Mississippi:
Partnered Gays Not Good for Kids

A bill in the Mississippi senate would bar cohabiting unmarried couples, including gay and lesbian couples, from adopting children. The proposed law is an effort to close a loophole that allows gay couples to adopt. WLBT TV in Jackson reports that the state's department of human services has 533 children in its custody who are eligible for adoption. Current guidelines for a prospective adoptive parent are that he or she must be either single -- sexual orientation is not mentioned -- or married for at least two years, 21 years old, and have sufficient income and insurance to care for a child.

"We're talking about taking a child and putting them into an environment where they are taught habits and exposed to lifestyles that are clearly detrimental to the child," state representative Phillip Gunn said to WLBT in reference to adoption by gay couples.

Gunn said, however, he does not want to prevent singles from adopting. "Obviously there are a lot of single people out there with a lot of love to give an adoptive child, and we certainly don't want to prohibit that, and that is not a bad way to raise a child," he continued.

Apparently, gays make poor adoptive parents only when they're partnered. (The Advocate)