Social Justice - Same-Sex Adoption - Research Paper Example

 Social Justice - Same-Sex Adoption History and Background Same sex adoption only became an issue of concern in the 90s when gay people decided to go public and become more open to society. Prior to this period, gays were discriminated against and even christened as mentally disturbed, sexual deviants and in some places they were even regarded as criminals. No child would have been knowingly placed under care of a gay person. The 1990s saw a changing attitude towards the gays in some states and they were even allowed to start families through artificial insemination, foster care and even adoption. By the decade’s end, it was estimated that the number of children under the care of one or two gay parents was as high as 14 million (ACLU, 1999). According to the National Adoption Center (2010), numerous adoption agencies today would consider giving a child to gay people - both single and married. It is the Centre’s policy not to discriminate against those eligible for adoption based on race, age, gender, religion or sexual orientation, mentioning but a few. It may be difficult to correctly tell the number of gays who are caring for children but the number is growing by the day given the rights they now enjoy today with many countries and some states within America granting gays equal rights as heterosexuals. This paper will analyze the issue of gay adoption and will present the different views people have in regard to this subject. Viewpoints Supporting Gay Adoption Those supporting same-sex adoptions argue that gay couples form more stable relationships than many heterosexual marriages and therefore offer children more secure homes. Currently, there is a shortage of parents willing to adopt from foster homes and the number of children awaiting adoption is high. Allowing gay adoption could help take care of this problem. There is also no evidence that portrays good parenting as being affected by sexual orientation. The fears and that gays could molest the children have been countered by studies showing that heterosexual parents are more likely to molest children compared to gays. Good parenting is associated by the parents’ ability to create loving and nurturing environments in the homes, which gays can do. Going by the examples of gays who have been allowed to adopt, the children grow up well adjusted, happy, intelligent and as healthy as those raised by gay couples. In fact, it has been shown that children raised by gay couples turn out better than those raised by single parents who have been shown to develop poor behavior and experience problems like lower educational achievements. Besides, the modern society today is against discrimination of any kind and denying gays adoption rights would be discrimination. Viewpoints against gay adoption Those against same-sex adoptions argue that for proper development, children need to grow up with both male and female figures to act as their role models. Children who grow without either parent have been known to experience a number of social and psychological problems as they grow older. Most people are religious and in Christianity, for example, children are told to obey their mothers and fathers, and gay activities are even condemned in the Bible. Since most children view their parents as role models, there are fears that children raised by gays could turn out to be gay as well (Belcastro et al., 106). The society still holds some prejudice against gays and most Americans hold strong views against same-sex adoptions (Mucciaroni, 147). Allowing a small child to be adopted by same-sex couples would expose them to this prejudice and this may affect them psychologically. Present law about the topic Same-sex adoptions are currently allowed by law in numerous states in Europe, Australia, Israel, South Africa, and North and South America. The legislation in some states within the US allow states to restrict adoption based on sexual orientation. However, the Adar versus Smith case stated that states have to recognize adoptions that have occurred out-of-state as long as they were done legally. Most states allow adoptions by single parents, including lesbians and gay men but a few still prohibit adoption by gay couples or a single parent adopting a child who has a legal bond with another parent according to Cahill (53). Gays have made considerable gains in their efforts to get the law grant them equal rights as heterosexual individuals. Several states recognize their unions and 24 states allow adoptions by gays. Florida is known for its historic stringent rules on gay marriages let alone gay adoptions. This law was struck down in 2008, though a legal case challenging the ruling is still pending in court. Oklahoma passed a legislation banning gay adoptions in 2004 and Mississippi also does not allow the adoptions. The other states with strict laws disallowing same-sex adoptions are Utah, Nebraska, Wisconsin and Ohio. History of the law The first gay marriage in the US is known to have occurred in 1971. Before 1973, no US state had banned gay marriages as marriage had never been defined by the US laws and Utah became the first state to ban the marriages. It was assumed that by recognizing gay marriages, the law also allowed them to adopt children since the marriages are closely related to adoptions. In 1996, President Bill Clinton signed into law an act that made same sex marriages unrecognizable by the federal government. Therefore, adoption by such couples was also not recognizable. Many states have ever since softened their legislations regarding same-sex marriages and adoptions with only a few completely banning such adoptions. Consensus The issue of adoption by gay men and lesbian is still an issue that attracts much debate worldwide. In the US, for instance, several attempts to ban the practice have been made but have largely been unsuccessful with the Arkansas Act 1 exception. There is however some consensus that the only issue that should dictate on these adoptions is the children’s welfare according to Patterson (2). Research is still going on to find out if adoption by gay couples has any negative effects on children and so far, some professional bodies seem to have no objections and have even defended same-sex adoptions. The American Psychological Association (APA) is on record as having supported the adoptions arguing that social prejudice against gays causes psychological harm to the gays’ health yet there is no scientific evidence citing why the adoptions should not occur. The American Medical Association made public the fact that it shares similar sentiments. Plan for Abolishing the Practice Some people argue that people should be allowed to do whatever they wish, as long as it interferes not with anyone else’s rights. It is the desire of every child to be raised in a stable and loving environment by parents who they would be proud to view as role models. The unions of gays and lesbianism still raise several moral issues especially from the conservative and religious individuals resulting in some stigma against gays. This stigma is likely to be passed to children raised by gays and this could deeply affect the children. Gay adoptions should therefore be banned to protect the children from these psychological effects which money may never be able to restore. A good plan to stop this practice would be to embrace religious views, which forbid any lesbian or gay actions, while drafting legislation about the adoptions. An effective way of protecting the child from the stigma associated with gays would be forbid the adoptions of children by homosexuals and lesbians. If the gays want to help children in foster homes, then they should contribute to charities that will finance the upright upbringing of these children. Works Cited American Civil Liberties Union, Overview of Lesbian and Gay Parenting, Adoption and Foster Care, 1999. http://www.aclu.org/lgbt-rights_hiv-aids/overview-lesbian-and-gay-parenting-adoption-and-foster-care. 13th April, 2010. Belcastro, Phillip, Gramlich, Theresa, Nicholson, Thomas, and Wilson, Richard. “A Review of Data Based Studies Addressing the Affects of Homosexual Parenting on Children’s Sexual and Social Functioning”. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage. 20 (1993): 105-122. Cahill, Sean. Same-Sex Marriage in the United States: Focus on the Facts. Maryland: Lexington Books, 2004. Mucciaroni, Gary. Same sex, Different Politics: Success and Failure in the Struggles over Gay Rights. Chicago: University of Chicago, 2008. National Adoption Center, Facts about LGBT Adoption, 2010. http://www.adopt.org/assembled/LGBT_parents.html. 13th April, 2010. Patterson, Charlotte, “Children of Lesbian and Gay Parents”. Current Directions in Psychological Science. 15(2006): 241-244. Read More