Cardinal accused of inciting prejudice over gay adoption [View All]

September 05, 2005

Cardinal accused of inciting prejudice over gay adoption
By Angus Macleod, Scottish Political Editor
Times


THE head of the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland was accused of inciting prejudice against homosexuals yesterday after he described plans to allow gay couples to adopt as gravely immoral.

Cardinal Keith O’Brien gave warning in a newspaper article that the proposal — which could be contained in the Scottish Executive’s legislative programme tomorrow — amounted to children “becoming guinea pigs in some distorted social experiment”.

At present in Scotland only one member of an unmarried couple can adopt and the other partner receives separate rights to live in the same house as the child. The proposal to extend full rights to gay and unmarried couples would bring the law on adoption in Scotland into line with that in England.

Cardinal O’Brien cited research which he said showed that children adopted by same-sex couples exhibited low self-esteem, confusion over their sexual identity, increased mental illness, drug use, promiscuity and homosexual behaviour. He added: “Children need a male and a female role model in a permanent relationship.”

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,170-1765121,00.html