The Utah judge who had ordered a foster child be removed from the home of a lesbian couple reversed that decision on Friday.
Juvenile Court Judge Scott N. Johansen had said the child in question, a 9-month-old girl, would be better off in a home where she would be cared for by heterosexual parents. Johansen said he had seen research that showed children do better in homes with heterosexual as opposed to homosexual parents, though he did not cite the source of this alleged research in his order issued earlier this week.
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The clash is the first of its kind, said Ashley Sumner, a spokeswoman for the state agency, because Utah only recently began approving foster child placements with same-sex couples, after the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling on gay marriage in June.
The clash is the first of its kind, said Ashley Sumner, a spokeswoman for the state agency, because Utah only recently began approving foster child placements with same-sex couples, after the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling on gay marriage in June.
Judge Johansen eliminated a line saying that “it is not in the best interest of children to be raised by same-sex couples,” and another ordering the child removed and placed with a heterosexual couple. But the new order still says, “The court cited a concern that research has shown that children are more emotionally and mentally stable when raised by a mother and father in the same home.” And there is still a Dec. 4 hearing scheduled on the best interests of the child.
