Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ 4th District) has claimed an audio recording, in which he appears to suggest that he would rather see children waiting to be adopted sent to orphanages than taken into the care of same-sex couples, has been taken out of context.
The recording, which was obtained by The Washington Blade (an LGBT news source based in Washington, D.C.), was reportedly taken in late May during a question and answer session between the representative and high school students at Colts Neck High School in Central New Jersey.
In the tense back-and-forth, a student can be heard asking Smith, who was first elected to Congress in 1980 and is now seeking reelection in November, whether he would view her sister, who is gay, as being "less of a legitimate parent" than someone in a heterosexual relationship.
Smith said the question was not up for debate, calling it "legally moot" due to a series of court rulings making same-sex couple adoption legal in 50 states.
"She is free to adopt," Smith said. "The issue is legally moot at this point, especially with the Supreme Court decision. And she's free to adopt."
"But why do you think she shouldn't be able to adopt a child?" the student can be heard asking.
"I think you're getting to... I do believe that there are many others who would like to adopt who can't acquire a child," Smith said. "As I said, the waiting periods are extremely long."
Before he could finish his comment, another student asked what made "those other people" more suitable adoptive parents than the other student's sister.
Smith appeared to struggle with the question, saying: "In my opinion, a child needs every possibility of... Somebody mentioned orphanages before... I mean, orphanages are still a possibility for some kids, but..."
At that point the congressman appears to trail off, before the recording is cut short.
However a full recording of the exchange, which has been released by Smith, the representative appears to provide clarification on his comments. He asserts he does not believe children would be better off in orphanages than in the care of same-sex couples.
In the extended recording, a student can be heard asking Smith about his support of a failed 1999 amendment that would have barred unmarried couples, and effectively gay couples, from adopting in Washington state.
Smith responded that, if given the chance, he would "vote the same way, frankly, as I did then," asserting that "adoption is all about the best interests of the child."
The representative can then reportedly be heard complaining about the fact Catholic Charities had stopped doing adoptions in a number of jurisdictions because they "believe the best interests of the child is not that kind of adoption."
And when a student asked Smith to clarify on whether he thought orphanages would be in better interest of the child, the representative said: "No. Lord no," before explaining that he was "very aggressively pro-adoption."
Speaking with Roll Call, Smith said he felt his words had been plucked out of context in a "dirty trick."
"I'm shocked at how this has been manipulated," the congressman said.
The May incident is not the first time that Smith has received backlash over his comments on gay marriage.
At a hearing in the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa in 2015, the congressman maintained that he was a "strong believer in traditional marriage" and that he does not "construe homosexual rights as human rights," Roll Call noted.
"Others have a different view and I certainly respect them," Smith said at the time.
Democratic New Jersey Representative Frank Pallone condemned the comments, accusing Smith of having crossed "the line."
"Representatives in Congress must be promoting the expansion of human rights, not fighting to limit its definition to people that they deem to be appropriate," Pallone said.
In that case too, Smith accused Pallone of "twisting his words" and taking his comments out of context.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Chantal Da Silva is Chief Correspondent at Newsweek, with a focus on immigration and human rights. She is a Canadian-British journalist whose work ... Read more
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