One day after the
Arkansas supreme court struck down a state ban on gay
and lesbian foster parents, Gov. Mike Huckabee on Friday
urged the legislature to pass a law reinstating the
ban. "I'm very disappointed that the court seems more
interested in what's good for gay couples than what's
good for children needing foster care," Huckabee told the
Associated Press through his spokeswoman, Alice Stewart.
The state supreme
court on Thursday upheld a lower court decision that
threw out a ban on gays and lesbians serving as foster
parents. Four people sued after the policy was put
into effect in 1999. The state Child Welfare Board
dropped the policy after losing a court fight in 2004.
Thursday's court
ruling left open the possibility that legislators could
enact a ban by law or possibly give a state board authority
to do so. But Rita Sklar, executive director of the
American Civil Liberties Union in Arkansas, said the
court ruling itself could make legislation difficult
to pass. She cited language in the ruling that said there
was no connection between homosexuality and a child's
welfare. (The Advocate)
