Thank you for all the feedback. There seems to be a lot of misunderstanding of today’s “To the Point.” We had no intention of confusing the issues of child abuse and same-sex adoption. We apologize to anyone who drew that conclusion.
Here’s how I introduced the program:
“Allegations of child sex abuse have destroyed the carefully cultivated image of Penn State’s football team and brought down the university’s administration.
They’ve also exposed once more the vulnerability of children—when a sexual predator can hide behind the façade of an institution bent on protecting its reputation.
Foster children were assigned to former coach Jerry Sandusky’s care--even though charges against him were investigated for years.
With 500,000 children desperate for loving homes, we’ll look at efforts to widen the pool of available parents. Should gays and lesbians qualify? “
Regardless of some characterizations, here’s what the program contained:
An update on the Penn State child abuse scandal, including the head of Philadelphia’s Support Center for Child Advocates, who deplored the fact that a well known figure, backed by a popular institution, was able to receive foster children even when it was known that child-abuse allegations were being made against him;
A gay man in a same-sex marriage with an adopted daughter who pointed out that couples such as his, who can provide loving families that troubled children need, are in many places denied that opportunity because of discrimination based on gender;
The President of Arkansas’ Family Council, who argued that foster or adopted children are better off in traditional families with one male and one female parent;
A Los Angeles County official involved in Foster Care and Adoptions who said same-sex couples are often better able to parent troubled children because of the challenges they have faced in their own lives.
We also reported that US Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, D-New York, has introduced the “Every Child Deserves a Family Act,” which would deny public funding to agencies that discriminate against LGBT parents. It is opposed by the Arkansas Family Council.
The mission of “To the Point” is to conduct frank and timely discussions of controversial issues.
Thank you,
Warren Olney
!['Sums up how some "To the Point" folks feel... (Richard Prince, seen at @[191917614161326:274:The Broad])'](https://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-0/p100x100/13087572_10156855827415258_7520079830515472015_n.jpg?oh=fe80485fc3651766e0e3c7e2040b824e&oe=58506A4D)
