Same-sex and other unmarried couples would be able to adopt each other’s children under legislation filed Tuesday.
The bill, by House Majority Leader Alice Madden, D-Boulder, and Sen. Jennifer Veiga, D-Denver, would let any two unmarried people adopt each other’s children.
Under current law, married couples can adopt each other’s children but gays and lesbians cannot. That would have changed under Referendum I, which voters rejected in November.
That ballot measure would have recognized same-sex unions and granted couples the same legal rights as married couples.
“I think the lesson of Referendum I is clear when it comes to these matters,” said Jim Pfaff, president of Colorado Family Action, which is opposed to the bill.
“Homosexual adoption was part of Referendum I, … and the voters of Colorado rejected it.”
Veiga emphasized that the bill is not just about gay rights. It would allow any two people to adopt each other’s children to ensure they have a second legal guardian, she said.
“It is improving the protection for that child, whether it be for health care or financial security,” Veiga said.
But Pfaff, whose group is affiliated with Focus on the Family, said the issue is clearly about one thing.
“We don’t have single parents clamoring to do this. What we have are people who are promoting an agenda for homosexuals finagling the system instead of coming out and just saying, ‘We are about homosexual adoptions,”‘ he said.
The proposal is expected to draw intense scrutiny throughout the legislative process.
“Unfortunately, I think any time any bill provides any benefit, however peripheral, to gay couples, it stirs up controversy,” Veiga said.
Pfaff said his group is committed to “shooting for the gold standard in public policy.”
“And when it comes to adoption, the gold standard is the mother and father in the home.”
Capitol Bureau chief Jeri Clausing can be reached at 303-954-1555 or jclausing@denverpost.com.
