Daily Archive
Stories Posted on October 8, 2008
Retired judges oppose ballot measure to limit adoptions
Category: Arkansas · State: Arkansas · Source: Arkansas Democrat Gazette
A Nov. 4 ballot measure that would ban unmarried, cohabiting adults from adopting or becoming foster parents would limit the ability of judges to find good homes for vulnerable children, a group of retired judges said Monday. “The choices available to neglected and abused children and to the judges who must find homes for them are already tragically limited by the children’s circumstances. Instead of imposing a blanket rule that would apply to every case, the needs of these children, and the best means of satisfying their needs, should be left to elected judges to decide case-by-case,” said a statement issued by the judges, three of them former chief justices of Arkansas. David Newbern, a retired associate justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court, listed on the release as the contact person, said the statement speaks for itself. He declined further comment on the substance of the statement.