Should same sex couples be allowed to adopt - Essay Example

Running head: Adoption Should same sex couples be allowed to adopt? Introduction Children should get the care and attention of both the father andmother for their growth and development. It is difficult for a father to look after his children same way like their mother. Same way it is difficult for a mother to look after her children same way like their father. In other worlds, the care and love extended by the father and mother complement each other in the development of a child. Same sex marriage is a common thing nowadays in many societies. Changing life styles and life philosophies increased the marriages between two women and two men. In a liberalized society such things are common and we cannot blame people for adopting their own living styles and standards. At the same time many same sex married couples are nowadays trying to adopt children since it is impossible for them to conceive without the help from the opposite gender. Adoption is the only way for such couples to have a child. But adoption by same sex couples has raised many ethical and legal issues in the current world. Critics of same sex couple adoption argue that such adoption will deny the child the much needed care and love from either a father or a mother. On the other hand, supporters of such adoption believe that it is injustice to deny the adoption rights to same sex couples because of their natural inability to conceive. This paper briefly analyses the arguments of both the supporters and opponents of same sex couple adoption. Arguments in favour of same sex adoption Belge (2010) has argued that The United States has many older children and those with special needs children waiting to be adopted. It is difficult fro such children to find an artificial father or mother through adoption (Belge, 2010). Instead of leaving such children in darkness it is better to allow same sex couples to adopt such children. If such children allow growing in pathetic conditions their physical and mental growth might not be proper. On the other hand, if the same sex couples allowed adopting such children, both the children and the adopted parents would benefit from that. Scientific studies have shown that children who grow up in one or two-parent gay or lesbian households fare just as well emotionally and socially as children whose parents are heterosexual (Belge, 2010). Children always look for the love and care extended towards them rather than the sexual behaviour of their parents. For them same sex parents would be better than a state of having no parents. Good parenting is influenced most profoundly by a parents ability to create a loving and nurturing home -- an ability that does not depend on whether a parent is gay or straight. (Gay Adoption Debate and Poll: Should Gays and Lesbians be allowed to Adopt Children?, n. d). Same sex parents are living normal life like others in most of the societies. As per the scientific studies, they are capable of providing same parenting like others to their children. Arguments against same sex adoption The Florida court argues that children are better off in homes with a mother and a father who are married. Moreover, some opponents argue that children of gay and lesbian parents will be subject to harassment and ridicule (Belge, 2010). It is a fact that the same sex couples cannot extend the same care and attention that a normal father and mother extend towards their children. Children at their early ages may not face many problems with their same sex parents because of their lack of knowledge about the customs and traditions in the society. But when they grow up, it is quiet possible that such children would become subjects of harassment by others. They will curse their life at that time even if their same sex parents extend immense care towards them. In a study published in the January 1996 issue of Developmental Psychology, London researchers Susan Golombok and Fiona Tasker found that children raised by a homosexual parent were much more likely to experiment with homosexual behaviour themselves (Gay Adoption Debate and Poll: Should Gays and Lesbians be allowed to Adopt Children?, n. d). It is a fact that children often consider their parents as role models. If their parents happen to be from same sex, they will also think that there is nothing wrong in doing so and in most cases; they will imitate their same sex parents in their real life also. If the number of same sex parents increases in the society, it will create severe social problems and the traditional beliefs and the natural laws will undergo changes. Any attempt to change the nature’s laws is a dangerous act. Stability is the key to raising an emotionally and mentally healthy child; unmarried and homosexual partners simply cannot provide the stability that married heterosexual couples can give. "Children need a role model, both male and female (Gay Adoption Debate and Poll: Should Gays and Lesbians be allowed to Adopt Children?, n. d). The cohesion and strength of the same sex couple family life would be less compared to the normal couple family lives. It is possible that such lives may break any time. In other words, same sex couples cannot guarantee stability to the lives of the adopted children. Saletan, (2002) has argued that telling the public that a homosexual couple can raise a child as effectively as a married couple is on par with telling them that a single mom provides as complete parenting as a mom-and-dad couple (Saletan, 2002). Same sex couples can provide either the father’s love or the mother’s love to the children they adopted. It is impossible for a female to give a father’s love and a male to give a mother’s love to an adopted child because of the natural difference between a male and a female. The love extended by a male and a female have different dimensions and the child will never get both at the same time inc case of children adopted by same sex parents. Conclusions Considering the arguments both in favour and against, I strongly believe that adoption by the same sex couples should not be encouraged. It is possible that the children adopted by the same sex couples may perform the same sex marriage. Encouraging such things are against the natural laws. The meaning of male and female or the concept of gender would be disappeared if we encourage same sex marriage and adoption by them. Any act against the nature’s law will create immense problems in the future. References 1. Belge Kathy, (2010), Both Sides of the Issue Lesbian and Gay Adoption Rights, Retrieved on 30 April 2010 from http://lesbianlife.about.com/cs/families/a/adoption_2.htm 2. Gay Adoption Debate and Poll: Should Gays and Lesbians be allowed to Adopt Children?, (n. d), Retrieved on 30 April 2010 from http://www.youdebate.com/DEBATES/gay_adoption.HTM 3. Saletan William (2002), The sneaky debate over legalizing adoptions by gay couples, Retrieved on 30 April 2010 from http://www.slate.com/id/2061789 Read More