In the modern world today many people are opting to lead a homosexual life, where people of the same sex get married and have a same-sex relationship. Today many children are living with gay parents. Research has shown that in 1990 about 6-14 million kids in the United States of America had a gay parent (Baker V. 1999).
The majority of the states in America through the agencies of the states and the courts of law had passed laws that legalize lesbians and gays to adopt children.
Despite the controversy that surrounds the issue of gay adoption, studies done indicate that children raised with gay parents led a successful life like the others raised by heterosexual parents.
However, the issue of gay adoption today is faced with a lot of controversies. The contentions issue is whether children raised by gay parents will be negatively affected in life or they will grow up just like normal children. The issues that are raised concern sex confusion among those children in the future, or what will be their sexual orientations. (http://abacus.oxy.edu/QRD/www/orgs/alpci/home.htm.)
Different associations in the USA like the American psychological association, the Child Welfare League of America contend that gay parents are fit as the heterosexual ones in raising children. Many disagree with this and argue that basing on moral perspectives they are not equal with heterosexual parents.
In the USA the number of children who are being adopted by gay parents has been on the rise. Many states had legalized and allowed children adoption by gay parents by either private or state-owned adoption agencies. However, they are other states that disallow children adoption by gay parents, for example, Florida through passing Florida’s 1977’s law. There are other states that have or are considering disallowing gay couples to adopt children.
Adoption of children by gay parents should be allowed because many types of research that have been done show that gay qualifies and make good parents. Children who are raised by gay parents enjoy the service and emotional attachment provided.
Gay parents have a very good chance to provide full-time parenting which is even better than raising the children as single parents as they may have a very solid and stable financial background than straight couples. Financial strength is a very important aspect of maintaining stability and love in the family. Children raised by gay parents in this case feel more secure in their lovely home as gay parents are capable in such situations to have well-balanced kids. (Sullivan 34-41)
Today many children grow up in homes that are headed by a single parent. Mostly the homes are disadvantageous as the single parent may lack financial stability, have lower educational backgrounds. In such cases, children are not successful in life and tend to acquire bad behaviors. Such cases are very rare in children raised by gay parents who offer full-time parenting roles to the adopted kids. Through improved science and technology it is now possible for lesbian couples to bear children through the use of artificial insemination. This provides opportunities for such parents to have and maintain a family with balanced kids of their choice.
Gay adoption should be allowed because gays are normal people fast like others. Disallowing them to be a parent is a form of discrimination oriented in sexual bases.
There exists no difference between a gay and a straight person they are the same. It is argued that if the children who end up being homosexuals have been raised by straight parents then, gays should be allowed to adopt and raise children who will eventually become straight in the future.
Gay adoption creates an opportunity where children who don’t have parents can be adopted. In the United States, there is a shortage of adopters and such children lack permanent homes. Estimates show that there are about 100,000 to be adopted. Children who do not have permanent homes suffer most as they are sometimes placed in substandard foster homes. Such children are prone to have many problems in life. (Mallon 67)
There has been some empirical evidence from studies that shows that the parent’s sexual orientation does not affect in any way the children’s sexual orientation in the future. Children raised by gay parents do not have to become gay in the future.
The adoptive parents are well established financially and are more committed in their relationship than found in heterosexual relations. This makes them fit to adopt children who need care and love as the process of adoption ensures that only suitable adopters adopt the children and can provide good parentage roles. Sexual orientations are the same among the children of gay and those of heterosexual parents. Gay parent’s children lead a normal life and are very healthy like the others in heterosexual relationships.
There has been no evidence that shows gay parents becoming unfit to take the role of parentage. The kind of environment they provide makes it more suitable for child development. Children raised by gay parents have a good opportunity to achieve a lot of achievements in life as gay parents are more determined and willing to take care of all child’s needs.
Like heterosexual parents, gay parents have all the abilities to maintain a home that is characterized by love, mutual trust; in this case, good parenting doesn’t depend on the sexual orientations of the parents.
Many people against gay adoption argue that children raised by gay parents will have some psychological problems in the future. This is wrong as according to researches done on adopted children, have shown that no difference exists in the psychological development of children raised by gay parents and those from heterosexual families.
Gay parents provide a good opportunity to enhance children growing stronger, enduring hardships of life. This is because there is a high probability of such children in school being regarded as out-groups by other kids. This makes them gain a lot of experience about life thus making them able to cope with any social problem in future. (McWhorter 2006)
Arguments given by those who oppose gay adoption claim that children adopted will also become gay. They do not have to become gay just because their parents are gay.
Studies have shown that gay children grow up into maturity without experiencing any difficulty in regarding themselves to be heterosexual. Gay couples should be given the freedom to adopt children at their will because; we live in a free world, not a world free for heterosexuals only. Equal opportunities must be provided to same-sex partners like heterosexual partners.
Some argue that gays are more prone to abuse children than they adopt. But even child molestations still exist in heterosexual relationships. Child abuse is a personal choice by the fact we are all humans. A person can decide to abuse a child or not. There is a high possibility that children adopted by same-sex partners will be under good custody because, during the adoption process, the adopters are carefully scrutinized on their history. This ensures gay parents with proper morals are the only granted children to adopt.
On the other hand, some arguments do not support gay adoption. There are many reasons which have been given. These are mostly based on the idea that marriage is supposed to be consisting of the father, mother, and children. These attributes are not found in gay families.
Every child needs to grow up in a well-balanced family, consisting of a man and a woman. Their role modeling forms a very important part of her life, and all they require is their role to be modeled by both father and mother a fact that cannot be experienced in gay relationships.
Those against gay adoption also look at issues of religion.
For example, Christians believe that gay relationships are sin and that God intended man and woman to stay together and have a family that consists of even children. This argument faces criticism because not all people are religious. Those against gay adoption try to see the moral perspective of gay life.
It is argued that the rate of commission of suicide among homosexuals is high. Gay people are assumed to be more depressed and violent thus unsuitable to raise children. However, this is untrue as more cases of suicide and depression are also experienced in heterosexual families.
Researchers have shown that the sexual orientation of gay parents does not affect the general wellbeing of a child. Proper child development depends on the kind of environment a child grows in.
Proponents against gay adoption argue that a child raised by gay parents does not develop fully into taking the role of either mother or father in the future as they lack proper role models and same-sex parents cannot make to be good parents.
Many people hold the views that gays cannot maintain stable relationships and do not have any idea of how to be good parents. It is believed that children that are brought up by gays have high chances of being gay in the future because they are given a parental model which is one-sided. This argument is inadequate as many gays have been brought up by heterosexual parents. So the way a child is raised doesn’t determine so much if in the future he/she will become gay or not.
Another argument put forward by those opposing gay adoption is that gay being is an abnormal way of life. Gay combination of the same sex is strange and they should not adopt children because in the first place they cannot have any. This argument is discriminating because there are even heterosexual couples who cannot get children but are allowed to adopt. Society doesn’t see anything morally wrong with it. Also, the same case applies to gay partners they should get equal treatment and be allowed to adopt. ( Mallon 87)
Children are most likely to develop and succeed in life in more stable heterosexual-based families. This argument seems to be one-sided as even in same-sex marriages, children adopted grow normally just like children in heterosexual families.
According to America, psychological Association gay is seen as a kind of disorder in terms of emotions that create a break down thus should not be allowed to adopt children. Children need to be supervised and guided appropriately to grow up to become an adult who upholds moral values.
They see gays as people who are sick and cannot be good custodians to uphold good morals and values to the children.
Gays are normal people like any other and should not be discriminated against, they should be granted equal rights like the heterosexuals they should be allowed t adopt.
Gay relationships do not last for long. This can deny the children a chance to live in a stable environment. This is according to those who oppose gay adoption. However, this cannot be taken as true as most heterosexual relations are mostly unstable ones. Many separations are occurring today giving rise to the children who don’t have parents and seek to be adopted. Gay parents have a very good chance to provide an environment that is suitable for such children to grow.
Most people argue that children’s adoption by gay places them in a very bad situation because of the kind of life that they are exposed to. They hold that the characters of gay parents are not appropriate for child development because being gay is seen as abnormal behavior. However, this argument is not valid as a child raised by heterosexual parents can be also exposed to a bad life.
The sexual orientation of the parents should not be a factor to be considered so much in child development. There is a lot of evidence that children raised by heterosexual parents have the same kind of social development first as those raised by gay parents.
Gay should be allowed to adopt children because they are regarded to be good guardians who can take care of the children. They can provide better arrangements for the children provisions of all needs. Gays are more determined to care for and love children like others and they should not be discriminated against because of their sexual orientations. Denying gay adoption on religious grounds is wrong. Every person has a right to live the kind of life they desire. If one chooses to be gay it’s fine.
Gay parents can help in rescuing children who have in the past experienced a life characterized by domestic abuse through adoption. This can save them from the traumas they had experienced if they are adopted by gay parents. They are many children today who do not have parents and if someone decides to save them from living a difficult life they should be allowed even if they are gays.
Gay couples are even more committed in their relationship and have goals in life just like heterosexual parents. They give unconditional love to the children and cater to all their needs. The fact that there are so many children who have no parents or needs to be adopted shows how many heterosexual families have failed. (Burns 123)
A household that is characterized by love is the most important thing in life than considering the sexual orientations of the parents. A child needs to be loved and well attended to and if gay parents can provide a better life to the children they should be given that opportunity to adopt. Gay should be accorded the same chance as others to adopt.
Works Cited
Ann Sullivan and Peirce. Issues in Gay and Lesbians Adoption. Warwick Adoption symposium. 1994.
Brette McWhorter S. Gay and Lesbian Parenting Choices: From adopting or using a surrogate to choosing the perfect Father.2006.
Gerald Mallon P. Gay Men Choosing Parenthood. 2004.
Kate Burns. Gay and Lesbians families. 2004.
“Gay adoption”. 2008. Web.
