elected next time around.
It sticks in my craw that media and public "officials" overwhelmingly use the prop-speak terms "gays" and "lesbians" instead of the word "homosexual" (which actually is also an invented propaganda word, but that's another story for anotherday....).
Poor kids in the state of TN.
Let me and DirtyHarryY2K know if anyone wants on/off this pinglist.
Note the dainty minuet all these pansy legislators are dancing? No one wants to commit to the truth (well, hardly anyone - praises to the ones with spines).
But the pro-"gay" idiots are never loathe to support evil.
Thought provoking (note tagline). Remember what Jesus Christ said about people of lukewarm faith? Faith and conviction in the truth is only as good as it inspires one to speech and action, whatever each of us can do.
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