Same Sex Adoption
The Great Debate
Legal Issues in Adoption
As a society we are governed by the laws of our nation. As a nation our laws are fluid, evolving with a changing society. It is often said that children are our future; they are our successors, the ones who will replace us and continue on to change the nation and the laws that govern it. It is the job of a parent to raise and sustain youth until they are able to stand alone. Of the many issues facing our society, one pressing issue that needs to be addressed involves the development of these crucial beings, specifically who is legally fit to do so. There is currently a debate over same-sex couples and their ability to raise a child and whether or not they are equally as qualified as their heterosexual counterparts. This question has legal implications that spill over into issues such as adoption, should same sex couples be allowed to adopt and if so how will that affect the child.
Adoption Rates, Stats, and Policy
Research suggests that in the United States there is on average 65 to 80 children waiting to be adopted daily. {Goldberg, Brooks 2001} In the United States we are facing a severe overabundance of unwanted children in the system.{Bradley 2007} Worldwide these numbers are significant, reaching approximately 500,000.{Goldberg, Brooks 2001} According to a study done by the Adoption Institute the number of children are growing annually while the peak number of adoptions domestically and internationally was 175,000 in 1970. This growing number is of concern to each nation in the world. {Goldberg, Brooks 2001} Economist Richard Bradley equates the high number of children to an unduly burdened, un-informed system. Adoption promotes cognitive and emot...
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... government funds that could be used elsewhere.
Spivey, C. (2006). Adoption by same-sex couples: The relationship between adoption worker and social work student sex-role beliefs and attitudes. Journal of GLBT Family Studies, 2(2), 29-56. DOI: 10.1300/J461v02n02_02
This study was conducted by means of a mailed questionnaire. The sample size included sixty five people including 31 workers in the field of adoption and 34 social work students, a 55% return rate of questionnaires. The study found that less traditional sex-role beliefs were associated with less negative attitudes toward homo-sexuality. The study also found that students as opposed to social workers responded more favorable to same-sex adoption. Many workers held the belief that gay men and lesbians are unfit to foster and be adoptive parents. This result upheld previous research by Brooks and Goldberg.
Many potential adopted parents have experienced heartbreak, anguish and other problems that can be associated with adoption. There is an imbalance in the Nations foster care system and the system needs to be strengthening and the quality of services improved.
In 2002, 51,000 children were adopted through the foster care system. The federal government tracks the number of adoptions from the United States foster care system, and all of its international adoptions. It’s estimated that around 120,000 children are adopted by U.S citizens each year. Half of these children are adopted by individuals not related to t...
Adoption is a process where by a person assumes the parenting for another and, in so doing, permanently transfers all rights and responsibilities from the biological parent or parents. Unlike guardianship or other systems designed for the care of the young, adoption is intended to effect a permanent change in status and as such requires societal recognition, either through legal or religious sanction. Adoption has changed considerably over the centuries with its focus shifting from adult adoption and inheritance issues toward children and family creation; its structure moving from recognition of continuity between the adopted and kin toward allowing relationships of lessened intensity. In modern times, adoption is a primary vehicle serving the needs of homeless, neglected, abused and runaway children (Wikipedia, “Adoption”).
Adoption is in place to balance, to nurture and create a structural environment of safety in which the child can thrive and develop into a productive individual contributing to society. Also, it allows older children to abandon old maladaptive behaviors and make their first steps toward the construction of new behaviors influenced by their new environment. In years past, parents who adopted a child as an infant often debated whether to tell him or her about the adoption. Many children grew up not knowing they were adopted, and the birth mother’s identity was kept secret from those who did know (Ashford, LeCroy and Lortie 249). This paper provides facts on widely acceptance option of open adoption rather than the traditional practice of closed adoption. Adoption separates real biological family members, removing the adopter heritage whether the adoption is open or closed. Open adoption can lead to problems, but there are proven facts that open adoption is the best option for all parties working together in the best interest of the children.
Poverty is a cause of adoption of children today. Some of the people in the vast population of developing countries are languishing in poverty. The gap between the poor and the rich is widening with time and this has led to increase in poverty levels in various parts of the world. This is where Canadian individuals, unable to have children of their own, or wanting to make a difference in a child’s life become parents and saviors.
According to American academy and adolescent psychiatry, about 120,000 children are adopted in the United States alone. That is a lot of children that need to find a new home to stay in. Not only do adoptions affect the child after they are adopted, no matter the age; but adoption also affects the parents giving their child up for adoption. There are many types of adoptions. Along with that, there are many reasons for giving the child up for adoption. There are three main perspectives that I will be talking about. One function would be the structural functionalism. How society cooperates. The second would be the conflict perspective. The third would be symbolic interactionism approach. There are many different aspects of adoption, making it
Statistics show that the rate of adoption has grown since the 1900s. In 1944, about 50,000 adoptions took place in the U.S. The greatest known number of adoptions took place in 1970 when 175,000 children were adopted. Currently, there is only limited statistical information on U.S. adoptions. (Child Welfare Information Par. 2) The most complete statistics were gathered by the National Center for Social Statistics (NCSS) from 1957 through 1975. Most new statistical information about adoption is being gathered and analyzed by private organizations, through private surveys and research. (National Adoption Information Clearinghouse, http://statistics.adoption.com/information/adoption-statistics-overview.html)
Adoption is the complete and permanent transfer of parental rights and obligations, usually from one set of legal parents to adoptive parents(Ademec 27). Not until the late 19th century did the U.S. legislative body grant legal status to adoptive parents. This is when children and parents started to gain rights and support from the government. Through the years new laws have been passed and amended to keep the system fair to all adoptive parents. In 1994, Congress passed the Multiethnic Placement Act, making it illegal to delay the placement a child to find a racially matching family. In 1996 the Multiethnic Placement Act was amended to say, “One can not use race as a routine consideration in child placement”(Lewin sec.A). Before 1994, it was difficult to place a black child with white adopters. Last year 5,000 children were adopted from Europe, and 6,000 from Asia, while 183 came from Africa.(Lewin sec. A). The number of out-of-country adoptions are so high because of the requirements and regulations one must follow in the U.S. The requirements include being 21, and include being committed and loving. The home income must be adequate enough to support the family. Passing all of the medical exams and filling out the personal information is mandatory. But the main reason people adopt from overseas is because it is much quicker. A person can adopt a child from another country in a matter of months. In the U.S. the wait can exceed 5 years, which is why some people choose international adoption.
For a mother or father to learn that their adopted child, who they believed was an orphan, actually has a caring and loving family is heartbreaking. Adoptive parents feel guilty. The children yearn for their true home. The biological family feels deceived and desire for their child to return. This situation is far too familiar within intercountry adoption cases. Many children are pulled away from home, put into orphanages, and painted as helpless orphans. The actions perpetrated by adoption agencies reflects an underlying network of corruption and exploitation. This is not for the purpose of discouraging international adoption, but to shed light on the horrific practices taking place behind the scenes. Intercountry adoptions are often tangled
Many people grow up in loving families and cannot imagine not having their parents and siblings around, but each year, 18,000 or more American born babies are put up for adoption (Newlin Carney). That means at least 18,000 children face the harsh truth of maybe not having a family to grow up in. Childhood is a very important part of one’s life and helps shape who one is. These children that are eligible to be adopted just need loving parents, good homes, and stability. And who is to say the high price of adopting is not ho...
The argument sexual orientation interferes with ones parenting skills is common belief that Charlotte J. Patterson identifies as myth in her work, Lesbian and Gay Parents and their Children, suggesting the belief that “lesbians’ and gay men’s relationships with sexual partners leave little time for ongoing parent–child interactions.” In the Who is Mommy tonight? case study, how 18 lesbian adoptive parents, 49 lesbian parents who formed their families biologically, and 44 heterosexual adoptive parents experience and perceive their parenting role, how they respond when their children seek them or their partner for particular nurturing, and how the parents negotiate the cultural expectation of a primary caregiver (Ciano-Boyce & Shelley-Sireci, 2002) is looked at. The empirical data found proposes lesbian parent couples were more equ...
International adoption stunts the growth of domestic adoption in the United States. While many kids are available for adoption in the U.S, more kids are being adopted internationally. The reason for this may be because “many people choose to adopt internationally because there is a less chance that the biological parents will try to find their children later in life; whereas if adopted in America, there is a greater chance that the biological parents will search for the child” (Databasewise.n.d.pp 1-2). Not only do the adoptive parents want to be sure that the biological parents do not find their biological child, but they also want to avoid confrontations that can eventually have volatile results. Since there is a great need for domestic adoption in the United States, many American citizens believe that people should be banned from adopting children overseas (carp.1998.pp 135). For example, recent studies have shown that the USA is faced with a very serious problem. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, between “1999-2006,an average of 129,884 children are in public foster care every year waiting to be adopted” (adoption alternativ...
Homosexuality is becoming more and more accepted and integrated into today’s society, however, when it comes to homosexuals establishing families, a problem is posed. In most states, homosexuals can adopt children like any other married or single adult. There are many arguments to this controversial topic; some people believe that it should be legal nationally, while others would prefer that is was banned everywhere, or at least in their individual states. There are logical reasons to allow gays to adopt children, but for some, these reasons are not enough. The main issue really is, what is in the best interest of the child? This type of problem isn’t really one with causes, effects, and solutions, but one with pros and cons. Like any other adoption situation, a parent prove themselves to be responsible and capable enough to raise a child on their own, or with a spouse.
January 12th, 2010 is a day in Haiti history that no one will forget; a 7.3 magnitude earthquake left a huge impact on Haiti. In the wake of this devastating earthquake hundreds of children were left without homes and families were destroyed. “International adoption agencies, adoption advocacy groups, and government Web sites were over whelmed by calls and e-mails” (Seabrook). Within days of the earthquake, many American families began enquiring about adopting a child from Haiti. A selfless act like adoption turned into a controversy over human rights and caused many to voice concerns about adopting internationally.
Problems arise when the biological parents abuse or neglect their children, then the children are placed into foster care. It is then that the biological parents of the children have two years to complete counseling or a treatment program to regain the custody of their children from the State. If, after these two years the biological parent has not been successful in their program, the State maintains legal custody of the children and the children are then legally up for adoption. All parents must complete a home study (parenting classes) to verify their competency. Once completed, the parents search for their adoptive child. Studies have demonstrated that a child’s well-being is affected much more by their relationships with their parents, their parents’ competence and security, and the presence of social and economic support rather than by the gender or the sexual orientation of their parents (Averett, 2011). Gay couples are raising more than 1 million American children (Averett, 2011), many from heterosexual couples who have substance abuse issues or have physically abused their children. Many studies of young children of same-sex parents have indicated that the children develop and adjust quite...