Archive for adoption
How Much Will New Rules for Family and Medical Leave Act Help Same-Sex Couples? Not Much
Some good news is coming in about the Labor Department’s imminent announcement of new regulations that allow workers to take (unpaid) leave in order to care for their children.
Here’s the important language from the Family and Medical Leave Act:
§ 2612. Leave requirement
(a) In general.
(1) Entitlement to leave. [A]n eligible employee shall be entitled to a [...]
Bryan Caplan Inspires a Real-Life Discussion About Mini-Me
Bryan Caplan, in a laudable effort to sell more of his upcoming book, “Selfish Reasons to Have More Kids,” has asked readers of his blog whether he should keep this paragraph in, or take it out:
I confess that I take anti-cloning arguments personally. Not only do they insult the identical twin sons I already have; [...]
What’s Next for Arkansas Ban on Fostering and Adoption by “Cohabitators”?
As you’ve doubtless heard, an Arkansas state judge just struck down the 2008 ballot initiative that purports to prohibit all unmarried, cohabitating couples from fostering or adopting children. The short ruling is confusing to non-lawyers, because the judge held that the measure passes federal constitutional scrutiny, but is invalid under the state constitution. Judge Piazza [...]
Forms Over Substance
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: A man walks into a government office (Social Security, in this case) seeking to have his adopted daughters’ new names recorded, and their social security numbers changed. Since the process itself was fairly smooth, this wouldn’t be anything to write about. But because the man in question [...]
Lady WordinEdgewise Visits the (Not so) Sunshine(y) State
In my previous post, I wrote cheerily about developments in DC and Maryland. Meanwhile, here in Florida matters are considerably less cheery. I’m down here with the kids for a short vacation. Right now, they’re at the zoo with my parents, while I’m wrapped in ice after apparently rupturing a muscle this morning on the [...]
It’s Always the Gays
In a lengthy and some respects informative piece in the National Review, Heather MacDonald expresses concern that allowing same-sex marriages will further the erosion of the link between biology and parenting. Notwithstanding its merits as a review of the transformations wrought by the recent availability of assisted reproduction, though, the article reduces to a familiar [...]
Another Conversation Not to Have
Here’s a fool-proof plan for spoiling an otherwise-delightful dinner with friends: Talk about the various ways one might build a family.
This I learned recently, after getting into a surprisingly heated exchange with a couple that we count among our very closest friends. I was reminded that everyone has very strong opinions, not only about how they’ve [...]
Valuing a Child’s Best Interest? (Part Two)
A same-sex couple who adopted a boy in New York State were told by a Louisiana official that they couldn’t have the kid’s birth certificate amended to reflect who his legal parents are. (The child had been born in Louisiana.) Unless that happens, though, the child can’t be added to one of the parents’ health [...]
The Perry Case: If This is the Evidence They’re After, No Worries
Judge Vaughn Walker isn’t fooling around. Today, in the case challenging the constitutionality of Proposition 8 (Perry v. Schwarzenegger), he rejected requests by both various LGBT advocacy groups and a pro-Prop 8 group to intervene in the litigation. Law Dork has a typically clear summary of the ruling here. The judge also appears to have [...]
Adoption, Fostering, and Gay Couples
This article will appear in tomorrow’s NY Times Magazine. It describes the loving home of a lesbian couple who’d taken in many foster children, but who found that their efforts to adopt a baby were less charitably viewed by the child’s court-appointed attorneys, the judge hearing the case, and the skittish child welfare department.
In many [...]