Gay Parenting Should Not Be Encouraged Statistics from the United States (ACLU Fact sheet, 1999) estimate the there are between 6 and 14 million children being raised in same sex parent families. Whilst some significant advances have been made by the pro gay parenting movement, current legislation is for the most part geared against same sex marriage and adoption, this status quo should be maintained. Gay parents rights group argue that being raised by two parents of the same sex provides a balanced and healthy approach to parenting. This is untrue, being raised by gay parents means that the family unit has an unbalanced ratio of male and female role models in the home environment, you could reasonably expect that this imbalance would spread into the parents circle of friends and the people that the family socialise with on a regular basis. Children look for both a mother and a father and benefit from having both in the home. Ellis (2001) stated, "Gender plays a large role...we may not think these differences are politically correct but, by God, they're developmentally correct. One argument that gay parents have is that children don't need two sex couple role models. Having two parents of the same sex deprives the children of the chance to see how males and females interact in a family situation. Even though gay parents argue the children are exposed to their fair share of traditional male and female relationships, these may be somewhat censored as the visiting child is not part of that family and most families tend to keep certain things within the family. Parents are very strong role models and children are known to mimic what they see. "Men and women parent differently, each contribute different and positive ... ... middle of paper ... ...y.proquest.com">http://gateway.proquest.com Schiffen, L. (2004, 29 Feb). How the judges forced the President's hand. New York Times. Retrieved Jul 30, 2004 from http://gateway.proquest.com Throckmorton, W. (2004). Do gay parents influence the Sexual Preferences of Children?. Retrieved Jul 30, 2004 from http://www.narth.com/docs/influence.html Unknown. (1999, Apr 6). Overview of gay and lesbian parenting, adoption and foster care. Retrieved Jul 30, 2004 from http://archive.aclu.org/issues/gay/parent.html Unknown. (2004). Facts and figures about kids with gay parents. Retrieved Jul 30, 2004 from http://www.colage.org/research/facts.html
Meezan, William and Jonathan Rauch. "Gay Marriage, Same-Sex Parenting,and America's Children." Marriage and Child Wellbeing 15 (2005): 2.
Discrimintaion and equality in society is faced amongst people every day. One certain subject that seems to get most of this attention is whether or not homosexual couples should be able to adopt. Same sex couples should be able to adopt children for many reasons. Children that are raised by same sex parents are predominantly taught to be more open minded, have a greater sense of tolerance, and are thought of to be role models for equality in relationships and life. Most would say that these children will face issues regarding their parents sexual orientation, but this is not so. Children of same sex parents have studied to show very few differences in achievement, mental health, and social function as a child that is raised in a heterosexual household. Same sex parents will allow their child to express themselves through different talents and other attributes that there child seems to be indulged in. These children are often showing more loving, nurturing ,and outgoing behaviors that is exposed to them through gay parenting.
Although sixteen states have legalized same-sex marriage, the idea of same-sex parenting remains a controversial topic in America. As American families continue to vary from the traditional heterosexual husband and wife headed families, developmental differences among the children reared by two lesbians or two gay men pique the interest of both the public and developmental psychologists. Perhaps children raised by two mothers or two fathers will exhibit much different gender role behaviors and identify differently with their gender than children reared by heterosexual parents. By observing children raised by different parental groups the possible differences, and subsequent benefits, in gender identity and sex roles can be discerned.
Perrin, Ellen C., and Benjamin S. Siegel. "Promoting the Well-Being of Children Whose Parents Are Gay or Lesbian." Pediatrics 131.4 (2013): 1374-383. PDF file.
While many people have different perspectives to whether gay and lesbian couples should be allowed to adopt children, we have to keep in mind that it’s not all about what society says and what they think. It’s about the personal life of the child that will be affected. As humans we have grown up knowing that a family consists of a mother and a father, not both of the same sexes. That being said every child should have the privilege to have both a mother and father like everyone else. In “Growing up with Gay Parents” the 3 year old son of Jen Bleakley and Nina Jacobson asked his lesbian mothers if he had a father. It shouldn’t be like that, yes a mother can step in and try to take the fatherly image but never will it be the same, to the little boy who sees other boys out and about with their fathers. In t...
One of the major controversial issues in this era is adoption and parenting of children by sex same couples. It is depressing and overwhelming to know that while various people around the world disapprove this adoption thousands of innocent kids aspire to be loved and protected without stereotypes.
Out of fifty states, only sixteen states allow gay adoptions while people in the other thirty-four states are either denied or sent to court to be determined by a complete stranger with no background information on the couple, whether or not they can take care of a child or not. According to “LGBT Adoption Statistics”, in 2012, 110,000 adopted children live with gay parents. Of the total amount of children in U.S. households, less than one percent lives with same-sex parents. If homosexuals were allowed to adopt, that one percent would rapidly increase. Sexual orientation of parents is not important when it comes to raising children; how the children are being raised and how the parents work together is what is truly important.
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.
All around the world there are thousands even millions of children who are waiting to be adopted. Many who are troubled children, and for that reason they are from foster home to foster home. The ideal American "family" is with a man and a woman. In the United States we have same-sex couples who are wanting to adopt, but they are being turned down due to their sexual preference. Same-sex relationships are much more stable than the average heterosexual relationship. Having a stable relationship ensures an emotionally steady home for a foster child. “Good parenting is not influenced by sexual orientation. Rather, it is influenced most profoundly by a parent’s ability to create a loving and nurturing home” (“LGBT Adoption”). Same-sex couples are more likely to adopt “hard to place” children with challenging behavior or disabilities.
In recent years, same-sex relationships have become more encompassing in US society. State legislation is changing such as accepting gay marriages, enforcing anti-discrimination laws, and legal gay adoptions; the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community is becoming public. Gay-headed families, like heterosexuals, are diverse and varying in different forms. Whether a created family is from previous heterosexual relationships, artificial insemination, or adoption, it deserves the same legal rights heterosexual families enjoy. Full adoption rights needs to be legalized in all states to provide a stable family life for children because sexual orientation does not determine parenting skills, children placed with homosexual parents have better well-being than those in foster care, and there are thousands of children waiting for good homes.
Homosexual parents exhibit parenting capabilities equal to and sometimes better than heterosexual parents because in most cases they plan to become parents and are already stable. Research shows that the children of homosexual couples are on the same level as children from heterosexual parents in a variety of life-success measures. “…a psychologist at Clark University in Massachusetts who researches gay and lesbian parenting. Gays and lesbians rarely become parents by accident, compared with an almost 50 percent accidental pregnancy rate among heterosexuals, Goldberg said. "That translates to greater commitment on average and more involvement."And while research indicates that kids of gay parents show few differences inachievement, mental health, social functioning and other measures, these kids may have the advantage of open-mindedness, tolerance and role models for equitable relationships, according to some research.” (Pappas) People opposing same-sex parenting have assumptions that these children will suffer socially, mentally, and emot...
Patterson, C. J. (1992). Children of lesbian and gay parents. Society for Research in Child Development, 63(5), 1025-1042. doi: 10.1111/1467-8624.ep9301201145
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.”
Since the 1970s, studies on the effect of same-sex parenting on children have been conducted in the United States. Sociological debates have occurred from the idea of allowing same-sex couples to parent. Some groups feel that allowing this would undermine the traditional ideology of marriage and skew the perception of gender roles for their children. Sociologists continue to produce empirical research that studies samples of the approximately 125,000 same-sex couples raising nearly 220,000 children and comparing their roles as parents and the adult personalities of their children to children raised by heterosexual couples. Current scientific research comparing the outcomes of children raised by gay or lesbian parents with children of heterosexual parents consistently shows that same-sex parents are just as capable of raising “psychologically healthy and well-adjusted” children as heterosexual parents. Research comparing children raised by same-sex couples and heterosexual couples found no differences in the adjustment or mental health of these children as adults.
There indicators of child developmental outcomes were categorized into parent and child relationship quality, children’s cognitive development, children’s gender role behavior, children’s gender identity, children’s sexual preference, and children’s social and emotional development. There analysis showed that children with same-sex parents fared equally to children raised by heterosexual parents when comparing developmental outcomes. Same-sex parents also reported a significantly better relationship with their children than heterosexual parents, which was measured by the parent or child perception of the quality of their relationship. This goes back to the argument that parent sexuality has no impact on the child but rather the relationship between the parent and the child has is the most impactful. In Crowl, Ahn and Baker (2008) meta-analysis study also found that the parent sexual orientation had no effect on gender identity, cognitive development, psychological adjustment, and sexual