UPDATE: Rep. Bob Evans has agreed to pull this bill in a statement online.
A bill (HB 714) has been introduced “to create a rebuttable presumption that it is not in best interest of child to be placed in custody of homosexual parent or person.”
This bill is blatantly unconstitutional and will cost taxpayers unnecessary dollars in litigation.
HB 714 could allow someone to win custody of their children by claiming their former spouse is gay. This bill will lead to contentious custody disputes wherein parents are forced to make egregious allegations that their spouse or ex-spouse is gay to gain the upper hand. This will require courts to be part of “witch hunt” trials to determine the sexuality of a parent.
This bill has implications for same-sex couples who have a custody dispute. It could affect same-sex couples who may already have a custody dispute by making a presumption that neither parent is in the child’s best interest. This bill could lead to the possibility that children are taken away from both parents and placed in the custody of someone else.
For information on child welfare and statements from organizations that have done studies on same-sex parenting click here.
Here’s another resource with quotes from other child welfare and health organizations.
Contact the members of House Judiciary A Committee and tell them to kill this bill!
Rep. Mark Baker (R) – 601-824-3297, mbaker@house.ms.gov
Rep. Thomas Reynolds (D) – 662-473-2571, treynolds@house.ms.gov
Rep. Earle Banks (D) – 601-713-2223 office, ebanksjax@aol.com
Rep. David Baria (D) – 228-466-0815, dbaria@house.ms.gov
Rep. Jim Beckett (R) – 662-983-2451, jbeckett@house.ms.gov
Rep. Richard Bennett (R) – 228-861-6348, rbennett@house.ms.gov
Rep. Edward Blackmon Jr. (D) – 601-859-4202, eblackmon@house.ms.gov
Rep. C. Scott bounds (R) – 601-656-1765, sbounds@house.ms.gov
Rep. Lester (Bubba) Carpenter (R) – 662-424-2306, lcarpenter@house.ms.gov
Rep. Bryant Clark (D) - 662-834-1473 office, bclark@house.ms.gov
Rep. Angela Cockerham (D) - 601-783-4979 office, acockerham@house.ms.gov
Rep. Linda Coleman (D) - 662-741-3272 office, lcoleman@house.ms.gov
Rep. Carolyn Crawford (R) - 228-861-7303, ccrawford@house.ms.gov
Rep. Bill Denny (R) - 601-956-6807 office, bdenny@house.ms.gov
Rep. Bob Evans (D) - 601-587-9313 office, bevans@house.ms.gov
Rep. Greg Haney (R) - ghaney@house.ms.gov
Rep. Wanda Taylor Jennings (R) - 662-349-3673, wjennings@house.ms.gov
Rep. Robert L. Johnson III (D) - rjohnson@house.ms.gov
Rep. John T. (Trey) Lamar III (R) - 662-502-0434, jlamar@house.ms.gov
Rep. Hank Lott (R) - 601-606-0800, hlott@house.ms.gov
Rep. Robert W. (Bobby) Moak (D) - bmoak@locnet.net
Rep. Willie J. Perkins Sr. (D) - 662-453-4108, wperkins@house.ms.gov
Rep. Brent Powell (R) - bpowell@house.ms.gov
Rep. Jeffrey C. (Jeff) Smith (R) - 662-327-0407, jsmith@house.ms.gov
Rep. Percy W. Watson (D) - pwatson@house.ms.gov
