The best interests of the child must guide public policy on adoption.  Until every child has a permanent, loving family, it is unconscionable to limit the pool of persons who could provide good homes.  The issue must  be the ability and commitment to successfully parent a child.

The "rights" of adults should NOT drive adoption policy.  Children are not possessions to be claimed by a religion.  Nor is any particular group entitled to adopt under the notion of non-discrimination!  Neither religion nor group rights should trump the child's best interests.

Scientitic studies show children can be successfully reared by single parents, gay couples, parents of a different race, parents with a disability, etc..  A wholesale ban of prospective parents in these categories just reduces the odds that the children will find a suitable, permanent home.   Please do NOT change the statute to allow private adoption agencies to reject prospective adoptive parents based on sexual orientation, marital status, or other irrelevant factors.

Even though some religious congregations sincerely believe a married man-and-woman are the optimal  basis for a family, a child's opportunity for a permanent, loving family should not be sacrificed for those beliefs.  In this case, the "prefect" family is definitely the enemy of the "good" family when the real alternative is foster care.