Judges back law against same-sex adoption
Thursday 21 February 2013
Printable
EmailPuerto Rico's Supreme Court voted to uphold a law banning gay couples from adopting children on Wednesday.
The 5-4 vote came in the case of a woman who has sought for the last eight years to adopt a 12-year-old girl, who her partner of more than 20 years had birthed after in-vitro fertilisation.
A majority of judges upheld a law stating a person cannot adopt a single-parent child if the would-be adopter is of the same sex as the child's mother or father without that parent losing their legal rights.
The judges insisted that a family composed of a mother and father is best for a child's dignity, stability and well-being.
Chief Justice Federico Hernandez Denton dissented, calling the law unconstitutional and saying the plaintiff's lawyers had proved the proposed adoption would benefit the child.
The girl, he noted, proudly stated: "I have two mothers."
If you appreciated this article then please consider donating to the Morning Star's Fighting Fund to ensure we can keep developing your paper.
Editorial
Stand by our firefighters
Fire Minister Brandon Lewis probably had a fair idea what Sir Ken Knight would deliver when he asked him to conduct an "independent" report into fire and rescue services in England.
Features
A timely reminder of the long fight ahead
As LGBT activists worldwide celebrate anti-homophobia day we are reminded of prevailing prejudice
Fighting child abuse in the community
Bradford has seen the launch of a new campaign to battle the sources of child sex exploitation - and combat far-right bids to make it a racial issue