WHO: ADF Senior Legal Counsel Byron Babione
WHAT: Available for media interviews after hearing in Cole v. State of Arkansas
WHEN: Tuesday, March 17, immediately following hearing, which begins at 10 a.m. CDT
WHERE: Circuit Court of Pulaski County, Second Division, 401 W. Markham St., Little Rock
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Alliance Defense Fund Senior Legal Counsel Byron Babione will be available for media interviews Tuesday following a hearing on a motion to dismiss the lawsuit Cole v. State of Arkansas, filed by the American Civil Liberties Union against Act 1. Passed by voters in last year’s November election, Act 1 gives children the opportunity of being placed in the best possible home environment, putting the needs of youth above the desire of unmarried, cohabiting couples to adopt.
“The court should not allow the ACLU to undermine the democratic process,” said Babione. “In November, Arkansas voters cast their ballots to ensure that children wouldn’t be deprived of the best possible family environment and decisively approved Act 1. We should honor the voice of voters and the voice of reason by upholding this act.”
Scientific research consistently establishes that a home with a married mother and father is the best possible living environment for children.
ADF attorneys represent the Family Council Action Committee, which the court allowed to intervene in the case on March 6 to defend Act 1 along with the Arkansas Attorney General’s Office. The Family Council Action Committee successfully carried out the petition drive and campaign for Act 1, resulting in voter approval by a margin of 57 percent to 43 percent.
Act 1 reads, “A minor may not be adopted or placed in a foster home if the individual seeking to adopt or to serve as a foster parent is cohabiting with a sexual partner outside of a marriage which is valid under the constitution and laws of this state. The prohibition of this section applies equally to cohabiting opposite-sex and same-sex individuals.”
ADF-allied attorney Martha Adcock of the Arkansas Family Council is serving as local counsel in the case.
ADF is a legal alliance of Christian attorneys and like-minded organizations defending the right of people to freely live out their faith. Launched in 1994, ADF employs a unique combination of strategy, training, funding, and litigation to protect and preserve religious liberty, the sanctity of life, marriage, and the family. ADF President Alan Sears is co-author with Craig Osten of the book The ACLU vs. America (www.acluvsamerica.com).