Judge rules gay adoption ban in Florida is unconstitutional

On behalf of Furr & Cohen, P.A. posted in Family Law on Friday, April 18, 2014.

With all the news recently about same-sex marriage and gay adoptions, Florida residents are likely hearing a lot of points from both proponents and opponents of same-sex partnerships. For one woman, a judge ruling that the state’s ban on gay adoption is unconstitutional means that she was finally able to adopt her 14-year-old son.

The woman has been fighting against the state’s ban on gay adoptions. She wanted to be recognized as her son’s second parent. She and her partner worked together to choose the sperm donor that would be used to conceive the boy. When the baby was born in 2000, the woman quickly realized that she didn’t have any legal rights to her son. She decided to take action to try to get things changed so she could be recognized as his parent.

The law that bans gay adoptions, Florida Statute 63.042(3), has not been removed from the books. With this ruling from the appellate court, however, some couples in same-sex relationships have been allowed to adopt. It’s estimated that over 1,000 adoptions by gay couples have taken place since the ruling. The woman in this case wants to help other same-sex families protect their rights in a similar fashion. She said she wants same-sex couples to realize that they can “create forever families.”

While this woman’s story has a happy ending, the road to obtaining the adoption was long. Anyone who is considering adoption in Florida should become familiar with the process and the requirements. Knowing what to expect and being well-informed can help a potential adoptive parent navigate through the legal process of adopting a child.

Source: Creative Loafing, “Gay mom shares her long road to adoption” Tiffany Razzano, Apr. 02, 2014