Mississippi Law Bans Adoptions by Gay Couples

Mississippi on Wednesday became the third state to ban gay couples from adopting children, although the plan is likely to be challenged in court.

Democratic Gov. Ronnie Musgrove signed the bill after it easily cleared the Legislature in the final days of the recently concluded 2000 session. Florida and Utah have similar laws.

The American Civil Liberties Union has vowed to file a lawsuit on behalf of an unidentified gay couple planning an adoption in Mississippi. The ACLU is already fighting Florida’s law in court.

Mississippi’s law takes effect July 1. Its supporters said it was spurred in part by Vermont’s new law giving gay couples nearly all of the benefits of marriage.

“We need to put up a firewall and say, ‘This is not going to happen here,’ ” Mike Crook, state director for the Tupelo-based American Family Assn., said Wednesday. “They can go to court all day long, and I think we’ll prevail.”