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
Hands off our postal service
A government guided by common sense would respond to news that publicly owned Royal Mail has increased profits to £403 million by scrapping plans to flog off the service.
Features
Trade unionists will keep fighting for Wales
Wales TUC president sets out the achievements of Welsh workers over the past year - and looks to the battles ahead
Dirty wars
Interview with Jeremy Scahill, author of a chilling new exposé of the US's worldwide war without end