Ark. Senate passes ban of foster care, adoptions by gay couples

[LostInTime]

Is anyone really surprised?

"The right to adopt does not exist to give the adult the right to become a parent," said Womack (R-Mountain Home). "It is our obligation, our highest obligation to ensure we place that child with the best care."

Womack went on to mention the case of a Bella Vista man arrested last week on sexual assault and abuse charges. The man cared for 28 boys the state placed with him over the past two years.

However, Womack said under questioning by colleagues that he did not believe being gay made a person a pedophile, though he called the two "not necessarily mutually exclusive either."

Sen. Jim Argue (D-Little Rock) also questioned Womack, asking if he was gay. After Womack described himself as "proudly heterosexual," Argue asked how someone would prove their sexuality to the courts or the state Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees foster parents.