EDINBURGH, June 13, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Scotland’s Catholic prelate, Cardinal Keith O’Brien, criticized a decision by Scottish officials to legalize adoption of children by homosexuals as “clearly not in the best interests of children.”
“Such a measure would distort the understanding of the family, cause harm to children and promote the status of homosexual relationships,” Cardinal O’Brien said, as reported by scotsman.com. “Homosexual unions are notoriously fragile and unstable, and the small number of homosexual couples living together make the suggestion that this measure would increase the number of potential adoptive parents unrealistic.”
Deputy education minister Euan Robson made the announcement Saturday, emphasizing that unmarried couples could already adopt. Under current law, one of the two could file to adopt a child, Robson explained, while the second member seeks a residence order. “This confusing legal position needs to be addressed,” Robson said, adding that the Executive would reform the adoption law to include provision for same-sex couples “at the earliest opportunity.”
“To place children in such a situation is to put them in an environment that is not conducive to their full human development,” Cardinal O’Brien added. “This is gravely immoral and in open contradiction to the principle, recognised in the UN Convention on the rights of the child, that the best interests of the child, as the weaker and more vulnerable party, are to be the paramount consideration in every case.”
See the Scotsman.com report: https://news.scotsman.com/politics.cfm?id=641382005
tv