OT Boy taken away from grandparents, given to gay men for adoption

Authorities find that grandparents, 46 and 59, are "too old" to care
for their grandson, and handed the young boy a couple of male
homosexuals instead. Details below.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1130066/They-say-old-care-grandchildren-Social-workers-hand-siblings-gay-men-adoption.html#

'They say we're too old to care for our grandchildren': Social workers
hand brother and sister to gay men for adoption

By Graham Grant and Marcello Mega
Last updated at 4:14 PM on 28th January 2009

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Embrace for comfort: The grandparents yesterday were distraught

Embrace for comfort: The grandparents yesterday were distraught

Two young children are to be adopted by a gay couple, despite the
protests of their grandparents.

The devastated grandparents were told they would never see the
youngsters again unless they dropped their opposition.

The couple, who cannot be named, wanted to give the five-year-old boy
and his four-year-old sister a loving home themselves. But they were
ruled to be too old - at 46 and 59.

For two years they fought for their rights to care for the children,
whose 26-year- old mother is a recovering heroin addict.

They agreed to an adoption only after they faced being financially
crippled by legal bills.

The final blow came when they were told the children were going to a
gay household, even though several heterosexual couples wanted them.

When the grandfather protested, he was told: 'You can either accept
it, and there's a chance you'll see the children twice a year, or you
can take that stance and never see them again.'

The man said last night: 'It breaks my heart to think that our
grandchildren are being forced to grow up in an environment without a
mother figure. We are not prejudiced, but I defy anyone to explain to
us how this can be in their best interests.'

Social workers themselves have admitted that the little girl is 'more
wary' of men than women.

More...

* MELANIE PHILLIPS: To place children with two gay men when an
adoptive mother and father are available, just to uphold a brutal
dogma, is a sickening assault on family life

The case, in Edinburgh, raises worrying issues about state
interference in family life.

It will also fuel concern over the practice of gay adoption, which has
been promoted by Left-wing ministers and council bosses.

Some local authorities forbid adoption by smokers and obese people but
actively support gay fostering and adoption - even though research
shows overwhelmingly that children are best brought up by a mother and
father.

The grandparents first stepped in because the children's mother was
unable to look after them.

But council social workers became worried that the grandparents' ages
and health problems meant they would also be unable to care for the
children properly.

The 59-year-old grandfather, a farm worker, has angina while his wife
is receiving medication for diabetes.

The children were taken into foster care during the two years of court
hearings.

When the grandparents eventually conceded defeat, they were assured by
social workers that they would still have regular contact with them.

The fostering arrangement worked well, but the council decided that
the children should be adopted, to give them a permanent home.

The grandparents agreed - as long as they could be assured that the
adoptive parents would be a loving mother and father.

The couple were then told an adoption had been arranged - but the
grandfather 'hit the roof' when he discovered that the adoptive
parents were two gay men.

Social workers dealing with the case admitted that heterosexual
couples who were approved as adoptive parents had also been keen to
adopt the children.

The decision was taken even though a confidential social work report -
now part of the court records held by the grandparents - contained
that the little girl is generally not as happy around men.

The report says she 'has tended to be more wary of males in general.'

Her grandparents insist they are not homophobic.

But they reject the view of social workers that the decision to allow
the gay couple to adopt the children was made 'in accordance with who
can best meet their needs.'

When they made their opposition clear, however, the couple were told
that social workers would 'certainly look' at allowing them access to
the children 'when you are able to come back with an open mind on the
issues'.

The grandfather was told by a social worker: 'If you couldn't support
the children [in the gay adoption], if you were having contact and
couldn't support the children, and were showing negative feelings, it
wouldn't be in their best interests for contact to take place.'

He said last night: 'The ideal for any child is to have a loving
father and a loving mother in their lives.

'But in our society the mother is generally the cornerstone of the
family and the most important person for a young child.'

His wife added: 'It's so important for children to fit in, and I feel
our grandchildren will be marked out from the start when they draw
pictures of their two dads.'

The last time the couple saw their grandchildren was shortly after the
agreement for them to be adopted but before the decision to place them
with a gay couple.

They took dozens of photographs and tried, for the sake of the
youngsters, not to break down.

'Granny, I'm not going to see you for a very long time,' said the
five-year-old boy. 'Maybe when I'm in Primary Seven I'll be able to
see you.'

'We'll try our very hardest to see you soon,' said his grandmother,
choking back tears.

The boy told his grandfather: 'Grandad, if you want to see me you will
have to pick me up because I will be a very long way away.'

Then he added innocently: 'We are getting a new mummy and daddy.'

A spokesman for the Roman Catholic church condemned the council's
decision last night, warning that the children's welfare could be
jeopardised.

Peter Kearney said: 'This is a devastating decision which will have a
serious impact on the welfare of the children involved.

'There is an overwhelming body of evidence showing that same-sex
relationships are inherently unstable and reduce the life expectancy
of those involved.

'With this in mind, the social work department has deliberately
ignored evidence which undermines their decision and opted for
politically correct posturing rather than providing stability and
protection.

'It is impossible to see how this decision is in the best interests of
the children.'

The City of Edinburgh Council said last night that it could not
comment on individual cases.

Adoption by gay couples in Scotland was approved by MSPs in 2006 -
despite an official consultation process which showed that nearly 90
per cent of people opposed it.

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Comments (488)

Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts
below?

Absolutely outrageous Scotland!! get it sorted.......NOW!!!!! It's
sooooo simple, the babies belong with their family, END OF!!!!!!
Click to rate Rating 1429

- ellie j, birmingham, 28/1/2009 10:48

I urge citizens of UK take to the streets on this matter. People power
works wonders. It's a noted fact, and I know from friends who work in
Social Services that firstly, they always act in the best interests of
the child, and secondly, they make every effort always to place a
child with extended family members and not foster out to
strangers. The grandparents are not too old to care for the children,
given the fact statistics tell us women nowadays are deferring having
children 'til much later in life. Would someone please help the
grandparents to fight this injustice and win. The poor children
deserve their granparents, not strangers.
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