I've been reading about a court case from New South Wales where a lesbian couple was allowed to adopt the 4-year-old girl that they had raised for most of her life. The birth parents were objecting to this adoption because the adoptive parents would not commit to raising the child as a Catholic.
Here is some of the backstory: The girl was removed from her mother's care when she was four days old due to the mother's long history of drug abuse and due to her manslaughter conviction over the death of her infant son seven years earlier. In that case, the infant son had died from methadone and benzodiazepine poisoning. She blamed her then-boyfriend for administering the fatal drugs into the child.
The baby girl -- named CJD for court purposes -- was placed with the lesbian couple when she was six months old. They have been together as a couple for nearly ten years and have provided financial and emotional stability for the child. The child continues to experience behavioral challenges, most likely as a result of prenatal drug exposure.
The birth mother opposed the adoption of her child by the lesbian moms because they would not commit to raising the child as a Catholic. The birth father opposed the adoption of his child by the lesbian moms because he also wanted the child to be raised as a Catholic. He also said that he wanted to raise the little girl himself if the birth mother was not allowed because he was "deprived of the opportunity to be a father" due to the child's removal due to safety concerns.
Both birth parents have significant mental health challenges and learning disabilities. The birth mother also refuses to take any responsibility for her son's death and has been in jail since that child's death due to continued struggles with drug abuse.
Meanwhile, the adoptive mothers have committed to an open adoption arrangement with the birth parents. They are open to allowing the girl to be involved with scripture class and listen to Bible stories. They also don't object to CJD making her own decision to becoming a Catholic as she gets older.
I can't even...
Here is some of the backstory: The girl was removed from her mother's care when she was four days old due to the mother's long history of drug abuse and due to her manslaughter conviction over the death of her infant son seven years earlier. In that case, the infant son had died from methadone and benzodiazepine poisoning. She blamed her then-boyfriend for administering the fatal drugs into the child.
The baby girl -- named CJD for court purposes -- was placed with the lesbian couple when she was six months old. They have been together as a couple for nearly ten years and have provided financial and emotional stability for the child. The child continues to experience behavioral challenges, most likely as a result of prenatal drug exposure.
The birth mother opposed the adoption of her child by the lesbian moms because they would not commit to raising the child as a Catholic. The birth father opposed the adoption of his child by the lesbian moms because he also wanted the child to be raised as a Catholic. He also said that he wanted to raise the little girl himself if the birth mother was not allowed because he was "deprived of the opportunity to be a father" due to the child's removal due to safety concerns.
Both birth parents have significant mental health challenges and learning disabilities. The birth mother also refuses to take any responsibility for her son's death and has been in jail since that child's death due to continued struggles with drug abuse.
Meanwhile, the adoptive mothers have committed to an open adoption arrangement with the birth parents. They are open to allowing the girl to be involved with scripture class and listen to Bible stories. They also don't object to CJD making her own decision to becoming a Catholic as she gets older.
I can't even...