Massachusetts
governor Mitt Romney, an opponent of same-sex marriage and
a possible Republican presidential contender in 2008,
declared Monday that gay couples have "a legitimate
interest" when it comes to adopting children. However,
he still plans to push forward with a new bill that
would exempt Catholic Charities, the social services arm of
the Roman Catholic archdiocese of Boston, from the
state's antidiscrimination law and allow it to exclude
gay people from consideration as adoptive parents,
The Boston Globe reports.
Last week the Boston archdiocese decided to shut
down its adoption operations entirely rather than
comply with a law that requires it to include gay
couples as prospective adoptive parents, something the
Vatican describes as "gravely immoral." At the time, Romney
called the antidiscrimination law a "threat to religious
freedom" that "put the rights of adults over the needs
of children," even though the archdiocese's decision
to cease adoptions left thousands of foster children
in the lurch.
Romney told reporters Monday at a Boston news
conference that his legal staff is still drafting the
bill he wants to introduce into the state legislature.
It would allow Catholic Charities and other religious groups
to discriminate against gays in adoption matters because the
antidiscrimination law conflicts with their religious beliefs.
"I know that there will be some gay couples who
will say that this could be discriminatory against
us," said Romney, who has been telling audiences at
Republican events around the country that every child
deserves a mother and father. "Except that there are many,
many other agencies that can meet the needs of those
gay couples, and I recognize that they have a
legitimate interest in being able to receive adoptive services."
However, any bill that comes before the
Massachusetts legislature may be short-lived, as
spokespeople for leaders of both the house and senate
said that neither chamber was inclined to meddle
with the state's antidiscrimination protections.
(The Advocate)
