The Arkansas Family Council's "Gold Standard"

The Associated Press reported today that Arkansas Secretary of State Charlie Daniels certified a proposal that would place a measure prohibiting unmarried couples from adopting or fostering children on the state's November ballot. "We need to publicly affirm the gold standard of rearing children whenever we can. The state standard should be as close to that gold standard of married mom and dad homes as possible," Arkansas Family Council President Jerry Cox said. The organization's campaign is a response to a 2006 Arkansas Supreme Court decision that ruled against a state law preventing gays and lesbians from becoming foster parents. Though the new measure doesn't specifically address same-sex couples, it's clearly aimed at gays and lesbians as Arkansas currently prohibits gay marriage and does not recognize out-of-state same-sex marriages.

The proposal is not only another blow to civil rights but to the 6,500 children currently in Arkansas's foster care system. The state's Department of Human Services is currently investigating the deaths of four separate children living in foster care in Arkansas, including at least two involving allegations of physical abuse (DHS's child abuse investigation division is understaffed and behind on addressing complaints). According to Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, 1,000 children have grown to become adults in the last five years in the state without ever being placed in a permanent home; children who outgrow the foster care system are statistically more likely to become homeless or engage in criminal activity.

It seems that the "gold standard" of child rearing should be to actually rear them, without the fear of abuse or neglect—something Cox and his group seem determined to undercut in the name of preserving their so-called sacred traditions.