Pelosi Calls Santorum’s Anti-Gay Adoption Comments ‘Hurtful’, ‘Not Constructive’

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) condemned Rick Santorum’s suggestion on Monday that gay people aren’t entitled to the “privilege” of parenthood, telling bloggers and reporters on a conference call attended by ThinkProgress that the comments were “hurtful” and “not constructive.” Pelosi is also co-sponsoring Rep. Pete Stark’s (D-CA) Every Child Deserves a Family Act, which would “ban discrimination in adoption or foster care placement based on the sexual orientation, marital status or gender identity of the potential parent, or the sexual orientation or gender identity of the child.” Here is how she responded to Santorum’s remarks:

PELOSI: Pete Stark introduced a bill, in effect withholding funds from states that do not respect parenthood for gay people. There are six states plus the District of Columbia that allow both gay parents, a large number of other states have one parent. [...]

I can’t say that Santorum’s remarks surprise me, but it never fails to disappoint in a new fresh way every time you hear the proposals that they make. We have fought so long for gay people to adopt, or have foster children, have loving homes and the rest and for some reason there is some in the Congress or in the country which have not seen the wisdom of that. But the comments are hurtful, not constructive, and I don’t know how far this bill will go, but it will give us a place to continue the discussion about why gay people should be able to…adopt.

Santorum made the comments in Iowa City, Iowa at a forum sponsored by the anti-gay FAMiLY Leader, during which he also argued that children do better in households headed by two parents. But since Santorum opposes same-sex marriage and even civil unions, he seems to prefer that there be no obligation toward children on behalf of gay parents who are currently not the legal parents of their children because their relationships are not recognized by the law.