Echoing a characterization promoted by the right-wing religious organization Focus on the Family, The Denver Post's Al Knight mischaracterized House Bill 1330 in his March 14 column by asserting that it “would authorize homosexual adoption.” However, Colorado law currently contains no prohibition on the adoption of a child by a gay man or a lesbian.

HB 1330, which the House Health and Human Services Committee passed on March 8, would, as The Gazette of Colorado Springs reported, “permit adoption of children by grandparents, siblings, extended relatives, common law spouses and other adults living with the parent.” In doing so, the bill would allow the members of unmarried couples -- including same-sex couples, who are unable to marry under Colorado law -- to become co-adoptive parents.

Knight characterized the bill in a way that suggested the extension of adoption rights to homosexual individuals:

A very odd lawmaking exercise is underway in the Colorado General Assembly. The lawmakers are considering a bill that would authorize homosexual adoption, but the word “homosexual” doesn't appear in the document, nor do any of the other labels like “gays” or “lesbians.”

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The current bill is very careful to stay away from any reference to homosexuality, and on the surface, its provisions might apply to other groups. This is plainly dishonest in that it is most unlikely that heterosexual persons would want to be adoptive parents outside the union of marriage, and in fact current law doesn't allow for that result.

No, the benefits conferred by this measure will fall almost exclusively upon homosexual couples. It says something about the sponsors that they want to make this happen through a bill with the title “Concerning the second-parent adoption of a child of a sole legal parent.”

Contrary to Knight's implication, the Colorado adoption statute does not include any sexual orientation limitation on the eligibility to adopt:

19-5-202. Who may adopt.

(1) Any person twenty-one years of age or older, including a foster parent, may petition the court to decree an adoption.

(2) A minor, upon approval of the court, may petition the court to decree an adoption.

(3) A person having a living spouse from whom he is not legally separated shall petition jointly with such spouse, unless such spouse is the natural parent of the child to be adopted or has previously adopted the child.

Knight's comments about so-called “homosexual adoption” echoed Focus on the Family's characterization of the bill as one that “would allow homosexual couples to adopt children.” As the Rocky Mountain News reported on March 9:

The sponsor of the bill [House Bill 1330] says it's a common-sense measure to help children of single parents.

Focus on the Family says the bill is a back-door effort to legalize adoption by gay couples.

The News article quoted Jim Pfaff, former Focus on the Family spokesman and current president of the Focus-backed lobbying organization Colorado Family Action, as saying, “All the high-minded discussion of 'protecting children' and 'parental responsibility' is merely a smokescreen for the true intent of this legislation: paving the way for homosexual adoption.”

The same quote appeared in a March 7 article posted on Focus on the Family's citizenlink.com website:

But Jim Pfaff, president of Colorado Family Action, said the legislation exploits single parents in order to promote homosexual adoption.

“All the high-minded discussion of 'protecting children' and 'parental responsibility' is merely a smokescreen for the true intent of this legislation: paving the way for homosexual adoption,” he said.