This week, a Miami court faces a challenge to either repeal an outdated law that prohibits homosexuals from being adoptive parents or let the discriminatory law stand. The three-judge panel should repeal the law and allow people, all people, who want to and are qualified, to adopt children and give the more than 3,400 children currently in foster care a loving home.

The law, originally passed in 1977, was meant to prevent children from being placed in what were considered disruptive home environments. However, with the social acceptability of homosexual relationships on the rise, the law should be re-evaluated and repealed. The argument that children should not be placed in homosexual homes due to a lack of stability is outdated and false.

Many heterosexual couples do not have stable or healthy home lives. The assertion that being a man and a woman who are married makes the home acceptable, is ridiculous. Being a good parent is not based on sexuality, it is based on caring, personality, love and want. Foster children, who have never felt wanted, will gain incredible self-confidence by being placed in a home with a couple that truly wants him or her.

By repealing the law, the judges will be sending a clear message that this type of discrimination is unacceptable in Florida. With that message in place, it makes a statement that other gay couples in the state should consider the option of adoption. And there are examples of healthy gay couples who have adopted children. Rosie O’Donnell is an example of a woman who hasn’t let preconceived notions about parenting prevent her from adopting.

The three-judge panel will hear arguments from both sides. What they should keep in mind is that love is unconditional and that love should extend to everyone, not just a few. Homosexual couples are just as capable of being good parents as anyone else. The concern of the judges should be who wants to be parents and who is capable of giving a child a good home. That decision should have nothing to do with sexuality.