Calif. Assembly Votes for Law Stating Child Can Have More Than Two Parents
The lower house of the California legislature has voted for a bill that would allow judges in the state to rule that children have more than two parents.
In a vote of 51 yeas to 26 nays, on Monday the California State Assembly passed Senate Bill 1476, which allows for children to have in legal terms more than two parents.
SB 1476 was introduced by Democratic State Senator Mark Leno of San Francisco in February. In May, it was passed in the State Senate with a vote of 24 to 13.
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"This bill would reaffirm a family court judge's ability to recognize parent-child relationships based on the evidence and what is in the best interests of the child," reads Leno's Senate website. "The bill modernizes state law by giving courts the flexibility to protect children who have parent-child relationships with more than two people."
Ron Prentice, CEO for the California Family Council, told The Christian Post that SB 1476 was "part of the ongoing attempt by the homosexual caucus of California legislators to mandate the normalization of homosexual relationships, regardless of the effect on innocent children."
"If passed into law, this bill would force courts to include additional adults into 'parentage' decisions, permitting courts to consider any number of adults for primary care of a child," said Prentice. "This bill threatens to displace biological parents at the discretion of a judge, and weakens the status of a biological parent in the life of a child."
Prentice told CP that he believed this was only another example of the California legislature passing bills against the traditional family unit.
"The traditional structure of a family with a mom and a dad has been gravely harmed by years of pro-homosexual bills that have been signed into law," said Prentice. "The common good for children and society – children raised by a mom and a dad – is being incrementally deconstructed in California law."
The legislation was supported by various gay rights groups including the National Center for Lesbian Rights.
"This bill makes it possible for a third parent-such as a gay father who is raising a child with a lesbian couple-to have legal rights and responsibilities to protect and provide care for the child," said the NCLR in a statement.
"This bill is necessary because a recent California Court of Appeal case, In re M.C., ruled that courts can never recognize more than two legal parents, regardless of the situation and even if recognizing a third parent would protect the child from harm."
Benjamin Lopez, legislative advocate & analyst for the Traditional Values Coalition, told The Christian Post that his organization is "vehemently opposed" to SB 1476.
"This is yet another attempt by Mark Leno and his cohorts in the Legislature to try to redefine the family to include gay couples and their access to children," said Lopez. "Given that the State Assembly here in California is made up of nearly two-thirds very liberal Democrat, I'm not surprised that they opted to side with radical gay activists."
With the vote in the Assembly in favor of it, Senate Bill 1476 will next go back to the State Senate. If passed, from there it will go to the desk of Calif. Governor Jerry Brown.
Lopez of the TVC told CP that he felt that it was very likely Gov. Brown would sign the bill should it be sent to him by the legislature.
"Two years ago, a year and a half ago, Governor Brown did sign SB 48 into law that requires gay teaching in all curriculum, textbooks and instructional materials," said Lopez.
"So, given his past actions on gay issues, Jerry Brown would probably be inclined to sign SB 1476 into law and just completely destroy the very definition of the traditional family."
