Mississippi judge rules to allow same-sex couples to adopt children

INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO

A federal court in Mississippi has ruled that the ban on same-sex couples from adopting a child is unconstitutional, thereby resolving nearly two decades of Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender (LGBT) adoption battles in the United States.

US District Judge Daniel Jordan ruled on Thursday that legalizing gay marriage is associated with legalizing benefits for them, such as child adoption.

Jordan issued a preliminary injunction that impedes Mississippi’s contentious 16-year ban on gay adoption, keenly noting the legal decision of the US Supreme Court to legalize same-sex marriage in all states.

Last year, four same-sex couples, together with the Campaign for Southern Equality and the Family Equality Council, legally questioned the Mississippi ban, according to the Huffington Post.

The ruling on same-sex adoption coincides with a controversial proposal in the US Senate. A few days ago, Mississippi’s Senate legislated a “religious freedom” bill, where businesses and government employees can reject transactions with LGBT people based on their  ‘religious beliefs’.

Last July, Kim Davis, a county clerk in Kentucky, denied marriage licenses to gay couples, fueling harsh criticism from the LGBT community and cheers from devout religious groups in the US.

READ: Clerks defy same-sex ruling, refuse licenses for gay couples 

According to a study by University of California – Los Angeles (UCLA), around 996 same-sex couples were raising 1,401 children in Mississippi, and 65,000 children are raised by LGBT couples across 50 states. Gianna Francesca Catolico, INQUIRER.net

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