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The effects of foster care on children
Policies for same gender adoption
Overview of Foster Care
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For the Children’s Sake Family is not determined by a person's last name or blood relations. The traditional idea of a nuclear family, consisting of a husband and wife raising one or more children together, has evolved in recent years. In this modern society, not only is it common for single parents or unmarried couples to raise a family, but, gays and lesbians are also taking part of this profound trend that is re-defining what a family is as a whole. Imagine if a person's privilege or opportunity of becoming a parent was revoked; how would this impact their life? Even though homosexuals are steadily becoming more accepted and integrated into today's prevalent culture, a disunity is posed when it comes to establishing a family of their own through adoption. Homosexual couples should be granted the same rights to adopt children like heterosexual couples can. The freedom to adopt should be equal in all aspects because there are too many children in the foster care who need a loving home, it is narrow-minded to assume that heterosexuals make better parents than homosexuals, and it is prejudice to deny homosexuals the right to adopt children based on their sexuality. There are far too many children in the foster care who need a stable home, along with the loving support from couples who are willing to adopt them, so that they have a more concrete environment to grow up in. Statistics from Child Welfare Information Gateway show that there were close to 400,000 children who entered the foster care system in the United States as of November 2012 (1). Out of the 400,000 children, an astounding 51% were successfully re-united with their families while only 21% were adopted (6). Thus, leaving an estimated 130,000 helpless children who ... ... middle of paper ... ...DelCampo 283). That is to say that not all gays and lesbians should be adoptive parents; conversely, not all heterosexuals would make suitable adoptive parents either. Nonetheless, LGBT people the same equal opportunity. Homosexual couples should be granted the same freedom to adopt children like heterosexual couples because there are so many children in the foster care who need a nurturing home; it is narrow-minded to think that only heterosexual couples have the capability of raising a child properly; and it is prejudice to exclude homosexuals from adopting a child based on their sexuality. A parent-child relationship may be one of the most sacred and cherished gifts in life but it is also a privilege. The main purpose of adoption is not just for the satisfaction of a couple, regardless of their sexuality—ultimately, it is for the well-being of the adopted child.
There has been many strides made in the fight for gay marriage as of lately and it is not as opposed as it was before. However, when it comes to same sex parenting many still have some form of resistance. In today’s society it should be irrelevant to have the typical 1950’s type family. With the divorce rate being fifty percent there is a good amount of men and women who are single parents. The traditional American view on parenting is outdated and same-sex couples should be able to adopt as equally as heterosexual couples. Regardless of the religious affiliation of the company.
“About two-thirds of children admitted to public care have experienced abuse and neglect, and many have potentially been exposed to domestic violence, parental mental illness and substance abuse” (Dregan and Gulliford). These children are being placed into foster care so that they can get away from home abuse, not so they can move closer towards it. The foster children’s varied outcomes of what their adult lives are is because of the different experiences they grew up with in their foster homes. The one-third of those other foster children usually has a better outcome in adult life than the other two-thirds, which is a big problem considering the high percentage of children being abused in their foster homes. Although, the foster care system has most definitely allowed children to experience the positive home atmosphere that they need there is still an existed kind of abusive system in the foster care program that is unofficial but seems to be very popular. Foster care focuses on helping children in need of a temporary stable environment; however, foster care can have negative impacts to the children and the people around them concerning the foster child going through the transition, the parents of the foster child, a new sibling relationship, and problems that arrive later influencing the foster child long-term.
For example, twenty-one states have granted second-parent adoptions to lesbian and gay couples. This enables the child to have the equal opportunity of having two legal parents, especially if one dies. Today, the majority of states no longer deny custody or visitation based on sexual orientation. Now, courts apply the notion of “best interest of the child”, when it comes to deciding cases based upon this. Thus, one’s sexual orientation cannot be the basis for denying or limiting parent-child relationships, in most states (The American Civil Liberties Union, 1999)....
America, being the diverse country that it is, has moved on from the idea of the traditional family; one father one mother and 2 children. We are seeing more and more homosexual couples having, adopting and raising their own children. Although some people do not approve of this idea of a family, whether it is due to religious beliefs or just the way that the individuals were raised as a child, it is definitely a reality. They face many obstacles when it comes to them wanting to be parents. People say it is not right, and that it is unnatural, which I feel they think that they have to be twice as “perfect” as the heterosexual parents are. In this paper I plan to discuss the issues that Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgendered Queer/Questioning (LGBTQ) families go through while trying to start a family of their own. The issues will range from adoption and the issues faced in trying to adopt a child, to custody battles and how sexual orientation could play a role in the “well-being” of a child, to how being brought up by a LGBTQ headed home could affect, if in any way, a child’s development.
As previously stated the issue of same sex adoption is one of the most controversial topics in today’s Family Law across the country and with good reason. Given that this involves the upbringing of human beings who are the future of our society, it is extremely important to make sure that they are given the best care and best influences in their lives in order to make good moral and educated decisions in their future lives. Same sex parenting may not be as bad as society has made it seem but it absolutely has to be socially and scientifically proven before any more steps are taken in this matter because, after all, it is in the “best interest of the child.”
In order to understand the differences in heterosexual and homosexual households, it is important to understand what same-sex couples go through to start a family and the children they usually adopt. Gay and lesbian parents have multiple ways to start a family. Significant amounts of data are provided for couples that have adopted, as well as for lesbian mothers who have used donor insemination to have a child. General data from these types of households “indicates that children at all stages of development from these households are similar to their peers raised in heterosexual households with regard to...
One of the most controversial issues surrounding American today is allowing same-sex couples to adopt a child. Over the last decade, America has seen a frequent number of people “come out” in their lives. Because of this, we have seen more and more gay couples want to adopt a child. Unfortunately, today that process to adopt is very difficult to accomplish, more so than a heterosexual couples. Why is that you wonder? It seems as if every time a poll is taken, the majority is for gay marriage in general and steadily growing in favor of it; however, the United States continues to change every single day morally and ethically which seems endless. Today, approximately one in five male same sex couples and one in three female same sex couples are raising children. That is an increase from one in five female, and one in twenty male couples in 1990 (Belkin). Some of the major issues about not letting gay couples adopt include that can be argued are, children of same-sex parents are not markedly different from those of heterosexual parents, gay couples supposedly don’t have the opposite sex as role models, and they force their views upon their children.
Children in foster care experience emotional and physical suffering. They need a home. There are single people who wants to love and nurture these children. A child's mental state relies on the sustainability they are presented with it home. Just because life causes conflict and problems does not mean a single individual should not be denied the right to adopt a
“Now Aaron, you aren’t really going to bring a black baby to church are you?” asked old Ms. Betty one Sunday morning before the service.
They can simply summed up as one question: if gay parents are capable of raising children well? The prejudice people hold is just on the one hand, another hand lies in Laws and regulations, which narrow definitions of family. Also, homophobia and heterosexism limit the possibility that gay couples will be considered as adoptive parents. The cumulative effect of actions by states, local jurisdictions, agencies, and individual staff members is to prevent or discourage consideration of their availability and interest. Even if child welfare staff members overcome these initial barriers, the decision-making tool most often available to them may further limit the inclusion of gay and lesbian families as placement candidates. This standard, the "best interest of the child," is used as a measure to guide placement of children in the custody of the
In today’s world, most of society still does not approve of gay couples adopting and being parents for a number of reasons. Some believe that by the parents being gay it will make their children gay too. Studies found[however], that there is a large absence of distinguishing characteristics among the lifestyles, child-rearing practices, and basic demographic data of homosexual and heterosexual parents (Minter 70). Others believe that gay couples should not be parents because the Bible only says that a child should honor their mother and father. On the other hand, other people think that there is nothing wrong with gay couples adopting children and becoming parents. These people believe that homosexual couples should be more welcomed as parents
While there are several benefits to gay and lesbian adoption, some may argue that it puts kids into difficult and uncomfortable situations. One article surveyed children about their problems they’ve experienced with same sex parents. 92 percent of those
“In the U.S. 397,122 children are living without permanent families in the foster care system. 101,666 of these children are eligible for adoption, but nearly 32% of these children will wait over three years in foster care before being adopted” (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2012, p. 20). Adoption is complex as different people have different views. Two types of views on adoption are it can be beneficial, and it can be harmful. These two sides have a common ground of focusing on the best interest of the children; of these two sides, the side supporting the benefits of adoption has the stronger argument.
Doak, Melissa J. "Children adopted from the public foster care system, 2001." Growing Up in America, 2005 ed., Gale, 2010. Information Plus Reference Series. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Accessed 2 Mar. 2017.
Adoption is not about finding children for families, it’s about finding families for children” (Joyce Maguire Pavao). Same sex couples should have the same options as heterosexual couples. Who says that a gay couple can’t raise a child and they come out perfectly fine. Many same-sex couples, after a lot of struggle, have been able to adopt and have changed a child’s life.Allowing same-sex couples to adopt is a powerful step towards success and it helps in many ways, which is why same-sex couples should be able to adopt. Their love for the children is the same as not same-sex couples, there are way too many kids in adoption homes and there is no proof that “bad parenting” happens.