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Anne Shelley holds Eva Mae at Old Main lawn. Shelley adopted Eva Mae with her partner Robyn Rose last year. Shelley is working with Arkansas Families First to fight a ballot initiative that would prevent unmarried, cohabiting couples from adopting children or being foster parents.

Arkansas Families First fight for family equality

By: Rachael Davis

Posted: 2/18/08

The Families First Foundation is trying to include legislation on the November 2008 ballot to prevent unmarried couples from adopting children or serving as foster parents.

The legislation is titled Arkansas Adoption and Foster Care Act. The organization is collecting petition signatures to ensure its placement on the November ballot, according to the group's Web site. In order to ensure placement on the ballot, they need 100,000 signatures by July 7.

The issue stems from a 2004 trial in which four gay Arkansans sued the Arkansas Child Welfare Agency Review Board for refusing to allow them to become adoptive or foster parents. The trial was interrupted when a key witness died in a car wreck, leaving the issue unresolved.

Organizations such as the Families First Foundation are trying to settle the issue with legislation before the courts can rule on its constitutionality.

The organization asserts that unmarried couples are not suitable adoptive or foster parents because the children might then be sexually confused or even more susceptible to experimenting with their sexuality, according to its Web site. The Web site also cites a few articles and studies that support the claim.

However, there has been opposition with the founding of Arkansas Families First to combat the legislation. Arkansas Families First feels it is fighting for family equality, according to the Family Equality Web site. The act would only deprive needy children of good homes. They think the act would only make the problem worse, according to the Web site.

The idea that gay couples are unsuitable parents is "absolutely ridiculous and fear-based," said Anne Shelley, with Arkansas Families First. "There is no difference in how much a child is loved," she said.

Arkansas Families First is actively educating the public to combat the legislation. "I think once people are educated about it, they will decline to sign the petition," Shelley said.

While the Northwest Arkansas chapter of Arkansas Families First is fairly new, most people are "shocked and saddened" to hear that this is even an issue, she said.

Arkansas Families First is a combination of many different groups including the Arkansas chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Arkansas Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, the Inter Faith Council, Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, Just Communities of Central Arkansas, the Arkansas Psychological Association, the ACLU of Arkansas, the Arkansas Public Policy Panel, the Center for Artistic Revolution and the Stonewall Democrats, according to the Northwest Arkansas Times.

While the Families First Foundation feels this is an issue of who can be a better parent, the Arkansas Families First feels this is an issue of looking out for the children.

"It's a matter of providing loving homes to children," Shelley said. "The Child Welfare Agency Review Board should be concerned with real issues like 'is the parent employed and are they providing an environment where they can really support the child?'"

The local chapter of Arkansas Families First will have a meeting from 5: 30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Feb. 21 at the Parish Hall of St. Paul's Episcopal Church. Rep. Kathy Webb from District 37 in Little Rock will be the guest speaker.