By Dan Horn
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Ohio's Supreme Court left open the possibility Friday that it might one day allow same-sex couples to adopt children.

The high court addressed the issue when it amended an August decision involving a lesbian couple from Cincinnati who sought equal custody of their children.

The court's original decision allowed the women to seek joint custody of one another's children. But the decision also stated that Ohio law would not allow either woman to adopt the other's children.

The women, Shelly Zachritz and Teri Bonfield, argued that the court was wrong to rule out the possibility of adoption because their case had not asked the court to consider that issue.

In their 6-1 ruling Friday, the justices agreed.

"We said they were too broad (in their original decision) and asked them to keep an open mind on that issue," said Sallee Fry Waterman, the attorney for Ms. Zachritz and Ms. Bonfield.

Conservative groups that had opposed the court's original decision were unhappy with the amended decision.

"This decision has been made by the state legislature. It is no business whatsoever of the Ohio Supreme Court to attempt to reverse that," said David Langdon, one of the lawyers who argued against allowing the couple to share custody.

He said he also was concerned that one of the justices, Evelyn Lundberg Stratton, joined with the majority in the amended decision. In the original 5-2 decision, Justice Stratton had joined with Justice Deborah Cook in dissent.

Mr. Langdon said he feared the decision Friday - along with Justice Stratton's shift to the majority - was an indication that the court might one day allow same-sex adoptions.

E-mail dhorn@enquirer.com