McCain Denounces Adoption by Gays in NYT Interview

By C. Boning - Posted on July 15th, 2008

The Advocate is reporting that presumptive Republican presidential candidate John McCain has denounced adoptions by gays despite being an adoptive parent himself.

“I think that we’ve proven that both parents are important in the success of a family, so, no, I don’t believe in gay adoption,” McCain said in a weekend interview with the New York Times. "I encourage adoption, and I encourage the opportunities for people to adopt children. I encourage the process being less complicated so they can adopt as quickly as possible. And Cindy and I are proud of being adoptive parents."

Jody M. Huckaby, executive director of Parents, Friends and Families of Lesbians and Gays, and Kara Suffrendi, director of the Family Equality Council’s public policy division, have both spoken out about the short-sightedness of McCain’s statement, according to the Advocate.

A joint study in California found that about 14,000 adopted children live with gay couples, and if national ban on such adoptions were enacted it would cost the foster care system up to $130 million.