The Pros And Cons Of Gay Adoption

Younger children usually have an easier time adjusting to a gay and lesbian parented home. They haven’t learned the social biases against gays and lesbians yet.” (Nighlad).

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 presented the equal fairness of the process and open opportunity as heterosexual couples who seek to adopt or foster children. There is a certain extent to which the sexual orientation of couples (or single potential parents) seeking to adopt children impede on the opportunity to provide children with a permanent and stable home.

Many people are close minded and think the only acceptable home is one with a mother and a father that are married to each other, they may think that children need a mother and father for proper male and female role models, or even children raised by gay parents are more likely to be gay themselves. Whether you believe this to be true or not, the children that need to be adopted do not have parents at all. While many may say that being in foster care is better than being adopted by a homosexual family that is not true. Not all foster care families are warm and fuzzy. In many cases, foster families will abuse the children or take the money given to them by the state for the children and use it for themselves. And over the matter of whether they turn gay or not, isn’t it better for them to have families and homes than that they stay in foster care until they are lucky and a couple adopts them or until they turn 18 and are forced out of foster

Because these children are less likely to undergo physical and/or emotional abuse it is probable they will respond appropriately to stress later in life. It seems to be a given that the children who are fortunate enough to have a healthy upbringing are liable to be successful in life without the emotional baggage abuse can create. Because homosexuals are more apt to accept their children’s personalities and nurture a child’s differences it may prevent the child from rebelling or making disastrous decisions that could lead them to be incarcerated and other things of that sort.

“There is no scientific basis for concluding that lesbian mothers or gay fathers are unfit parents on the basis of their sexual orientation” (Armesto, 2002; Patterson, 2000; Tasker & Golombok, 1997). Ever since gay and lesbians have been parents people have questioned how the parents’ sexual orientation impacts child and adolescent development. Opponents of same-sex parents argue that sexual orientation has a negative impact on child development, while proponents argue that the relationship between the child and parents is what matters. National, state, and local governments are faced with the controversy surrounding same-sex parenting. People have very strong opinions on both sides of the argument. Children and adolescents who are under lesbian or gay parents have normal child development compared with children under heterosexual parents. These children develop normally socially, mentally, and academically.

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

Another positive view about gay adoption is that it means a child in care will receive the opportunity to get the benefit of new parents who are going to give them the best possible life with parents who are healthy, in a stable relationship and have a good financial support system in place. Since there are many children up for adoption, gay couples often adopt children who are older as babies

Recently, research has shown that gay and lesbian parents share the parental characteristics of support, protection, and stability that children need. Sexual orientation should not be problem when adopting children. Children adopted by same-sex couples are more likely to be placed with parents who are patient, dedicated to their children, and have respect for the differences of the

. 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

Others who do not support same-sex adoption show concerns for the well-being of the child after being exposed to a homosexual lifestyle. In the article, Gay and Lesbian Adoptive Parents: Resources for Professional and Parents, it states that social workers are hesitant to allow same-sex adoptions because they wonder how the child will be raised and how the child will feel about themselves and the parents being homosexual. It is also stated in the article that conservative political and religious groups show how same-sex adoption have negative effects on children (“Gay and Lesbian Adoptive Parents”). There have been cases where the courts have taken in the fact that a child adopted by homosexual parents could be teased because of the parents and did what was the best interest for the child. Their argument was that in the long run the child’s self-esteem could become damaged because of the bullying (“Gay and

Several studies have shown that couples of the same sex are more financially stable than couples of the opposite sex and the children would be psychologically better off if they were adopted. “Same sex couples had higher education levels and greater economic status than the opposite sex couples and that both parents in the same sex couple were more likely to be employed” (Rosman). In some situations, a child is better off being adopted by a same sex couple. They would be able to always provide for their child and give them a better life than what they would have had if they were not adopted and put in the foster care system. “There were no significant differences between teenagers living with same-sex parents and those living with other sex parents on self reported assessments of psychological well being, such as self esteem and anxiety; measures of school outcomes, such as grade point averages and trouble in school; or measures of family relationships,

Gay parents are facing discrimination because of their sexual orientation. Twenty-two states currently allow single gays to adopt and 21 states currently allow gay and lesbian couples to adopt in the U.S. (Mallon, 2007, p. 6). The ability of gay couples to rear a child should not be denied only because they are gay. Homosexuals may be looked down upon by society, but they still are humans and have morals. These morals they possess, may influence a child more than those morals taught to a child with heterosexual parents. All over the world, children suffer in families consisting of alcoholics, drug abusers, and sexual abusers (Powell, 2007, p.1). It is not possible that these environments are safer than what would be provided by homosexual

Children of homosexual parents feel less pressure placed on them from gender stereotypes. After all, homosexuals do not fall into traditional gender roles so they would have fewer expectations on the children to act like their biological gender role than a heterosexual parent would. For example, I was waiting in line at an event and there was a mother waiting with her children as well, a girl and a younger boy. The girl took a toy away from the boy and he began crying. The mother became annoyed by his crying and yelled at him “STOP CRYING LIKE A LITTLE GIRL!” The little boy became sadder but stopped crying shortly after. By the mother making that comment to her son she took away his opportunity to be himself and express his emotions as a human being. Society has been determined crying as an act for girls and discourage it in boys because it makes them “weak.” A homosexual parent would be less likely

One of the most important thing for children is to have a loving and supporting home. Having a loving and supportive home can come from same-sex couple or heterosexual couples. According to the article Overview of gay and lesbian parenting, adoption and foster care by American Civil Liberties “Good parenting is not influenced by sexual orientation. Rather, it is influenced most profoundly by a parent's ability to create a loving and nurturing home -- an ability that does not depend on whether a parent is gay or straight.” This just shows how important it is for kids to

First of all, homosexuals should be allowed to adopt. The goal of our adoption and foster care systems is to provide all children with permanent, stable homes with loving and supportive parents, but discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity and marital status hinders that. State governments bear discrimination, economic costs, same-sex couples are denied the ability to build a family, and, most importantly, children in need of loving and permanent homes are left in unstable caregiving situations. Over the years' child foster care has increased by a big number. With all these restrictions on homosexuals trying to adopt children doesn't help the number go down at all. People are trying to start a family and they can't because people don't believe it's right