Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier proposed legislation on Thursday that would stop sexual predators and abusers from being able to obtain children through surrogacy, adoption, and foster care.
In a video announcement, Uthmeier said he wants to work with the Florida legislature to introduce the “Protecting Kids from Predators Pursuing Parenthood Act,” and pointed to disturbing incidents across the nation of pedophiles obtaining children through legal loopholes and abusing them. He specifically referenced a recent case out of Pennsylvania, where a registered sex offender who had been convicted in 2016 of child sex abuse and possession of child sex abuse images, obtained a child with his husband through gestational surrogacy.
Uthmeier said in his video announcement:
By now, you know my goal is to make Florida the safest state to raise a family. As a father of three little ones, my wife Jean, and I know that there is no greater blessing from God than to have children. There’s also no greater responsibility than to bring up good citizens. I know there are many couples out there that are unable to have kids, and many are turning to technology and various resources in the hopes of aiding their quest for parenthood, surrogacy being one of these options.
“That said, in Florida, we have a responsibility as leaders to protect families. And we’ve seen situations lately where surrogacy has exposed kids to dangerous harm,” he continued. “In Pennsylvania, we recently saw a homosexual couple, including a registered sex offender, celebrate bringing home a newborn. In other states, we’ve seen situations where parents have obtained children through surrogacy or adoption only to then subject them to repeated sexual abuse.”
RELATED: Georgia Couple Sentenced to 100 Years for Sexually Abusing Adopted Sons
“This cannot and will not happen in Florida,” he added. “That’s why today I’m proposing the Protecting Kids from Predators Pursuing Parenthood Act. I hope to work with the legislature to ensure that registered sex offenders, people that have preyed upon kids, are in no way eligible to obtain children through surrogacy, adoption, or foster care. ”
Uthmeier said the law would apply to people who abuse animals as well.
READ MORE: Authorities Take 21 Children From Couple and Nanny in California Surrogacy Scam Investigation
“If you abuse animals, you have no purpose becoming a new parent,” he said. “We cannot endanger our kids. So I look forward to working with the legislature over the next year to further protect our kids and keep our state safe, strong, and free.”
Katherine Hamilton is a political reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on X @thekat_hamilton.
Read the full article here