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SALT LAKE CITY -- A Senate committee tabled a bill Monday that would allow individuals in same-sex relationships to adopt the child of their partner.
The bill would allow a child to be adopted by their parent's cohabiting non-spouse who has developed a "parental relationship" with the child, as long as the child has only one legal parent.
The proposal would also apply to individuals in heterosexual relationships who want to give their cohabitant parental rights over their child.
"The more individuals directly responsible for the care and upbringing of a child the better," said SB62's sponsor, Senate Minority Leader Ross Romero, D-Salt Lake.
Romero acknowledged that some might wonder why this bill is needed when legal guardianship exists. The problems with legal guardianship, he said, are children can't inherit from their guardian and the guardian's relationship with the child ends when their relationship with the parent does.
A new mother, Julie Gainer, testified that since she and her same-sex partner are both acting as parents, they should both be legally designated as such.
"It's so important to me because I'm not the only parent for this child," Julie said. "Jennifer is also her parent and, if anything should tragically happen to me, I should die, all rights could be lost by Jennifer and my child could be given to the foster care system or another family member or person that I may not agree with."
Gainer called the current adoption law "discriminating."
Some influential conservative groups oppose the bill.
Gayle Ruzicka with the Utah Eagle Forum said, "Fathers play a very important role in the lives of children. Mothers play a very important role and when little children are put up for adoption, it's with the seal of approval from the state of Utah, and Utah has a responsibility to put them in a home with both a mother and a father."
Bill Duncan, director of Sutherland Institute's Center for Family and Society, denied that any adult has the right to adopt a child. "Children deserve, where it's at all possible, to have the opportunity to be raised by a mother and father."
Romero disagrees. "Homes and families come with different views and in different ways and they all should be respected, particularly as we're talking about the love of a child," he said.
The bill was tabled in the Senate Health and Human Services Committee after a vote of 5-1.
Romero says he's looking to possibly change the language and bring it back.
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Story compiled with contributions from Amanda Verzello and John Daley.
