BY CAROL MARBIN MILLER, cmarbin@MiamiHerald.com
As gay rights advocates and religious groups queue up in an effort to influence the outcome of a Miami appeals court case that will help decide whether gay people can adopt children in Florida, a state lawmaker has quietly introduced two bills that could render the dispute moot.
State Sen. Nan Rich, a Weston Democrat who is co-chair of the Senate Children & Families Committee, has filed a bill to repeal the 1977 Florida law that prohibits gay men and lesbians from adopting children. A second bill would specify that judges would determine adoptions based solely on ''the best interests'' of children.
''Someone who is a good parent -- whether they are heterosexual or homosexual -- that's what we should be basing decisions on, not sexual orientation,'' Rich said. ``We need to be looking at what's in the best interests of children.''
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