National Stonewall Democrats condemned the enactment of one of the nation’s most restrictive anti-adoption laws. The legislation, signed last week by Oklahoma Governor and Democrat Brad Henry, forbids same-sex couples residing out-of-state from adopting children in Oklahoma.
‘Gov. Henry’s support for this legislation is disgusting and goes against Democratic principals which value American families,’ said Dave Noble, NSD Executive Director. ‘This law threatens abandoned and orphaned children by refusing to afford them stable, loving homes.’
Oklahoma already maintains some of the most anti-gay adoption statutes in the nation. State law already bars same-sex couples in Oklahoma from adopting children, although gay individuals may become adoptive parents. The new law removes a loophole that had allowed same-sex partners in states where co-adoption is legal to seek children in Oklahoma. The legislation stemmed out of a March controversy in which the Oklahoma Health Department refused to issue a birth certificate for a child adopted by a gay couple who live in Seattle.
The Family Pride Coalition also condemned the law.