Please consider this to be contrary to the regulation as printed on your site.

Under the rhetoric of both sides we can find two different notions of a family.  One side holds that a family is a concrete unit with a mother, father, and child or children.  The other side believes that any number of people can come together and call themselves a family.  This might be denied, but at heart, consider the following:  If we redefine what makes parents truly parents, when does the redefinition ever stop?  Can some families have two dads and a mom?  Can other families have three moms?  Perhaps four?  Prescinding from the ethical problems this presents, the legal difficulties to a four parent family must be insane.  Would all parents be eligible for retirement funds and other benefits currently only enjoyed by married couples?

Your regulation must respect the rights of those who already benefit from adoption and being able to adopt in this Commonwealth.  Moreover, it must also respect the hard work and the millions of dollars that privately-owned charities have saved Virginia.  When you license a private charity to do something that the Commonwealth also does, two benefits are derived by Virginia:  the Commonwealth is saved money, and the citizenry are given the noble opportunity of fulfilling an important role in their communities.   Enacting this regulation would preclude both wonderful benefits that we are already enjoying.

If such a regulation is approved, you are earnestly requested to base your decision on sound scientific research based on longitudinal studies found in peer-reviewed journals that state it does not matter if children are raised by heterosexual couples or by homosexual couples.  I don't think you will be able to do this any time soon, if ever.

With every best regard,

Vincent and Anne Terreri