An Oxford resident recently presented an 88-signature petition to Butler County commissioners supporting proposed changes to the Butler County Children Services policy regarding adoption standards, according to an Oxford Press article (March 17, "Conservatives back county preference of traditional married couples in adoption"). The suggested changes offer clarification of purposefully ambiguous laws and are currently under review at the county prosecutor's office. According to Ohio Supreme Court rulings, parent selection should be base on what is in the best interest of the child and the Ohio Revised Code permits people who are unmarried to adopt. While the petition does not seek to prevent single people or other non-traditional families from adopting, the intention is to make it law to give preference to traditional couples. The editorial board of The Miami Student feels the proposal should not be adopted.
The petition offers an interpretation of the phrase "best interest of the child." However, it is not the place of the county government to codify a definition. The adoption agency should be left to determine, on a case-by-case basis, what is in the best interest of the child as long as it conforms to the guidelines set forth by Ohio state law. Authority should rest at the state level. At the county level, populations may be homogenous, skewing political leanings in one direction or another. The politics of a population should not interfere with deciding who is qualified to be a parent.
The petition does not exclude non-traditional adoptive parents, so it does not violate the Ohio Revised Code. However, it is unnecessary to make specific preferences law. Candidates should be judged on their parenting skills, not whether they have a spouse or the gender of that spouse. Although a two-parent household usually has a larger income, the county should trust the adoption agency will not place a child in a household that cannot provide for it. It would be a sweeping generalization to say a single parent cannot provide what is in the best interest of the child. For a woman who is physically unable to have a child, her marital status should not determine her ability to adopt. The traditional family distinction would also put homosexuals and older couples at a disadvantage. Just because a family has both a mother and father does not mean it is a healthier environment for a child. In the same way, a homosexual couple could prove to be better parents than a heterosexual one. What is in the best interest of the child may not fit traditional values. What the county thinks is in the best interest of the child may be not be what is actually in the best interest of the child. A loving home, which non-traditional families can provide just like traditional families, is what a child needs. The only preference that should be given is to prospective parents who are able to care for and raise a child. Beyond that, the county does not need to specify family traits worthy of earning preferential treatment.
