First Draft-Homosexual Adoption

Final Project First Draft

We as a people are one. We are all born and united under the same United States Constitution. We all have the same rights and legalities. We are all human; at least that’s how we all assume we are. Adoption is a very controversial topic but adoption by those people who have “abnormal” sexual preferences is even more controversial. Homosexuals have been fighting for years to achieve the rights to adopt children as their own, but the struggle continues. Homosexuals are human beings living under the same Constitution that governs the rights of their heterosexual counterparts. Therefore, they should have equal rights as heterosexuals regarding the rights to adopt children.
There are many Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) reform groups that have been striving for homosexuals to be granted the rights to adopt. It is morally and ethically wrong to deny any person, male or female, gay or straight, the right to adopt a child based on their sexual identity if they are indeed fid to provide a stable, loving environment for the child to grow. The current argument is that those people, gays and lesbians, who can’t naturally produce children, should not be able to be considered as prospective parents. The question then becomes should heterosexuals that can’t produce children not be granted that right as well?
Because gays and lesbians aren’t being treated fairly they keep their sexuality a secret just so that they will even be considered as a potential parent. Some state laws allow single homosexuals to adopt children but homosexual couples are rejected as prospective parents. In these cases, it is common for one partner to actually adopt the child and for the other partner to apply to become a second parent. Second parent adoption is a type of adoption where one of the gay parents has legal rights and the mate petitions for joint custody. According to information furnished by about.com, “second parent adoptions create a second legally recognized parent for the adoptive child.” Second parent adoptions are legal in twenty-one of the fifty states and Washington, D.C. Florida is the only state the blatantly prohibits any kind of gay and lesbian adoption, whereas Arkansas’s, North Dakota’s, and Missouri’s legislation is unclear whether or not gay adoption is permitted. The remaining states and D.C. allow single homosexuals to adopt.
The Declaration of Independence states “we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. That they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights. That among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” The purpose of this quote is to express that the life of a child is influenced by the environment in which it is brought up. By birth homosexuals are granted the liberty to adopt and raise children. They have the freedom from being restricted but clearly couples are discriminated against daily when it comes to such an issue.
Many activists against homosexuals being granted the right to adopt say that the lifestyles of homosexuals will be influence upon the children. The research that has been done has demonstrated that parents’ orientation doesn’t have an effect on the way the child will turn out. The two biggest concerns with allowing homosexuals to adopt children is the child becoming influenced to be gay or lesbian, and the social affects the child has to endure from having gay parents. Some also feel that the gay parent would attempt to harm the child in sexual ways. This is a ridiculously bogus notion to believe. It is terrible to stereotype a group of people based on their sexual identity. No one discusses the possibility of heterosexual parents molesting children but as soon as gays or lesbians are brought into the picture it is a major issue. The issue should be children not growing up in a two parent home. Rather than worrying about the sexual orientation of the parent the main concern should be whether the parent is providing stability for the child.
Is a dual gender parenting environment necessarily the perfect fit for a child, or is a loving environment more suitable? Many argue that dual gender parenting is a better environment in which a child should be raised. Little does everyone know, children may endure the same criticisms amongst peers whether their parents are gay or straight. Studies show that children have better flourished in a single gender home versus that of a dual gender environment. People argue that gay couples don’t have the ability to distinguish gender roles, but more times than none there are gay couples “who are male and female by actions, if not by anatomy.” (about.com, Homosexual adoption biggest gay rights problem) Does anatomy necessarily deem a parent as a good parent?
A single homosexual is looked at raising a child well before gay couples would even be considered in many states. Wouldn’t it be more beneficial for a child to be raised by two loving parents, regardless of orientation, than to be raised by a single parent who can’t provide the love and support of two parents?
Gay adoption is like segregation whereas interracial adoption is compared to the election of an African American president. Gay adoption is highly looked down upon because there is expected to be social issues with the upbringing of a child. At one point and time interracial adoption was shunned upon just as having a black president was never thought about. Now that more gays and lesbians are becoming civilly unionized and the issue of legal custody of both partners is becoming serious issues, things need to be clearly addressed.