Gay Adoption

Explanatory Synthesis Should gays and lesbians have the same rights to adopt as heterosexuals? The laws of most states permit an unmarried person to be an adopted parent. However, many states have enacted laws limiting and in some cases prohibiting, lesbian and gay men from adopting. Adoption of children by lesbian and gay men remains controversial. A court must first find that the best interest of the child will be served by the adoption. Some courts have strongly rejected the notion that adoption by a lesbian or gay parent could ever be in the best interest of a child. This applies to same sex unions as well. Yet the United States has many children waiting to be adopted. Older children and those with special needs are the hardest to

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.

The ban on gay adoption has been in place since 1977, when the state legislature almost unanimously condoned restriction of the rights of its gay citizens. The lines of public and private are particularly blurred when it comes to adoption. Adoption is a completely public process; there is no privacy for the couple or individual involved as they are scrutinized by the state, whether they be homosexual or not. The state is justified in violating a person's right to privacy in the best interest of the child or children they may adopt. At the time of the Florida law's inception, Senator Curtis Peterson, one of its primary supporters, spoke to the law's purpose: "The problem in Florida has been that homosexuals are surfacing to such an extent that they're beginning to aggravate the ordinary folks. We're trying to send them a message, telling them: 'We're really tired of you. We wish you'd go back into the closet" (2).

Society and social institutions are made up of intertwined parts and each part alone cannot sustain society or the social system by themselves. Durkheim (functionalist) believes that as a society we need deviance to promote social change and social unity, without deviance we cannot define and clarify our moral boundaries.

Gay and Lesbian Adoption: Is it Good for the Kids “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

Adoption Rates The number of children being adopted by same-sex parents has almost tripled in the past decade. However, to this day, some states still ban gay adoption completely while other states use

Gay Parent Adoptions Many states laws deny children in foster care, healthy, loving homes simply because of a potential parent’s sexual orientation (Gray, 2006), The catholic church as well as other organization’s oppose gay adoption based upon religious teachings, while others debate the legality of it (Gray, 2006). In today’s society,

Secondly a ​big portion of kids are adopted by lesbian/gay couples.​ “More than 16,000 adopted children are living with lesbian and gay parents in California, the highest number in the U.S” ​Shows how much of an impact gay couples

Secondly a ​big portion of kids are adopted by lesbian/gay couples.​ “More than 16,000 adopted children are living with lesbian and gay parents in California, the highest number in the U.S” ​Shows how much of an impact gay couples

Gay Adoption: To Condemn or Condone “Last year, 29,471 children turned 18 and left the foster care system without an adoptive family” (“Adoption” 1). Unfortunately for those young adults, knowing the comfort of a stable family was not part of their childhood. Though there is a high demand for children to be adopted, the reality is many are not being adopted. Furthermore, even though there are children that need a good home, state governments are purposely making laws that prohibit certain groups of people from adopting children. States like Florida and Mississippi are both culprits. Two groups that are especially being targeted by unfair laws are gays and lesbians. These unfair laws are clear discrimination, and they should be put to an end

There are an estimated 500,000 children in foster care nationwide, and 100,000 of these children are awaiting adoption. In 2013, only one child of every six available for adoption was actually adopted. (Sanchez, 13) These statistics show how important it is for children to be adopted to a loving family no matter what the sexual preference of the parents is. However, it has become an issue and/or an obstacle for same sex partners to adopt in many states. This has been a controversial topic that while some believe that homosexuals should have the right to adopt like any other married couple or single person while others believe it should be banned. Homosexuality is being more accepted and integrated into today’s society but seems to be an issue

prospective adoptive parents is dwindling and that recruitment efforts have not been successful” (2001). Gay and Lesbian couples should be allowed to adopt a child due to their nurturing and

well rounded . So now the real question emerges: Is parental guidance by two parents of thesame sex really more harmful to a child¶s development than no parental guidance at all? In someminds the answer ³NO´ flashes in bright, blinking lights however, there are many, including themajority of Americans, who disagree. Laws banning adoption by gay and lesbian couples exist

More and more LGBT couples want to adopt. By allowing LGBT couples to adopt, you are taking more children out of foster care and placing them in loving homes. LGBT parents typically adopt the children with the greatest needs. Twenty-one of the fifty states currently allow for second-parent adoption. A majority of states no longer deny custody or visitation rights based on sexual orientation. There is no evidence that LGBTs are unfit parents (Lyons 25-26).

Same-Sex Parenting 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.