Gays, Catholics and adoptions again

A number of people have expressed surprise at my disagreement with the Roman Catholic church for its stand against the Sexual Orientation Regs. Thinking Anglicans have today published an open letter from Savi Hensman, vice chair of the LGCM, to NT Wright which puts it well (text here):

Roman Catholic adoption agencies already consider as adoptive parents people whose views and lifestyles are not in accord with its teachings, and rightly so. If, for instance, an atheist is able and willing to offer a loving home which is likely to meet the often extensive needs of a particular child, her offer may be taken up without any change in fundamental Church doctrines.

The point is, the RC church already recognises the point that Roman Catholics do not have a monopoly on the ability to bring children up well - and therefore they are happy to place children with parents who they can be sure will bring them up well even though in an ideal world they would not place them with such parents. So for example they would presumably prefer to place all children with married Roman Catholic parents. But they recognise that since this is not possible, it's better to place them with stable, good non-married non-Catholic parents than for them not to be placed at all.

I see no reason why adoption by gay couples should be any different. I have no doubt that it would be better for all children to have one male and one female parent who are committed Christians, married to one another, and very good parents to boot. But we have established that this is not always possible. The question is, therefore, given that we have accepted the principle of realism (not to let the impossible best be the enemy of the relatively good) why should it be any different with respect to couples where both partners are of the opposite sex rather than where the partners are not married or not Christians?

Comments

[Custard.]

I think I agree.

[Jonathan Mobey]

The point of this legislation is to make it illegal to exercise this kind of judgement. Adoption agencies are entitled to discriminate on the basis of violent behaviour, personality, or financial resources, but not on homosexual orientation. Discrimination on the basis of paedophilic orientation is no doubt applauded. Will it (or should it) be illegal to discriminate against those who practise, say, bestiality, or sado-masochism? What about a happily-committed menage-a-trois (or quatre, or cinq...)? Where, if anywhere, should the law step in?