Senator Stabenow
Adoption A Hot Issue
Stumps For Sisterhood? In Michigan Legislature

T

here is some buzzing in
town about the first in-
tercongregational sister-
hood dinner, scheduled for
Oct. 5, featuring state Sen. Deb-

Debbie Stabenow

bie Stabenow, D-Lansing, a.k.a.
a Democratic gubernatorial
candidate. She is the only can-
didate for governor invited to
speak to this group of five
non-political temple organiza-
tions.
Organizers from
Temple Beth El, Tem-
ple Emanu-El, Temple
Israel, Temple Kol
Ami and Temple Shir
Tikvah are careful to
point out that this is
not a public endorse-
ment of Ms. Stabenow.
Yet even the ap-
pearance of an en-
dorsement can be
viewed as taboo for
not-for-profit religious
organizations who can
put their tax-exempt
status in jeopardy by
participating in poli-
tics.
According to the
law, acceptable pro-
grams are educational
forums covering is-
sues, or meet-the-can-
didate forums in which
all candidates are in-
vited and none is en- Howard Wolpe
dorsed.

Organizers say Ms. Stabe-
now, an elected official of 15
years, is an expert on child, fam-
ily and education issues. Ac-
cordingly, she will address
related legislative is-
sues which, they say,
will in no way be re-
flective of the upcom-
ing election.
To the other guber-
natorial hopefuls, this
might have been an
oversight.
"I would certainly
hope that all candi-
dates would be invit-
ed to similar types
of forums. I hope this
was not meant to
be an endorsement,"
said Ken Brock, cam-
paign manager for
Democrat Howard
Wolpe, a former
member of the U.S.
House of Representa-
tives. "This one, in
particular, was kind
of odd. Howard is
getting ready to move
to the Detroit area,
and he joined Temple
Kol Ami.
"I am sure they are present-
ing this as if it were a non-
political event," Mr. Brock said.
"But when a candidate shows
up anywhere, there always is
some political overtone."

T

he highly publicized and
controversial adoption case
surrounding 2-year-old
Jessica was not Michigan's
first. And some believe the out-
come — little Jessica moving to
Iowa to live with her biological
parents — might have been dif-
ferent if Michigan's law protect-
ed third parties seeking
adoptions.
For years, state Rep. David
Gubow, D-Huntington Woods,
has been trying to push through
legislation that would make
adoption easier and protect
third-party rights. Birmingham
attorney Richard Victor, who ap-
pealed to the U.S. Supreme
Court on behalf of Jessica, also
has come on board to help re-
vamp the state system.
Now pending in the Legisla-
ture are a few bills that would
provide the state with more open

adoption procedures. One piece
of legislation is pending in a con-
ference committee made up of
representatives and senators —
among them Mr. Gubow and
Jack Welborn, R-Kalamazoo.
Legislation is necessary, Mr.
Gubow says, because the state
Supreme Court has ruled that
third parties have no standing
to seek custody.
Proponents of open adoption Davki Gubow
believe broadening the law will
allow courts to determine who is biology means everything. If the
fit to be a parent. Opponents say law remains narrow, they say,
biological parents always will be
protected.
"We are not saying who
should get custody," Mr. Gubow
says. "There are some things
that you should not legislate. We
are talking about what is the
best interest of the child. In
Michigan, we don't look at the
best interest of the child."

Mario Cuomo Comes
To Detroit

p

reparing to attend a
speech by New York Gov.
Mario Cuomo is some-
what like waiting up late
to watch ABC's Ted Koppel on
"Nightline."
You do not know what the
topic will be until the very last
minute.
One of the country's most
sought after lecturers, Mr. Cuo-
mo talks about controversial
and sometimes unpopular top-
ics relating to current issues fac-
ing the nation.
He will be in town 2 p.m. Oct.
17 at Temple Israel for a find-
raiser to benefit the temple's
community and educational pro-

grams, such as shel-
tering the homeless
and caring for the el-
derly.
Mr. Cuomo was
elected governor of
New York in 1982. He
has focused efforts in
New York on programs
to create jobs and ex-
pand justice. He also
created the largest
homeless assistance
program in the United
States, and he imple-
mented an ambitious
public health plan to
deal with AIDS.

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Pete Silverman Loses Primary

T

oledo's Pete Silverman, He will continue to practice law to spend with his wife, Marcia
featured in this column in Toledo, and he will complete and son, Alex, as well as in his
last month, has lost his his term on the City Council.
role as a Jewish community ac-
bid for mayor of Toledo.
He will have more time tivist.

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