March 4, 2005: Ban on Gay Adoption - Urge Legislators to
Vote NO

Dear Friends,

Please contact your elected representatives in the Tennessee Legislature and tell them to vote NO on the pending bills prohibiting gay men and lesbians from adopting or becoming foster care parents. Several bills are pending, and it is important that legislators hear from you each time a bill is scheduled to be heard.

On Tuesday, March 8, HB775 (Clem), which prohibits adoption by gay men and lesbians and also prohibits a parent from surrendering or consenting to the adoption of their child if they know the prospective adoptive parent is gay or lesbian, will be heard in the House Domestic Relations Subcommittee. Tell your elected officials to vote No!

TALKING POINTS -

--These bills are bad public policy and are clearly unconstitutional. But most importantly, these bills are contrary to the best interests of the thousands of children who are waiting to be adopted into loving families.

--All of the national professional organizations devoted to children’s welfare agree that gay people are just as fit to be adoptive parents as heterosexuals, and thus, are opposed to categorical exclusions of lesbians and gay men from parenting.

--Over two decades of social science research uniformly confirms that children raised by gay parents develop just as healthy as other children and suffer no disadvantages with respect to their health, development or well-being. Moreover, the studies show, the quality of parenting of lesbians and gay men is just as good as parenting by heterosexuals.

--Parents have a fundamental right to make decisions about their children's care and custody. This bill interferes with that fundamental right and interferes with the parent-child relationship by prohibiting parents from deciding by whom they want their children to be raised were something to happen to them.

Before the scheduled March 8th vote, please contact your representative if he/she serves on the House Domestic Relations subcommittee.

CONTACT INFO -

Listed below are members of the House Domestic Relations subcommittee. To identify your House Representative go to www.congress.org and simply type in your zip code and click "Go," and you will get a list of all your elected officials.

(You may have to type in your street address if your zip code is split between more than one district.)

If your representative does not serve on this committee, contact him/her and ask him/her to urge his/her colleagues on the committee to vote NO! Contact information can be found at http://www.legislature.state.tn.us. You may also contact your legislator toll-free by calling 1-800-449-8366 and entering 1 and the extensions listed below (omitted for web).

Please urge your elected officials to vote NO on all bills banning gay men and lesbians from adopting or becoming foster care parents!

Hedy Weinberg, Executive Director