Senate approves adoption bill limiting certain placements to a mother-and-father household amid questions on single and international adoptions

Senate Bill 63, presented by Senator Nielsen, would restrict placement for some adoptions to households defined as a father and a mother and would bar placement in households described in the bill as homosexual or polygamous or where adults cohabit without marriage. Nielsen said the bill reflects language debated in committee and apologised for any earlier misstatements; he invited senators to change votes if they had relied on those comments.

Floor questions focused on exceptions for single adults and the reach of the bill to international adoptions. One senator asked whether a single, unmarried brother named in a parent’s will could adopt; Senator Nielsen confirmed single adults not cohabiting would still be eligible for adoption. Senators also asked whether adoptions arranged overseas or through international processes would be subject to the same restrictions; Senator Spencer answered that international adoptions carried out in Utah would be subject to the statute.

The Senate held a roll-call vote after debate. The chair announced the bill passed and would be referred to the House for consideration; the floor announcement recorded the final result as 17 ayes, 8 nays, 3 absent. Supporters described the bill as preserving a specific placement standard; opponents warned it limited placement options for children and could disrupt some international adoptions handled through Utah practitioners.