Wednesday, March 22, 2006
Catholics Gone Crazy
Story by Belinda Wong
Why should gay couples be allowed to adopt?
The real question is: WHY THE HELL NOT?
George Niederauer , the new archbishop of San Francisco, announced that "placing children with gay couples conflicted with the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church," following a statement by former SF archbishop William Levada who said he "does not believe Catholic organizations should place children for adoption in gay households."
Those Catholics have gone nuts. Or should I say, us Catholics.
Yes - I'm a "Catholic," but more in title than in actual practice. I went to Catholic school, wore my horrid green plaid jumper, prayed before meals and went to church every Sunday - the whole nine yards. But that definitely does not mean that I condone or accept its beliefs and rules whole-heartedly…especially when it comes to things like this.
For a religion based on the principles of love and respect, we sure do have a lot of hate. We hate abortion, birth control and premarital sex. Heck - we even hate rock and roll.
But the big "no-no"? Homosexuality. An even bigger "no-no"? Homosexuals having children.
But what makes a good parent? Trust, patience, compassion? I don't believe any of those are gender or orientation-specific.
On Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors unanimously condemned Levada’s statement as “discriminatory and defamatory.” There is nothing inherently superior about the ability of straight couples to raise children. Good parenting is not dependent on sexual orientation, but on the ability to maintain a loving and supportive environment.
Some may argue that homosexual partners simply cannot provide the stability that married heterosexual couples can give, and that such an upbringing can subject the child to ridicule by his or her peers, leading to lifelong detrimental effects on their self-esteem and worth. But that can be said about almost anything: the kid who had glasses, or the kid who had an alcoholic father, or the kid who dressed differently, or the kid with the retarded sibling.
We need to get our priorities straight.
According to the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System, 127,000 children in the public child welfare system are waiting to be adopted. With a shortage of adoptive and foster parents in the United States, isn't it more important that we find these children loving homes than to waste our time and energy trying to prevent able couples from having a family?
Maybe our society just isn't ready for this kind of unconventionalism. In an ideal situation, people would be more accepting and could abide by the standards of equality that our country apparently prides itself on. But just because we don't live in a perfect world doesn't mean we shouldn't strive for it.
See The Examiner Article
Why should gay couples be allowed to adopt?
The real question is: WHY THE HELL NOT?
George Niederauer , the new archbishop of San Francisco, announced that "placing children with gay couples conflicted with the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church," following a statement by former SF archbishop William Levada who said he "does not believe Catholic organizations should place children for adoption in gay households."
Those Catholics have gone nuts. Or should I say, us Catholics.
Yes - I'm a "Catholic," but more in title than in actual practice. I went to Catholic school, wore my horrid green plaid jumper, prayed before meals and went to church every Sunday - the whole nine yards. But that definitely does not mean that I condone or accept its beliefs and rules whole-heartedly…especially when it comes to things like this.
For a religion based on the principles of love and respect, we sure do have a lot of hate. We hate abortion, birth control and premarital sex. Heck - we even hate rock and roll.
But the big "no-no"? Homosexuality. An even bigger "no-no"? Homosexuals having children.
But what makes a good parent? Trust, patience, compassion? I don't believe any of those are gender or orientation-specific.
On Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors unanimously condemned Levada’s statement as “discriminatory and defamatory.” There is nothing inherently superior about the ability of straight couples to raise children. Good parenting is not dependent on sexual orientation, but on the ability to maintain a loving and supportive environment.
Some may argue that homosexual partners simply cannot provide the stability that married heterosexual couples can give, and that such an upbringing can subject the child to ridicule by his or her peers, leading to lifelong detrimental effects on their self-esteem and worth. But that can be said about almost anything: the kid who had glasses, or the kid who had an alcoholic father, or the kid who dressed differently, or the kid with the retarded sibling.
We need to get our priorities straight.
According to the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System, 127,000 children in the public child welfare system are waiting to be adopted. With a shortage of adoptive and foster parents in the United States, isn't it more important that we find these children loving homes than to waste our time and energy trying to prevent able couples from having a family?
Maybe our society just isn't ready for this kind of unconventionalism. In an ideal situation, people would be more accepting and could abide by the standards of equality that our country apparently prides itself on. But just because we don't live in a perfect world doesn't mean we shouldn't strive for it.
See The Examiner Article
# posted by Phil Deez @ 11:56 PM 