NEW YORK — Advocates for gay and lesbian parents are denouncing Sen. John McCain, an adoptive father himself, for opposing adoptions by gays, which prompted his presidential campaign to clarify Tuesday that he does not seek a federal ban.
Only one state, Florida, outlaws adoptions by gays.
In an interview Sunday in The New York Times, McCain said, “I think that we’ve proven that both parents are important in the success of a family so, no, I don’t believe in gay adoption.”
McCain then remarked that he and his wife, Cindy, were proud to be the adoptive parents of a daughter born in Bangladesh, and he encouraged others to adopt.
On Tuesday, as criticism of McCain’s comments spread, his campaign elaborated in a statement: “John McCain could have been clearer in the interview in stating that his position on gay adoption is that it is a state issue. … He was not endorsing any federal legislation.” The Associated Press
