For a sizable portion of the five years and four months I spent as a public defender in Bethel, Alaska, the woman in the office next to me happened to be gay. No problemo. She and her partner/significant other/wife (take your pick and I won’t fight about it) had custody of a child from a previous relationship. Again, no objection from me. Several years back, after I’d left Bethel, I heard that Liz and Heather decided that they wanted to have a child and asked Heather’s brother to provide the necessary contribution. Upon hearing the news, I realized that no one wanted to hear my opinion on the matter. (In response to my collaborator’s question, I don’t think it’s the state’s business where a woman gets a sperm donor. I also don’t think that something is legal, that it’s the right thing to do. “Welcome to world, kid. One day, you’ll learn that your father is a complete jerk-off.”)
Ironically enough, fate took a hand, and no pregnancy resulted. The brother’s contribution did not result in the desired effect. So Liz and her partner/significant other/wife adopted a Yup’ik infant. Having considerable knowledge of the conditions that all too many Yup’ik children grow up in, and the extraordinary requirements necessary to have parental rights terminated, I would say that Yup’ik kid completely lucked out and that those two women did something I find quite admirable admirable.
There are people who believe that having two mommies and two daddies are as good as the traditional way; I don’t buy it. There are also people who don’t think gays should be allowed to adopt under any circumstances. With this essay, I have quite possibly ticked off both groups. I am very proud of myself.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment