Romanian parents attack UK social services after kids taken into care, adopted by gay couple
Romanian-born parents plan to bring a bring a human rights challenge against a UK council for allowing their kids to be adopted by a gay couple, after they were taken into care.
The children of Romanian couple Florin Barbu and Claudia Racolțea had been taken into custody while the pair were living in London, according to a Vice report.
Authorities had intervened in the family’s case after Mr Barbu and Ms Racolțea were involved in a string of alleged violent arguments and confrontations – with Ms Racolțea taking out a restraining order against Mr Barbu.
Their children were removed from the home on safety grounds, but the now-divorced pair both say they are appalled to find their kids have been placed with same-sex adoptive parents.
Neither the children nor the adoptive parents can be named for legal reasons.
Ms Racolțea told Vice: “I’m not as concerned for my little girl, as I am for my little boy.
“I think it’s an illness to have a different sexual orientation. I don’t think it’s normal. God didn’t create this on Earth. That’s my opinion, but I can’t judge – God will judge. But my children are with them and we’re not allowed to live with them.”
Mr Barbu told Romanian outlets that he is a “good Christian” who is “absolutely” against gay adoption.
Though the biological parents say the decision to take their children away was unfair, but a British court ruled the pair were not capable of providing for their children.
Ms Racolțea now plans to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights, in a bid to get her children removed from their loving new home, while Mr Barbu attracted attention of Romanian TV with a hunger strike.
Meanwhile, an online petition in Romania about the case has reached more than 22,000 signatures – calling for the children to be rehomed with relatives in Romania.
The petition contends: “Even in such extraordinary circumstances as the separation of children from their biological parents, children have a right to a mother and a father.
“That is to say that neither heterosexual couples, nor same-sex couples have the ethical ‘right’ to adopt children. However, children who are adopted do have an ethical right to a mother and a father.
“[UK authorities are] violating this ethical principle, as well as offending the cultural and religious convictions of millions of Romanians, not to mention the relevant sections on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.”
The case has also led to protests from the Romanian Orthodox Church.
Earlier this year, a federal judge in the US made a ruling effectively legalising adoption across all 50 states.
But in Italy, adoption rights was dropped from a bill to legalise same-sex civil unions amid opposition from the Catholic church.
Comments have been disabled.
