NH Official Criticized for Gay Adoption Remarks

New Hampshire representative Al Baldasaro is under fire for comparing adoption by gays to selling children in a testimony before the house judiciary committee last week.

Baldasaro, a Republican, has endured criticism from Democratic colleagues and Gov. John Lynch in the week. During his testimony he described same-sex marriage as not "normal." He fears that allowing same-sex marriage would open the door to other types of relationships, such as polygamy and incest. Causing the most uproar was his assertion that the state had "sold" children to gay couples, referring to the federal money the state receives for adoptions. He later said he had made "a bad choice of words" and "meant no disrespect."

There have been calls for his resignation, but Baldasaro has responded that he has "no intentions whatsoever" of resigning and trusts voters to continue to support him. A spokesman for the state's Republican Party has said that Baldasaro's apology is sufficient and that the party will not officially denounce his comments.