Homework One
Comparative Family Policies—same-sex Marriage
On June 26, 2015, the United States Supreme Court ruled in favor of the freedom to marry, allowing same-sex couples to marry nationwide. So far 21 other countries also passed laws that made same-sex marriage legal nationwide. What are these countries that allow same-sex marriage? When or in which year did each country make it legal? 1 (5 pts) Argentina (2010)
Belgium (2003)
Brazil (2013)
Canada (2005)
Denmark (2012)
England/Wales (2014)
Finland (2015, eff. 2017)
France (2013)
Iceland (2010)
Ireland (2015)
Luxembourg (2015)
Netherlands (2001)
New Zealand (2013)
Norway (2009)
Portugal (2010)
Scotland (2014)
South Africa (2006)
Spain (2005)
Sweden (2009)
Unites States (2015)
…show more content…
(2 pts)
From the legal point of view same-sex couples have the same rights as cohabiting couples in South Africa. They have the same anti-discrimination laws, the same parenting and adoption rights, the same sexual activity rights and all other citizen rights. But for the society gay and lesbian couple are not yet completely integrated and accepted. 2
3. What is this country’s child adoption policy in general? (4 pts)
Adoption in South Africa is regulated by the Children’s Act (Act 38 of 2005). A child may be adopted jointly by spouses, partners in a permanent domestic life-partnership, or other persons sharing a household and forming a permanent family unit. A child may also be adopted by a widower/widow, single person; by a person married to the parent of the child; by the biological father of a child born out of marriage; or by the foster parent of the child.3
4. Does this country allow gay and lesbian adoption? How does their law specify regulations regarding adoption? (3 pts)
Yes, gay and lesbian partners in South Africa have the same adoption rights as married spouses (same- or opposite- sex), allowing for both joint and step adoption. 4
5. Read and cite three peer reviewed articles specifically about the issue of children in same-sex households (the articles do not have to be about the U.S. or the country you choose), comment on the positive and negative aspects of child-rearing in same sex marriages or households. (6 pts)
a) The first article is on a study of
In “Laws Should Support Loving Households, Straight or Not” (2002), Becky Birtha argues that homosexual couples should have the same right to adopting kids as heterosexual couples.
In conclusion, the augment for gay adoption is far stronger and far better supported than those opposed. One must admit that sexual orientation is fundamentally irrelevant to a person’s capacity to be a good parent. The opposition to gay and lesbian adoption has failed to support its
Unfortunately, there is a number of legal hurdles gay and lesbian couples face when trying to adopt therefore, the system has to be circumvented. Also same sex couples encounter individuals who subconsciously and consciously discriminate through a variety of behaviors including evident harassment or social exclusion (Brown, Smalling, Groza, & Ryan, 2009). It would seem as if the drive to prevent same sex couples from the benefit of joint adoption starts with the discrimination of these couples rather than the welfare of the child (Johnson, n.d). In fact, these discriminations include accusations of psychological disorders and a higher occurrence of domestic violence.
Preview: Today, I will explain three reasons why gay adoption should be legal in all states.
During the period of 2003 to 2015, various lower court decisions, state legislation, and popular referendums had already legalized same-sex marriage to some degree in thirty-eight out of fifty U.S. states, in the U.S. territory Guam, and in the District of Columbia.
Adoption is about finding families for children, it is not about finding children for families (Joyce, 2015). Homosexual people are same as regular people, they wish to have regular families just like anyone. However, why homosexual couples are not allowed to adopted children since they are same as anyone else? In 1851, the first adoption law passed at Massachusetts, North American (Herman, 2012). The adoption of the Massachusetts Children Act 1851 is an important point to give authorizations to judges in validating parents who want to adopt (Herman, 2012). According to the (SOS Children's Village, 2015), there are about 120,000 children being abandon in America per year. Depending on (Regnerus, 2012) past research paper, stated that homosexual
Adoption has been around for over a hundred years giving children the opportunity for a permanent home, but it is only in recent years that the question of gay adoption has risen. Unfortunately, there are millions of orphans around the world, but there are not enough families or parents able to take them in. There are not many families available who are able and willing to adopt children; whether it be because they have children of their own, they do not have the resources available to support them, or they simply do not want children. The result is an overabundance of orphaned children in need of a loving, lasting family. However, there is a solution to this problem that many refuse to accept: gay adoption. Although the presence of open homosexual couples around the world has increased, they still continue to face adversity, whether it be socially or legally; this affliction can be discerned with the fact that it is illegal for homosexual couples to adopt within a set of territories around the world (including the U.S.). While there are children awaiting to be adopted and zealous parents waiting to welcome them into their homes, possible parents are banned from doing so. These parents have not done anything wrong and possess the same skills and resources as other potential parents, yet they are denied the opportunity to give a child security, love, and protection; all of which a child needs. Prejudice and discrimination are the driving forces behind these decisions. Gay couples should
The policy that the government should choose to allow for any parent to adopt children is the Every Child Deserves a Family Act. Under this act more
Same-sex marriage is also known as gay marriage or homosexual marriage. This is the kind of marriage between two men or two woman. In june 26,2015 in a 5-4 decision the US Supreme court made gay marriage legal for every couple in every country.
(2001). Gay and Lesbian couples should be allowed to adopt a child due to their nurturing and
Families headed by gay and lesbian parents are just as diverse as families led by heterosexual couples (Thompson 36). The only difference in these families is
The political aspects of whether same-sex couples should be allowed to federal and government recognized marriages are a very complex issue. There are basically two sides to the political argument of whether same-sex couples should be allowed to marry. On one side are the liberals who feel that marriage is a civil right that should be denied based on the basis of a person's sexual orientation. On the other side you have conservatives who feel that marriage is an institution in which should only constitute one man and one woman. In this report we are going to examine how the issue of same-sex marriages are affecting our current political environment, how politics is affecting the movement for
Since the early 1900s, homosexual people have become increasingly popular and greatly resisted. People that are homosexual face barriers placed upon them by the political system and society. Due to these challenges, homosexuals fought to have the same marital and parental rights as heterosexual people. Same-sex adoption is not prohibited in most states in the United States of America and many places worldwide. Family is not determined solely on blood relations and should be legalized in all parts of the world; because homosexual parents are just as good as heterosexual parents, if not better, and can provide an enriching second chance for many children waiting to be adopted.
With the battle of same sex marriage still ongoing, it has yet aroused another subject similar to the matter: should same sex couple be allowed to adopt. Throughout the 21th century, this topic has been controversially debated whether or not same sex couples adopting is a negative or beneficial right. With this being said, homosexual couples should be allowed to adopt because kids with homosexual parents are more open-minded, shown the same love by parents and show love to others, despite the fact that children are believed to face social stigmatization.
“About 19 percent of same-sex couples raising children reported having an adopted child in the house in 2009, up from just 8 percent in 2000.” As society changes there opinions on same-sex marriage they more gays and lesbians are adopting. There was recent rise in same-sex adoption but there is still people in U.S. that are against same-sex adoption. Recently a judge in Kentucky objected gay and lesbian adoption. This caused a huge uproar and had people thinking whether or not gay and lesbian adoption is okay for the children. One article feels that state legislators are putting more hurdles in the way of adoption and preventing children from getting into loving and caring homes (“Adoptions are declining,”2017). Gays and lesbians being able to adopt will provide loving homes, get kids out of foster care, and they choose to be parents.