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
The fate of where a child is placed is put in the hands of state social workers and judges. The guidelines for who can be a foster or adoptive parent can often become blurred when dealing with opinionated social workers that validate ability to be a parent with their own beliefs. Homosexual foster parents are often denied the right to adopt a child based on their sexuality. According to a survey done in 1999-2000 only 60% of adoption agencies would accept same sex couples applications (Paul). In 2007,
Miraculously in 2010 Florida acknowledged that the adoption ban was unconstitutional (eQuality, 2005). In previous years homosexuals interested in the adoption process would use foster care to acquire the same nurturing family that heterosexuals had acquired thus, circumventing the system. The unconstitutional ban had the ability to deter potential same sex adoptive parents because they feared automatic exclusion. With the increased pressure from the gay community to allow same sex adoptions many adoption agencies are becoming more accommodating to homosexuals. However, the obstacles that same sex couples encounter tend to minimize the whole family structure and make the family unit vulnerable (Brown, Smalling, Groza, & Ryan, 2009).
Romero, Jessica Communication Studies 105 Tuesday, Thursday 8-9:20 a.m. Gay Adoption Introduction Attention getter: Discrimination against gay men and lesbian women has been socially recognized for hundreds of years and still continues today. Homosexuals have adopted children for many years, regardless of fear and prejudice. The controversy of this matter is why homosexuals are not
Florida and the Future of Gay Adoption The line between public and private is quickly diminishing, if there ever was a line to start. Private ideologies (social and moral/ethical attitudes) have been made public by what legislation does (not) relegate, and then protects the right to privacy for the individuals who abide by these private ideologies. The intrinsic protection of adherents to a dominant ideology forces those with deviant ideology to actively make their private concerns public in order to be granted their "right to privacy." However, even after this guarantee it is not possible for the private to leave the public sphere until the dominant ideology changes radically to incorporate these rights at the same intrinsic level of
Before the 1970’s adoption between race was not popular. Then suddenly there was a shortage of Caucasian babies and parents trying to adopt had to look elsewhere. Many factors took place for the shortage to happen including the legalization of abortion in 1973, the increased use of contraceptives, and the changing social attitudes that led more unmarried white women to keep their children rather than give them up for adoption (“Adoption”). In 1994 Congress passed the Multiethnic Placement Act (MEPA), prohibiting any federally assisted adoption agency from denying an adoption based on the race of the child or of the adoptive parents. In 1996 this act was amended by the Interethnic Adoption Provisions (IEP), which allows agencies to
Human Sexuality 21 Professor Lanoix December 4, 2012 Pros and Cons of the Kinsey’s Scale Sex was such a horrible topic to talk about, but a biologist of Indiana University introduced a scale that broke the silence. The silence changed due to this biologist named Alfred C. Kinsey (1894-1956). Kinsey broke the silence because
I. Delinieation and Overview of the Policy Under Analysis Social attitudes about family life have undergone profound changes in recent decades. While public acceptance of homosexuality remains a deeply decisive issue, adoption by gays and lesbians has become increasingly acceptable, with 46% of the national population favoring gay adoption. (Pew Research Center, 2006) In New York State, statutes developed to permit gays to adopt are among the most permissive in the nation. New York Adoption Code 18 NYCRR 421.16 (h)(2) (2004) states that "applicants shall not be rejected solely on the basis of homosexuality", which expressly prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation when determining who may adopt.
An organization called the Independent Adoption Center is an open adoption agency that works has facilitated adoptions in 49 states with couples and individuals who are looking to adopt. They have no exclusionary policies and restrictions towards race, religion, age, martial status, sexual orientation, or gender identity. The IAC has indicated that families that are transgender have the same wait time as heterosexual, gay male, and lesbian couples. Additionally they indicated that no state prohibits transgender parents from adopting children. The only thing that is different however is when individuals want to adopt. At this time, Mississippi and Utah prohibit adoptions by lesbians and gay men. Also there has only been about five placements
The unjust and prejudicial treatment of different categories of people, especially on the grounds of race, age, or sex is discriminating; according to the Oxford dictionary. This term does not empower them, but instead make people feel powerless. Same-sex couples in particular, who are looking to adopt, feel unequal to their heterosexual associates. In relation to adoption, there shouldn’t be preference to heterosexual couples over same-sex couples. Adoption typically is not an easy process, but when it comes to people of the same sex trying to adopt, what seems to be as simple as to buying a puppy, is very intimidating and discouraging. The laws that govern these decisions do not help at all. The inconsistency amongst all of the states in America makes the process even more challenging, to the point where couples give up. Same-sex couples who are fortunate enough to be allowed by the courts to adopt, are still being judgmental. The judgments are based on their parenting abilities and the effects their lifestyle they live, whether it will have a negative backlash on the children. The intention of my analysis on same-sex adoption is to examine some of the bifurcation and the challenges that these individuals encounter while trying to legally adopt a child.
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
Society has changed to fit the “norms” of its time throughout America. Some groups are still fighting every day to try and fit the norm. Legalizing same-sex adoption is moral because it would help complete a family for a child who doesn 't have one and for a couple that wants one of their own. Morality is defined as what is good and bad in who we are as humans. The right for co-adoption has prolonged throughout the years and there have been milestones which changed the course of history for the LGBT community. In 1973 was the first known opinion in a Colorado court involving a transgender parent to have a child’s custody. A homosexual couple in California became the first throughout the country to jointly adopt a child in the year 1979.
Same-Sex Adoption Since the 1990’s approximately 8-10 million children in the US alone are raised in a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, or Transgender (LGBT) household. Same-Sex Adoption is controversial because many people throughout the world are against LGBT adoption; but when faced with the number of kids who pray everyday for someone out there wanting to be the parent of a foster child, it is difficult to understand why the topic of gay adoption is controversial. Yes, there can be a bad outcome but there can also be a very good outcome of these kinds of adoptions. The LGBT Adoption situation can be fixed by allowing any adult or parent to adopt a child if they have the right living environment or the knowledge and skills that it takes to raise a kid in the proper way. But social workers have reservations on considering gay adoptive parents because they are fearful of how the parents will treat and raise the children and how they will grow up feeling. People who oppose same sex marriage, including U.S. elected officials, have argued that a child raised by a LGBT parent will need additional emotional support or will face social challenges compared to children with heterosexual parents (Borreli). Although many people believe that LGBT parents shouldn’t be allowed to adopt because it affects the child, LGBT parents should be allowed to adopt because many kids need a place to call home or someone they can call family, they need someone in a similar situation that they can talk
The state of Arkansas doesn’t ban gay and lesbian adoptions specifically but they have regulations that prevent it. The states of Alabama, Oregon, Tennessee, and Virginia have all introduced bills that would restrict the parenting rights of gay couples. Lastly, Conservatives in Congress are also expected to introduce a bill to ban gay and lesbian adoption in Washington D.C.
Good parenting is not influenced by sexual orientation, but by parents creating a loving and nurturing home. With increased inclusiveness, more children are now in homes with qualified parents over being in the state system. Adoptive parents are being discriminated on adopting children based on gender identity, sexual orientation, or marital status and so more children are “aging out” of the foster care system. Children are aging out of foster care because the federal government is not allowing parents to adopt based on sexual orientation, gender identity, or marital status and those children are going without having the loving and nurturing home that they need so the Every Child Deserves a Family Act should be put in place.