It’s as if our country is blind to the dangers and risks of being run by theocracy, as seen in the middle east. The Christian right has battled for decades to make America a Christian run nation. Had they been successful in all of their battles, we would still have segregation, state sponsored anti-semitism, people without blind faith in a God would not be considered American citizens, science class would teach flat earthism, and all sorts of other crazy stuff. Colorado currently has an elected representative that has publicly declared (in the republican presidential debate) his disbelief in evolution!

Luckily, Colorado took a small step away from such ignorance by passing House Bill 1330, the “second-parent adoption bill”.

In Colorado Springs, Focus on the Family founder James Dobson called on his Christian radio show listeners to voice opposition to such legislation, saying “liberals have declared war on traditional morality and traditional family values in this state.”

Fred Phelps apparently didn’t voice his opinion to voters about how to act on the legislation, and it passed.

Gov. Bill Ritter said the second-parent adoption measure provides more children the emotional and financial security that comes with having two parents.

“From my experience in law enforcement, I know how important it is for children to grow up in a stable environment,” Ritter, who served as Denver’s district attorney for 12 years, said in a statement. “This law gives children in a one-parent family a chance to grow up in a two-parent home.”

The law will make it easier for relatives raising a family member’s children to provide health insurance coverage and Social Security benefits.

Recently, Gunnison County and Eagle County have extended benefits to same-sex partners. Although Colorado still has a lot of work to do, these are all steps in the right direction in the battle against ignorance and a theocratic government. Can private health insurance companies follow the lead?

There are some large group employers in Colorado that have negotiated contracts for their employees health insurance benefits to allow same-sex couples to be on the same policy, but these are rare. And so far, there haven’t been any individual health insurance companies in Colorado to offer this type of equality to their clients. And it’s not a trivial matter…

As an example, among our clients is a same sex couple with two kids. After searching for the best type of policy for their needs, I determined that an Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield HSA qualified high deductible health insurance plan would work best for them. However, since both parents are female, the whole family couldn’t be on the same policy. Since the rates for Anthem HSA qualified plans in Colorado are calculated as 1 member, 2 members, or 3+ members, families are given a discount for having more family members on the plan, and my clients lost out on that. We had to have just 1 primary applicant and two dependents on one “3+ member” policy and put her partner on her own “1 member” plan. Not only did they get the shaft on the monthly premium, their financial exposure is much higher. Instead of having a single family deductible, they’ve got a family deductible plus a separate individual deductible.

There is no reason for these kind of policies except pure, ignorant, bigotry. The only reasoning I’ve ever heard involves the Bible. And the Bible (according to the Constitution) is supposed to get as much respect from our legislation as the Qur’an, Talmud, Vedas, Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, or any other religious text – none. If we can just remember that, our society will be much better off.