Children need parents.  If well-meaning prospective parents want to adopt children, they should be allowed to do so.  People in Virginia are permitted to practice their preferred religions, but those same Virginians should not have the ability to prevent people who want to adopt children from being able to do so, simply because those people aren't members of their faith.  If in vitro fertilization is permitted in Virginia, then gay couples should be permitted to adopt - the results are the same.  The State, which is not permitted to discriminate against persons according to their race, sex, religion, etc., should not be placed in the position of discriminating against prospective parents because some Virginians prefer discrimination due to their religious beliefs.  That's putting religion - what some people believe - over freedom - what everyone in America knows.   Children who need parents aren't making those comparisons -- they just want parents who will love them.