Uruguay House passes bill allowing adoption by same-sex couples

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Jurist

Friday, August 28, 2009

Uruguay House passes bill allowing adoption by same-sex couples
Ximena Marinero at 3:50 PM ET

The Uruguayan House of Representatives on Thursday approved a bill that would allow same-sex couples to adopt. The House voted 40-13 in favor of the bill , which has been opposed by both the Roman Catholic Church and opposition political leaders with only a single vote on the bill from the opposition parties. The bill is supported by left-wing President Tabare Vazquez and is expected to be approved by the Senate in the coming weeks. The Senate voted to approve an initial bill on July 15 and will vote again on the final version before the end of the legislative session on September 15. If the bill becomes law, Uruguay will be the first Latin American country to allow same-sex couples to adopt children. The bill includes other changes to the Childhood and Adolescence Code , which governs adoptions, including shortening the adoption process and preserving the right of minors to know their biological parents and even maintain a relationship with them. Under the proposed law, married couples or legally-recognized civil unions could adopt a child after four years of living together. The Uruguayan Children's and Adolescent's Institute of Uruguay (INAU) , the national agency that manages matters pertaining to minors, would continue to have discretion over the adoption process.

The Uruguayan common-law relationship law allows couples to apply to be legally recognized as a civil union after five years of living together regardless of the gender of the parties. It was enacted amid much controversy in December 2007 and went into effect in January 2008. To date, only 180 couples have applied for common-law relationship recognition, and only 20 have been recognized. Among those, half of them have been same-sex couples. In the US, adoption by same-sex couples continues to be a controversial issue. In November, a Florida court ruled that a ban on adopting children for same-sex couples was unconstitutional, allowing a couple to adopt two children. The US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit upheld the same Florida statute in 2005 as being rationally related to protecting the interests of children, and the US Supreme Court declined to review that decision. In November, Arkansas voters approved a ballot measure prohibiting gays, lesbians, and other unmarried cohabiting couples from becoming either foster or adoptive parents.



Read more: http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/paperchase/2009/08/uruguay-house-passes-bill-allowing.php

[tomm2thumbs]

1. imagine that. doing what is in the best interests of the children. what a novel idea. /nt

[No Elephants]

2. Good news, especially from a country full of very religious people. I cannot

help but wish that things would go faster and in only one direction. However, good news is good news.

[iamjoy]

3. Great

We're less progressive than Uruguay!

[IndianaGreen]

4. I'll bet Cardinal Cordero Lanza just shit a ton of bricks!

It is only through the leadership of leftwing and socialist leaders, such as President Tabare Vazquez, that the human rights of women and LGBTs are expanded and protected. If you doubt this, look at what became of women and LGBT rights in Poland after it became a capitalist state.

[Danmel]

5. Uraguay is one of the most progressive South American nations

We had a few Uraguayan students from the national youth orchestra stay with us last year. Our son is in a local youth orchestra. They told us that Uraguay, while heavily Catholic, is not a really religious place & is a very open-minded place. The kids were a real blast. The music education program is heavily subsidized by the government & offers a great opportunity for poor kids there. Google jose artigas national orchestra. Very interesting.