Added: 09/06/2006 |
Rights Of Gay Adoptive ParentsIt is estimated that in 1990, between eight and ten million children were being raised by gay parents. Since then, the amount of gay parents with children has increased. There are a lot of issues surrounding the rights of adoptive gay parents, and the entire topic is one that has been controversially debated for decades.
Shouldn’t adoptive gay parents be given the same amount of rights as straight parents? Should sexual orientation be such an enormous factor in determining the liability of an adoptive parent? The fact is, gay parents are not given the same rights as straight parents, but due to several committees and organizations specializing in enforcing the rights of these people, things have drastically changed for the gay community over the years.
In 2004 their was an election held to determine whether or not gay and lesbian couples should be allowed to get married. After the vote was finished, and the majority of the votes favored the banning of gay marriage, several organizations have attempted to also ban the legalization of gay adoption. It can be strongly argued that the main factor behind these arguments are based on discrimination against gays rather than what it should be based on; the welfare of the children.
There are thousands of children living in gay couple households today. Many people believe that homosexuality is wrong, therefore children should not be allowed to be adopted by gay parents. They believe that it is unsafe and homosexuality is a mentally disabling disorder. However, it has been scientifically proven that homosexuality does not effect the brain or mental stability in any way or form.
It has also been proven that children being raised by gay and lesbian parents develop in much the same way is parents who are straight. So, many of the arguments and debates against the gay adoptive parents are obviously based on discrimination. Unfortunately, many of these biased people’s opinions are taken into effect when voting is allowed.
There is no conclusive evidence that homosexuality is linked to the environment. So the argument of a gay households not being suitable or fit for children is weak. It has been proven, however, that many successful individuals have been raised by adoptive gay parents without the mental side effects that are supposedly going to be evident.
Studies have shown that children are more influenced by their interactions than by the sexual orientation of their parents. There is no liable reason why gay and lesbian people should be unable to adopt. Adoptive parents rights should be the same for gay and lesbian parents wishing to adopt. The sad thing is, in many states, it is not. And right now, there are still several people fighting to ban this right completely.
Gay adoptive parents are forced to face the reality that the society in which they live in is not always accepting of their lifestyles. Unfortunately, the society is the one with the right to vote, and these discriminating views are made permanent in the event of a vote. Florida is fighting to ban the allowance of gay adoption, but has been unsuccessful so far.
In conclusion, the controversial topic of gay adoptive parents is one that has been argued for years. Although many people believe that a homosexual lifestyle is unfit for children, however it has yet to be proven. Fortunately, there are many people fighting to enforce the rights of the gay and lesbian community. The efforts of these people enable the chance of a child in need of a home to be able to find the security they desire and so deeply need in the home of a gay parent. After all, what does sexual preference have to do with children?
Article comments:
No comments for this article yet. Post your comment now!
