Redstate

Posted at 4:46pm on Apr. 17, 2007 Where Values & Reality Collide: The Sad Tale of Emma Rose

By Erick

Emma Rose is near her seventh birthday. As she approaches that birthday, she suffers from an inability to read or write well. She cannot solve basic math problems. She wets the bed. In fact, until about the age of six, she was not literate at all. As the clock keeps ticking she becomes less and less literate -- a regression to an abnormal state for a girl of her age due to the reckless disregard by a judge of a basic legal concept.

I've blogged about this before. The Southern Voice, a gay oriented publication in Atlanta, has also written about it. I've been digging around, tracked down a court order in the case, and nearly came to tears. This case is a tragedy where good people are having to confront reality as balanced by their values.

Judge Lee Parrott, a good and decent man and a good judge before whom I've practiced law, unfortunately, has made a poor choice in balancing his values with the reality of a situation. Instead of applying the law and asking the question “what is in the best interests of the child,” the actual issue the judge must determine, Judge Parrott asked, “What is in the best interests of the child on the assumption that what might truly be best is abhorrent to me personally?” The result is tragic.

Please do read on . . .

[Ed's Note] As a point of clarification, Georgia allows adoptions by individuals without regard to their sexual orientation. The judge's task is to determine what is in the best interests of the child, given the child's present circumstances.

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