Family Life

04.13.11 | Sarah Harnisch

A bit of an irony here... the newest state to sign a bill legalizing same sex unions has another bill in the works that won't allow gay couples to adopt kids. In January, Governor Pat Quinn signed legislation legalizing civil unions for gay and lesbian couples, making Illinois one of about a dozen states to extend significant legal protections to same-sex couples. But the gay rights debate is far from over in Illinois. Democratic Sen. David Koehler introduced the civil unions bill in the state Senate, and now is sponsoring an amendment to it, SB 1123. The amendment says that religious child welfare agencies "may decline an adoption or foster family home application" to a couple in a civil union if it goes against their religious beliefs. It has gay rights groups furious. The bill is moving into the executive committee and should come up for a floor vote in the state house by the end of the week.