12 CommentsAct One

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Contact: Jerry Cox, 501-375-7000

Today, the Arkansas Supreme Court ignored the voice of 57% of the voters—nearly 580,000 people—and ruled in favor of a lower court’s opinion striking down Act One, the Arkansas Adoption and Foster Care Act. This good law prevented unmarried, cohabiting couples from serving as adoptive or foster parents.

“This is a classic example of judicial tyranny,” said Family Council Action Committee President Jerry Cox. “We have said all along that Act One was about child welfare, and fifty-seven percent of the voters in 2008 agreed. They declared that the State of Arkansas has an obligation to adoptive and foster children to ensure that they are placed in the best possible homes. The Arkansas Supreme Court has chosen to run roughshod over the people’s will and refused to uphold a good law that protected the children in the state’s care.”

Cox said, “I’d like to personally thank the 75 county coordinators and 2,700 volunteers who helped gather signatures to get Act One on the ballot. They worked hard to gather over 100,000 signatures between January and August of 2008. It is because of their dedication that this good law made it on the ballot and passed in 73 counties. I will be forever grateful to everyone who put time and effort into this worthy initiative.

“Today’s ruling was anti-child,” said Cox. “The ACLU couldn’t defeat this good law in a fair election, so they used the court system against the people of Arkansas. This is the worst decision ever handed down by the Arkansas Supreme Court.”

Family Council Action Committee is a conservative 501(c)(4) organization based in Little Rock, Arkansas.

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12 comments

  1. Pingback: ADF Alliance Alert » Arkansas Family Council: Supreme Court Succumbs to Judicial Tyranny

  2. Jay

    The worst decision ever handed down by the Arkansas Supreme Court? Arkansas is a Southern state. While probably the least racist historically, it still had Jim Crow laws, and I can’t imagine that no lawsuit was ever brought about that and, considering that such a law system existed for nearly a century, was rejected. Now, I’m a born Southerner and proud of it, who will always live in the South, and I’m not aware of any blood kin who aren’t from the South, so don’t think I’m talking down on your state. But how is giving gay people rights, even if they are rights that you don’t believe they have, worse than denying people the most basic of human (no to mention American) rights? Err on the side of liberty

  3. Ron Keene

    Mr. Cox,
    The Arkansas Supreme Court did not negate the will of voters. The court ruled on the constitutionality of a law. That is their job. Arkansas voters, a group of which I am a member, do not have the right to vote down the constitution. The court ruled correctly. We the people do not have right to infringe on the rights of any group of people, even if you personally do not agree with the way they live their lives. You said on television that the court had placed the rights of adults above the rights of children. It is you, sir, who are advocating denying children a home because of your political agenda. I would venture an opinion that you do not know what an average American family is. Do you know that 26% of children in this country are being raised in a single parent home. That is approximately 21.8 million kids who are not in what you define as a traditional American family. If small extreme right-wing groups are allowed to decide who get to foster or adopt children, you will move on to other “non-traditional” families. What’s next???…. the 21.8 million kids in single parent home??

  4. Pingback: A SAD DAY IN ARKANSAS « Wings of the Wind

  5. Chris Reimers

    Dear Jerry,

    I would like to thank you and the many like you who have tried to protect our children.

    I could not agree more with the title of your press release.

    God’s blessings…

  6. Terry

    Hello Mr. Cox

    Let me state first that the will of the people is subject to judicial review. A welfare worker by the name of John Selig (mentioned in the opinion) said that there is no way to gauge or determine if a placement is good for a child because of the couples’ marital status. Also stated was the fact that AR Gen Assembly mentioned privacy in 80+ laws that they’ve passed.

    Next, I also want to say that the unconstitutionality of Act 1 doesn’t turn on whether adopting a child is a privilege or a right. You qualify for the position, I only say that it is a technical privilege but one that DHS is in the best position to decide because of the fact that they have to oversee and have personal contact with perspective parents.

    RE: Privilege or right the court said this on p 11 : The United States Supreme Court has rejected the concept that constitutional rights turn on whether a government benefit is characterized as a “right” or as a “privilege.”

    Also, let me say that Act 1 is anti-child as it takes away the power of parents to designate who inherits their children in the event that both parents die, it stops unmarried spouses from adopting RELATIVES in state care, it stops gay and lesbian couples who are qualified to raise children from adoption.

    Also on pp 15-6
    Act 1’s blanket ban provides for no such individualized consideration or case-by-case analysis in adoption or foster-care cases and makes the bald assumption that in all cases where adoption or foster care is the issue it is always against the best interest of the child to be placed in a home where an individual is cohabiting with a sexual partner outside of marriage.

    The state and FCAC even CONCEDED that SOME could even be qualified parents. So of course you ruined your case, Palmore v. Sidoti also ruined your case too when using an argument that same sex households are at risk of domestic violence and less social support–and of course you didn’t back up your claim

    You and your friends don’t like the fact that gay and lesbian people want to have families and would go so far as to hurt children, shrink the size of available families and homes for them and then you call the AR Supreme Court ANTI CHILD?!! You might want to read it out loud if you don’t get it the first time

    For some children, it’s gay parents or no parents, you said so many things about Act 1 that you dared not say in court because you couldn’t prove any of it and you couldn’t prove your point, Enough Said!

    Act 1 is history as the will of the people is not above judicial review. Majority morality without rational basis can’t stand, you wanted to regulate peoples’ private lives and you got knocked down by this verdict, this Act had nothing to do with children, it had every bit to do with harming gays and lesbians with a popular law

    I dare you to prove me differently Mr. Cox and friends

  7. Terry

    Furthermore, there is no judicial tyranny here. Your law didn’t stack up to the qualifications of heightened scrutiny…don’t blame ‘judicial tyranny’. You didn’t blame judicial tyranny when NY, LA, GA, NV, TX and WI upheld their mini DOMAs did you? So don’t pull that card out either bud!

  8. Danny Kiggins

    President Jerry Cox, Arkansas Family Council, for starters I do not know where you get your lam ideas. The Number 1 reason for DIVORCE in ARKANSAS is not money but the BIRTH of a baby. As far as the lam amendment it was deemed unconstitutional. The amendment was ruled unconstitutional by the Arkansas Supreme Court. I have taken courses in Psychology and I have read studies on Homosexuals for humanities class and in all of the studies I did none of them even gave me any idea that homosexuals would have sex with under age children. You have them confused with the Catholic Church Priest. Who not only have sex with little boys but pay hush money to the families of the boys. I am a taxpayer and if the homeless, parentless children can be Foster Parented or adopted by anyone who has the ability to do so does. I say more power to them. I personally know a women whom took 4 boys of her own and left them at a gas station in Missouri abandon. So, do not sit there and Judge someone when it is not your place to do so. I also, want you to know GOD is not a real person so do not give me that line the bible says so. The bible is nothing more then a bunch of lies. Congress should pass a law banning region all together instead of passing laws that invade people personal lives. The people whom made the children should be forced to pay for them to be raised not the taxpayers of Arkansas and in no way in hell they be raised by a brain washing church. All church are in the business of making money off something that can be proved is false. There is NO GOD! Also, they pay NO income taxes. Let’s vote them into the category as tax payers! Trust me homosexual don’t have sex with child that is the priest.

  9. Tammy Peterson

    Jerry you are one of the stupidest people I have never met. What did a homosexual have sex with you is why you against them? Homosexuals do not wish sex with young boys and girls. The DHS requires a load of things to be approved for either parenting deal. 1) FBI Criminal Background check, 2) Home study, 3) CRP, 4) Training at Mental Health 5) Insurance, 6) Telephone, and it takes to long to do all the stuff that is required. I think you are sticking you nose where it is not needed. The church has enough money and they need to stay out of the State’s business unless they willing to start paying income tax. The church is into the false belief business selling a so called all powerful god that’s will is all powerful/ Let me tell you this GOD is FAKE! Is like Alice In Wonderland just that a STORY! Children need homes not BS from the Church and small, closed minded people like yourself invading their lives and making them worse. You my friend are a Hippocratic. Homosexuals are human as well as you are and are equal to you so live with it. They has sex with adults not children, unlike priest. Now they have sex with little boys.

  10. Recahel Peterson

    Jerry the people that helped you are fools just like yourself. Homosexuals do not have sex with children. As far as the bible you can throw that fable in the trash or line your bird cage with it. It is nothing but a pack of lies. The virgin Mary did not have a bay by a holy sprit. That is the biggest lie that is in the bible. There is NO GOD that can give a women a baby. I am female and that lie is offensive to me. The only other lie in history that is more offensive is the lie about that homosexual want children for sex and married couples are better parents. LIE! The NUMBER ONE REASON FOR DIVORCE IN ARKANSAS IS THE BIRTH OF A CHILD! So you need to wake up and smell that you are a FOOL! Was none of your business whom Adopts or becomes Foster Parents!

  11. Danielle Davis

    Jerry you are short a few brick of a load? I know people who are married and they could not parent a fish. I don’t care whom they have sex with as long as the child has the basic needs met.. 1) Home, 2) Bed Room, 3) Clothes, 4) Food. and 5) have a chance to be happy. Jerry you are a fool. GOD can not help these children and that law would do nothing but, dry up all the homes that would take the problem children. GOD is a FABLE like someone else said. I agree 100% and also the church needs to pay taxes like any other business. We are hard working tax payers and yet the churches make Billions of dollars and pay NO TAXES! But they have their noses in everyone business. the fact that you where able to take a bunch of fools into helping you get a unconstitutional law passed spell more that the people in Arkansas are sheep nothing more then mindless sheep.

  12. Josephine Jarretts

    Jerry i feel sorry for any child that you have. From what I read about you my guilt tells me you need medicine for Delusion of Grandiose. I am sorry but I think you need help in a mental hospital. Just because you talk a bunch of church nuts to help you get that law passed does not mean it was far. The law was unconstitutional and decimator. I know of a few cases where the Foster Child attacked their Foster Parent and it was not anything they did but the child’s real parent did to them. Homosexual are not going to have sex with the children. I think you are just a person with very poor Judgment skills and have very bad case of Delusions of Grandiose. The Supreme Court is the finial say and that is UNCONSTITONAL”

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