Urging the Pennsylvania House of Representatives to oppose all of Representative Jerry Birmelin's amendments to House Bill 345, which are discriminatory under the city's Fair Practices Code and which undermine the core values of the original bill, to improve the Adoption Assistance Program, as reported by the House Children and Youth Committee.

WHEREAS, Legislation to improve the Adoption Assistance Program by making it easier to place special needs children (physically, intellectually or emotionally disabled or difficult to place by virtue of age, sibling relationship or ethnicity) in adoptive families, was introduced on February 18, 2003 as House Bill (HB) 345 by State Representative John Yudichack (Luzerne County) with solid bi-partisan support; and

WHEREAS, HB 345 was favorably reported from the House Children and Youth Committee on January 26, 2004 and could come up for a vote on March 15, 2004; and

WHEREAS, Representative Birmelin (Monroe County) has proposed over 40 amendments to HB 345; if any amendment is approved, it would undermine the bill’s original purpose of finding permanent, loving homes for special needs children, by banning single persons or same-sex couples from eligibility as adoptive parents; and

WHEREAS, Amendments banning adoption by non-married persons diminish the number of good homes available for adoption placement, and this ban harms children, particularly those with special needs who need permanency in their lives; and

WHEREAS, Good parenting is not influenced by sexual orientation, rather it is determined by a parent’s ability to create a loving and nurturing home. Several courts have found that the available research provides persuasive evidence that children raised in a gay or lesbian household are not disadvantaged relative to children raised in a heterosexual household. The children of lesbian and gay parents grow up as happy, healthy and well adjusted as children of heterosexual parents; and

WHEREAS, The proposed amendments are so wide-ranging that they would, among other things, preempt Philadelphia from granting life partnership status and benefits; and

WHEREAS, Over two decades ago the Philadelphia City Council amended the City’s Fair Practices Code to ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation; now therefore

RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That it hereby urges the Pennsylvania House of Representatives to oppose all of Representative Jerry Birmelin’s amendments to House Bill 345 because they are discriminatory and harmful to children in need.

FURTHER RESOLVED

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That a copy of this resolution be forwarded to all members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives as evidence of the deep concern of this legislative body.

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