In the aftermath of President Obama’s historic embrace of marriage equality on Wednesday, Mitt Romney reaffirmed his own anti-marriage equality stance but said he’s “fine” with gay couples adopting children.
“I happen to believe the best setting for raising a child is where there’s an opportunity for a mom and a dad, but I know there are many circumstances where that’s not possible,” Romney said Thursday. “I know many gay couples are able to adopt children and that’s fine.”
Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass) and Family Research Council president Tony Perkins butted heads on Hardball with Chris Matthews, responding to Romney’s statement. In a rare change of pace, it seems Rep. Frank and Gov. Romney’s views on gay adoption are somewhat congruent, while Perkins remained adamant in his opposition to adoption equality.
Perkins: “No, I’m not with Romney on that. It’s not what I believe, it’s what the evidence shows: that kids do best with a mom and a dad and public policy should encourage that which is best.”
Frank: “Anyone who deals with adoption knows there aren’t enough married couples to adopt the children who need adoption - so the choice in most cases is not whether a child is adopted by a man and woman living as husband and wife, but whether the child is adopted at all.”