Gay Rights has become a highly debated subject in recent years. The majority of people now agree that gay people and gay couples deserve the same rights as anyone else, but there are still people with strong opposing view. This is especially the case when it comes to adoption.

Gay people have been granted equal rights in many areas, with civil partnerships the biggest victory for gay right campaigners. Civil Partnerships were introduced in the UK in 2005 and are a form of gay couples registering their partnership; very much like marriage under a different name. This was a way of legalising a marriage type institution for gay people, but getting around the argument that marriage should be for male-female couples only.

Same-sex adoption is an area that has been pursued heavily, and one that produces much debate. Some think that there should be equal right in all areas and therefore same-sex adoption should be legal, while others are completely against it. This includes many religious groups, especially the Catholic Church. The UK is amongst many nations where same-sex adoption is now legal, and more countries are bringing in similar laws all the time.

Below are some of the points that are being put forward on both sides of the gay-adoption argument.

ARGUMENT FOR

There are so many children waiting for adoption so it only makes sense to utilise gay couples wishing to adopt. One of the main points made against same-sex adoption is that children need male and female role models. However the traditional family is not as common as it once was, and therefore many children do not grow up with both biological parents anyway. It is morally right that gay couples should be given the same adoption rights as straight couples. There is no reason why gay people cannot be good parents.ARGUMENTS AGAINST

It is best for children to grow up with a male and female role model. Even when parents separate, the children see both in the majority of cases. Children could be bullied if their parents are gay. Children could suffer psychologically by being bought up by a gay couple.The question has to be asked, what is most important with adoption?

The most important thing is that children are loved and cared for, and therefore does it matter if they are bought up by one male, one female, one of each, or two of either? And is sexuality important in someone’s ability to bring up children? If the answer to these questions is no, then this suggests that adoption should be allowed for gay couples.Most of the argument against same-sex adoption can be countered.

Many have claimed it is best children are bought up by both biological parents, but many do not stay together anyway. Emotional problems can stem from being bought up by gay parents – many studies that have been carried out looking into the subject though, suggest there are usually no psychological affects. Being bought up in a stable family is best for children – but civil partnerships can be just as stable as marriages.THE LAW

Before the current laws came in one person was able to adopt a child. This meant that an adopted child could potentially live with this person and his or her partner, even if they were in a same-sex relationship. There were also situations where a gay woman would become pregnant through artificial insemination and then the child could live with her and her partner. This gave lesbian couples an advantage over all-male couples. In many ways then, it was possible for gay couples to bring up children.

New laws were implemented in 2006 so that same-sex couples could adopt a child together. There are strict adoption rules, but they are the same for gay and straight couples.

Many adoption agencies have ties with religious groups. Those with catholic connections refused to allow adoption by gay couples. This was ruled as being illegal in June 2009.  Many of these organisations claimed they would rather close down than adopt to gay couples. However, most have abided by the rules.

Andrew Marshall ©

On the other hand, despite the increasing number of homosexual men and women, gay couples face serious challenges as adoptive parents. In some States, adoption by unmarried couples is not allowed. Hence, homosexual couples are automatically banned from adopting rights as same-sex marriage is not allowed in the majority of the States. In addition, mainly in Florida and Missouri, homosexuals are banned from foster care and/or adoption by explicit discriminatory acts. In these States, joint adoption or second parent adoption are not allowed.

In the States that gay adoption is allowed, same-sex couples may adopt children jointly and hence both parents are legal from the very beginning. In addition, single homosexuals may adopt children through adopting agencies. Family formation laws vary from State to State and hence gay adoptions endure multiple complications. However, gay couples that would love to adopt jointly should do their research and find a lawyer who would be familiar with the latest updates on gay adoption rights.

Regardless of which side one stands, it is a fact that modern society has reservations on considering same-sex couples as adoptive parents. Parenting needs to provide stability in order to raise emotionally and mentally healthy children. In this context, social workers and heterosexual people consider that this stability can only be the fruit of a heterosexual couple because heterosexuals can provide clear role models: male for father, female for mother.

Social science has proven that children are more likely to thrive in married, heterosexual families than in homosexual households. On the other hand, there are no comprehensive studies proving that children who are raised in a homosexual household are more likely to become gay. However, adopting agencies express a concern on the sexual orientation of children who have been adopted by gay couples.

To my view, this has more to do with considering homosexuality a statement of cultural diversity rather than a natural tendency. So, the major question that arises on behalf of adopting agencies is why using children to make a cultural assertion.

Another major concern is how other people, and mostly other children, treat a child adopted by a same-sex couple. Children can be very cruel when they face a family model that is completely different than what they experience at home. It is a huge step for a child to stand up at school and say he or she has two dads or two moms. But, it’s also a huge step for other children to accept this child as equal and, most importantly, as “normal”. If a child is brought up in a household that considers gays perverted and not religious, it is extremely difficult for this child to accept that a classmate has gay parents. Children react so aggressively to such cases that it, often, becomes impossible for the adopted child to go to the same school again. Therefore, an extremely important consideration is how the gay parents will explain to their child their reality without causing feelings of low self-esteem as a result of denial at school.

In any event, gay adoption requires a lot of support. Considering that there are many heterosexual parents, who abuse their children and behave inappropriately, society should be more tolerant to gay adoption. Although they face so many complications, same-sex couples are willing to adopt. Hence, they should be treated more flexibly and with less concern. If they decide to adopt it means they really want to be parents. And any child deserves a better life than be abandoned in the orphanage or in the street.