AB 458 is Unfair, Unjust and Unneccesary

Well, for those of you brave enough to still lay claim to the land of the “fruitier and nuttier” as home on the Left Coast—and not yet taken up residence in an undisclosed cave somewhere in upper-Montana—then, perhaps you have heard of the reckless abandon on the part of Gov. Davis for not only signing SB 60—“Driver’s Licenses for Illegal Immigrants”—into state law, but also of his latest attack on foster care families and the Golden State’s credibility (or, rather, what’s left of it)—by penning his authorization to a bill that would require all foster parents, and foster parents who are in the process of adopting, as well, to enlist in state-mandated “sensitivity training” education.

The purpose of the bill is to indoctrinate prospective foster parent applicants and current foster caretakers into how best to encourage a child who exhibits transsexual, homosexual or bisexual tendencies to continue doing so, irrespective of that household’s religious convictions concerning the same.

Also known as AB 458—which is scheduled to into effect come Jan.1, 2004 (pending any successful campaign to somehow overturn it in much the same citizens-led referendum effort now underway with SB 60) requires foster parents be taught to support homosexuality, bisexuality and transsexuality among foster children in their care. The bill legally threatens foster parents by declaring that they have “a legal responsibility” to not discriminate against “gender identity” (transsexuality and cross-dressing) and “sexual orientation” (bisexuality and homosexuality) among needy children in their own homes. Interestingly, a similar piece of legislation (AB 2651) was also passed by the Democrat-controlled legislature just last year, but was eventually vetoed by Davis.

The major argument in favor of this bill is that it is necessary to protect foster kids from additional psychological and/or emotional abuse that they may have already suffered in their previous environment; that is, as the bill’s proponents will tell you, we need a law like this in order to assure that children in the foster care “system” do not have to deal with any more heartache and confusion over their sexual identity, in this case, than they may have previously been subjected to. Foster parents should respect that “fact” and not attempt to impose their own personal beliefs or religious persuasions upon the child about what is appropriate sexual identity behavior and what is not.

AB 458 would adopt specialized training requirements for foster parents and foster care staff and grant special rights to foster children on the basis of actual or perceived race, ethnic group identification, ancestry, national origin, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or mental or physical disability.

However, this legislation is as redundant as it is unnecessary—existing statute already prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, ethnic group identification, ancestry, national origin, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or mental or physical disability in the delivery of public services. The law already requires every foster child “to be accorded dignity,” “to be free from…humiliation, intimidation, ridicule…,” “to be informed…of the provisions of the law regarding complaints, including, but not limited to, the address and telephone number of the licensing agency's complaint receiving unit.” The law also gives foster children the right “to move from the facility” to a different home if they don’t like their foster parents.

Furthermore, AB 458 could discourage people of faith from serving as foster care parents, if only for the mandatory sensitivity training classes, alone, that instruct parents and social workers how to raise a homosexual, transsexual, or bisexual child, but do not address the issue of hetero-sexual child-rearing contexts .

The end result is that practicing Christian families like ours—who find themselves already immersed in the foster care or adoption process of endless bureaucratic red tape, criminal background checks, and multiple certifications—have a decision to make: either remain in the state’s foster care system and take part in such “sensitivity training” classes—realizing, that, doing so compromises our Bible-based ideas of proper sexual identity and actions—or, drop out of the process and turn our backs on, quite possibly, the best available and most cost-effective alternative for couples like us to add to our family…couples who have received the devastating news that to hope and conceive a child on our own is not an option worth pursuing.

Picking up roots and relocating to a more foster care-friendly state is always a possibility, too, though not always as convenient as one might wish.

However you look at it, though, the bottom line is that AB 458 is simply unfair, unjust and unnecessary.

Dear Fellow Freepers,

I just had to vent a bit over my and my wife's frustration over Davis recently signing AB 458--" Forced Homosexual, Transsexual, and Bisexual Indoctrination of Foster Care/Adoptive Parents"--into state law. Though, just like SB 60, this bill will not technically take effect until Jan. 1, 2004, I've got to admit that this news has taken the "wind right out of my sails."

We are the happy parents of a beautiful little five-year-old, of whom we first took into our home when she was only six weeks old (or young). Now, we're "neck-deep" in a sea of "red tape" and too much paperwork for one lifetime in order to be granted a new foster care license and one day be placed with a baby sister for our daughter, Michaela.

So, please accept this latest letter to the editor of our local newspaper as one Daddy's expressed disappointment over the state of legislative decisions in Sacramento these days. I can report some good news about AB 458, though--our own state Assemblywoman Sharon Runner, as well as our state Senator Pete Knight (the author of Proposition 22--the "Marriage Initiative") both voted AGAINST this bill when it made its way to the assembly and senate respectively. In fact, I've already been in contact with Assemblywoman Runner about having dinner at our spread in Victorville, and she's already accepted our invitation--can't wait for her and her husband to join me and my transplanted-Texan wife, as well as our "Daddy's girl" Michaela.

(Sorry to ramble on here, but my family is VERY PRECIOUS to me!)

Hope and pray some of you out there who read my short edittorial piece find either some inspiration or insight that you possibly did not possess before when it comes to the world of foster care and/or adoption.

God's blessings to you all,

DesertGOP Victorville, CA

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