Gay Adoption Proposal Dies in La. Senate

The Louisiana state senate judiciary committee defeated a proposal Tuesday that would have allowed unmarried couples to adopt children together. Senators voted 3 to 1 against the bill, which was vocally opposed by different religious groups. The move is expected to kill the proposal for the rest of the legislative session.

According to the Associated Press, "Louisiana law allows married couples or a single person to adopt a child.

"If a single person adopts a child and is in a relationship -- whether straight or gay -- the partner in that relationship has no legal parental rights, even if the partner is involved in raising the child. Gay couples aren't allowed to marry in Louisiana and can't legally adopt children together.

"The bill would have allowed two single people to jointly adopt a child," reported the AP.

Sen. Ed Murray of New Orleans was the only senator to vote in favor of the bill.

Louisiana is currently in a federal court battle with two gay men who adopted a Louisiana-born child in a New York court. The Louisiana office of vital records refused to issue a birth certificate listing the two men as the fathers, but a federal judge and appeals court have ruled against the state.