Good news! A letter I wrote to The Saginaw News about second parent adoption was published in the 3/11/2007 edition of their newspaper. I just received my copy in the mail today. Here is the text: Adoption option Kelley Ann Hornyak Second parent adoption is an issue that's close to my heart. It's essential if we want to provide protection for our children, and ensure that they stay with our partners if something were to happen to us in the future. Imagine your child being ripped away from your partner and put into a foster home, just because YOU were the only "legal" parent, and you were no longer around... It is a very sad situation. My partner and I would each like to conceive a child in the future, and possibly adopt one after that. In all three cases, only one of us could be the legal parent--and here in Michigan, we couldn't adopt a child at all, because gay couples are not allowed to. To those who oppose gay marriage, THIS is the reason that we are demanding equal rights. THIS is why we need to have the full rights that come along with marriage--because that's the only way we can ever truly protect our families... Thanks for reading this blog post. Someday I hope to look back on this and reflect on how much things have changed for the better...
Editor, The News:
I am writing to you regarding House Bill 4259, which would allow unmarried couples to adopt children. There are several reasons why this bill needs our support, but rather than rattle off the facts you already know, I want to tell you why it's important to me personally:
I am a lesbian, and I have been with my partner for nearly 11 years. Since we cannot legally be married in Michigan, we cannot adopt a child together. Because of this, we are considering moving to Canada, where all citizens are treated equally, including gay people. It is a sad fact that we are considering leaving Michigan, where we both grew up and where we would like to raise our children.
I was raised by my mother and her brother (my uncle) after my parents were divorced. My uncle had no legal rights though he was my guardian in every way. To this day, he is my father as far as I am concerned, and yet the law will never recognize that. I lacked many protections as a child because of this.
So many children grow up being raised by people who are not their parents--whether they are gay couples, siblings, or simply two unrelated people who were brought together in the best interest of the child. We need to legally recognize these parental relationships, and in doing so, our children will be safer and better
cared for.
I urge you to support House Bill 4259.
Allen Park