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News and commentary about the anti-gay lobbyApril 23rd, 2015
Arizona’s Republican Governor Doug Ducey is angry about gay adoptions and he’s doing something about it.
In October of last year, U.S. District Court Judge John Sedwick found that the state’s ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional. And State Attorney General Tom Horne agreed, so Arizona did not appeal the decision and marriage equality came to the state.
As part of the new legality of same-sex couples, state adoption agencies began to treat all married couples equally.
But in January a new Attorney General was installed and Mark Brnovich decided that just because same-sex couples could wed didn’t mean you couldn’t still discriminate against them in adoption. So he advised the Department of Child Safety to reinstate policies that barred gay married couples from adopting or being joint foster parents.
But no one told the Governor. And he’s pissed. (Tuscon.com)
Gubernatorial press aide Daniel Scarpinato said Ducey only learned of Flanagan’s policy change on Wednesday. Ducey was clearly unhappy with both the policy and having to learn about it after an inquiry from a reporter.
“I have made it abundantly clear since day one that my administration is unambiguously and unapologetically pro-adoption,” the governor said in his prepared statement.
“With 17,000 children under the state’s care, we need more adoption in Arizona, not less,” Ducey continued. “That Ãs why I feel strongly, as I have said many times before, that all loving families should be able to serve as foster parents and adopt.”
The governor ordered DCS “to immediately ensure that all legally married couples in Arizona are able to jointly serve as foster parents and adopt.”
This is the second time this month that Ducey has had to slap down anti-gay adoption efforts.
The first came earlier this month when he vetoed legislation that would have allowed county attorneys to refuse to help with adoptions.
Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery, who sought the change, said it was simply to get rid of a state mandate and allow his lawyers to focus on higher priorities. But it later became public that Montgomery had refused to help a gay couple complete an adoption.
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Bose in Phoenix AZ
April 23rd, 2015
Good for him. AZ elected officials have managed to create quirky contrasts. The AG was deeply disappointed about marriage equality, but also committed to his role following the court’s ruling.
And yet, we’ve got a county attorney refusing to support same-sex married parents with the same services available — free — to hetero parents.
Michael
April 24th, 2015
Wait… a *GOP* governor??? Is this a post from the onion??
Hunter
April 24th, 2015
Michael: I suspect we’re going to find more and more Republicans breaking ranks with the God-botherers on gay issues. Hewing to the “party line” in a lot of cases is becoming political suicide.
FYoung
April 24th, 2015
The link to the story at Tuscon.com is now broken. The story has been retitled and edited and now appears here:
Ducey allows same-sex couples to be adoptive, foster parents
http://tucson.com/news/state-and-regional/ducey-allows-same-sex-couples-to-be-adoptive-foster-parents/article_25ffa383-1238-5ab3-a6b0-9d0ce26c889a.html
Nathaniel
April 24th, 2015
Hunter, it depends on which “party line” they are toeing. The GOP is indeed going to have to stop listening to those committed to social issues if the party wishes to remain committed to its beliefs in limited government and broadened personal freedoms. Matters like adoption particularly highlight the contradictory nature of trying to maintain both postures – smaller government means less involvement with childcare, but blocking certain kinds of couples from taking children off government hands is the wrong way to achieve that goal. I think we will start seeing that bucking the GOP’s anti-gay trend will be phrased as sticking to the “true” party line, rather than referred to as “breaking ranks.”
Eric Payne
April 24th, 2015
As a former resident of Phoenix (and, hopefully, a future resident), I’m glad to see this action by the governor… now if he’d just get the gonads to tell the Arizona Center for Policy that they don’t, actually, set policy…
tristram
April 24th, 2015
@Eric – do you think that’s what he’s going to say in his ‘keynote’ address to CAP’s fundraiser tomorrow? LOL
Mark F.
April 24th, 2015
Good for him.
Eric Payne
April 24th, 2015
@tristram,
Wouldn’t that be a hoot!
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