Romney vs. O'Malley

This article was taken from Boston.com the Boston Globe's web site. This story has been in the news for the past week.

I am glad to know our Mormon Governor is siding with the actual law something the Catholic Church has shown it has little regard for.

At the bottom of the article on the site, which I have linked to, there is a box featuring some Google ads. Much to my shock the last Google ad says Against Gay Adoption.

I know these ads aren’t generated or even hosted by the Globe, but WTF? Isn't any one at the Globe checking the advertising that goes on their site? How could some one be so insensitive to let this slip?

Experienced Adoption5,000 adoptions since 1991 tired of waiting?www.eaci.com

For This ChildGuatemalan Adoption Specialists. It's what we do. It's all we do.www.forthischild.org

Against gay adoptionAdoption Opportunity and Advice. Adoption - Against gay adoptionwww.AdoptMeBaby.com


Romney, Rep. cool to bishops request for gay adoption exemption

February 17, 2006

BOSTON --Gov. Mitt Romney and a top legislative leader say a request by the state's four Roman Catholic bishops to exempt Catholic social service agencies from having to place adoptive children with gay households is unlikely to be granted.

Romney told The Boston Globe he was not authorized to give such an exemption, while State Rep. Eugene O'Flaherty, House chairman of the joint committee on the judiciary, said there would be little support among lawmakers to offer an exemption from the state's antidiscrimination laws.

The archbishop of Boston, as well as the bishops of Fall River, Worcester and Springfield, are planning to hire a Boston law firm to explore legal and political strategies for opting out of gay adoptions, which the Vatican has called "gravely immoral."

Catholic Charities, the social service arm of the Boston Archdiocese, has in the past two decades allowed a small percentage of the total number of children it has placed to be adopted into homes with gay parents in compliance with state antidiscrimination laws.

Of the 720 adoptions that group has completed in the past 20 years, only 13 have gone to same-sex couples. Those adopted were all foster children who were considered hard to place because they had special needs or were older.

The bishops' plan appears to be at odds with the 42-member board of Catholic Charities, which voted unanimously in December to continue the practice of allowing gays to adopt.
Romney, an opponent of gay marriage, said upon hearing of the bishops' plan, that he asked his legal counsel to research whether he had the authority to exempt an organization from the law.

"My understanding is that any exemption would require legislation and would not be something I would be authorized to do on a personal basis," Romney said, while not discussing his own views on the practice.

O'Flaherty said, that while he respects the church's position on the matter, he would oppose granting such an exemption to any social agency that contracted with the state.
"This is a very divisive issue that I don't see making it onto the agenda for debate," he said. "We have enough on our plate already."

Representatives of the archdiocese and Catholic Charities said on Thursday that funds to pay for the legal strategy were coming from Catholic Charities budget, which surprised some board members.

"I'm shocked," board member Donna DePresco said. "I find it hard to believe."

The board members serve three-year terms at the pleasure of Archbishop Sean O'Malley.

The bishops may also consider going to court to fight the antidiscrimination laws on First Amendment grounds protecting religious freedom.

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