NOTE: Free essay sample provided on this page should be used for references or sample purposes only. The sample essay is available to anyone, so any direct quoting without mentioning the source will be considered plagiarism by schools, colleges and universities that use plagiarism detection software. To get a completely brand-new, plagiarism-free essay, please use our essay writing service.
One click instant price quote
Is it right to tell a person or couple (who is a perfect candidate to be a parent) that they are not aloud to adopt because they have different sexual preferences than a majority of the world? Gay and lesbian couples should be aloud to adopt children; they are just as capable of being good parents as a heterosexual couple is. Thousands of children in this country are without permanent homes. These children suffer for months, to years, within state foster care systems that lack qualified foster parents and are frequently challenged with other problems.
Is it right to let these children suffer when there are suitable homes out there for them? We decided, as a society, that these homes are not suitable because we think it is wrong to be gay. A majority of the world believes that gay parents would hurt the future and growing of a child; these are only beliefs and assumptions that our society makes. Most states deny joint custody to gay and lesbian couples.
Currently Florida is the only state in the nation with a statute prohibiting gays and lesbians from adopting children (although two states, Mississippi and Utah, recently barred same sex couples from adopting. ) Yet, twenty-one states have granted second-parent adoptions to lesbian and gay couples and twenty-two states allow single gay and lesbians to adopt. Even the Department of Children and Families recognizes that gay and lesbians can make fine guardians for children and routinely places foster children in homosexual households. (Times p. 1) So, what really would be the difference if we let gay or lesbian couples adopt a child jointly? Right now, there is a critical shortage of adoptive parents in the US; resulting in leaving many children without homes, while others are forced to stay in and out of a series of substandard foster homes. It is estimated that there are currently 500, 000 children in foster care nationally. 100, 000 of those children have to be adopted (Petit p. 72), where in reality only about 20 % of them actually get adopted. (Rivers p. 1) Many of these children have traditionally been viewed as un adoptable because they are either not healthy, too old, or have another ethnic backgrounds than being Caucasian.
In order to find more and well-suited parents, adoption and foster care policies have become more and more inclusive over the past two decades; yet, gay and lesbian couples still are not given the right to adopt jointly. Our society as a whole rejects their rights as human beings, with the fact that they are not allowed the right to adopt children. The state already restricts gay and lesbians from other things heterosexual people are allowed; for example, telling them they cannot legally marry the person they love. Restricting someone from things like this because of their sexual orientation is unconscionable. Part of the American Dream is to fall in love, get married, and have a family.
Why would we deny this right to gay and lesbian couples, they are people too! We treat gays and lesbians like they are incompetent, negligent, unprepared and sickly, and that is why they should not be aloud to adopt children. Yet, we are wrong when we assume that gay and lesbian couples cannot take care of a child like a heterosexual parent can. It is not a proven fact that gay and lesbian parents are incapable or unfit to be parents. There is no evidence to prove or support gay and lesbian parents are less intelligent, have more problems, have fewer friends, or have lower self-esteem than heterosexual parents. It is proven though, that children of gay and lesbian parents grow up just as happy, healthy, and well adjusted as the children of heterosexual parents do. (1) Good parenting does not come from and is not influenced by a parents sexual orientation.
Rather, it comes from a parents ability to create a safe, loving and nurturing home for their child or children. There is also are no existing data to support the widely held belief that there are negative outcomes for children raised by gay parents. (Crary p. 1) Children who are born to or adopted by one member of a same sex couple deserve the security of two legally recognized parents. It only hurts the children more to deny these rights to gay and lesbian couples / parents . Some studies actually prove that gay parents have some more advantages than heterosexual parents do. For example, a recent study showed that in terms of aggression and play, sons of lesbian parents behaved in less traditionally masculine ways. They are likely to be more nurturing and affectionate than their counterparts in heterosexual families. (Carole p. 49) It is also proven in most cases that sexual orientation of parents has no impact on the sexual orientation of their children.
There is also some evidence that children of gay and lesbian parents are more tolerant to diversity, but this is certainly not a disadvantage. (1) Of course some children of homosexual parents will grow up to also be homosexual, but the same chance goes for children of heterosexual parents. In its first policy statement The American Academy of Pediatrics said studies showed that children raised by same sex couples had no greater risk of becoming confused about their gender identity. There are more similarities than differences in parenting styles and attitudes (among) gay and (h) eterosexual parents, the groups Dr. Ellen Perrin said in a report backing up the policy. (Reuters p. 1) It has also been proven in studies that gay fathers and lesbian mothers tend to be more involved in their childrens lives. Gay fathers tend to be stricter disciplinarians than heterosexual fathers; lesbian mothers tend to be more concerned with providing a male role model for their children as compared to divorced / single heterosexual mothers. Dr.
Perrin also wrote, In a study of 300 children with lesbian mothers, none showed evidence of gender identity confusion, or consistently engaged in cross-gender behavior. (Reuters p. 2) When the law recognizes co-parent adoption (gay and lesbian joint adoption) it will produce these benefits: It guarantees that the second parents custody rights and responsibilities will be protected if the first parent were to die or become incapable of being a parent. It protects the second parents right to custody and visitation if the couple decides to separate. It establishes the requirement for child support from both parents if they did decide to separate. It ensures the childs eligibility for health / medical benefits from both parents. It provides legal grounds for either parent to provide consent for medical care and to make education, healthcare, and other important decisions on behalf of the child. It creates the basis for financial security for the child / children in the event that either or both parents die. (Davis p. 1) Theres a lot at risk, Perrin says.
If the one legally recognized parent gets disabled or dies, the child is left out of luck. Legally and financially, its a very big issue. If there is a separation between the pare...
Free research essays on topics related to: lesbian couples, gay and lesbian, heterosexual parents, gays and lesbians, sexual orientation
Research essay sample on Gay And Lesbian Gays And Lesbians
