Christian A. Maganda Villanueva Kimberly Strickland ENGL-1010 7/24/15 Same gender adoption In the year 2000, the U.S. Census reported that about 65,000 children lived with same sex parents. In the year 2012, 110,000 children lived with gay parents. The Census also reported that the amount of children in a household that are adopted by same sex couples, is greater than married opposite sex couples and unmarried opposite sex couples combined by 11.60%. In most states, whether gay adoption is legal or not, it is made on and passed through with a judge. But states like Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, D.C, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington, allow joint gay adoptions without a judge when a same-sex couple jointly petition for adoption. And other states like Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, D.C., Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Vermont allow second parent adoption. Still people have been successful with second parent adoption in other states like Alabama, Alaska, Delaware, Hawaii, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Texas, and Washington. But there are also many states that are very restrictive like Minnesota, where same sex couples cannot illegal adopt at all. Most say that same sex adoption is just as effective as regular adoption, but many others also say that it is not the same. There are any reasons for their opinions and those might be, same sex is as effective because they still have 2 adult figures in their life no matter what gender they might be. But others say that it is not as effective because they need a feminine adult figure in their life as well as well as a masculine. Many would also say that same sex adoption is as effective because gay couples tend to be more understanding, or they tend to adopt a child with a more sensitive case. Many also think that same sex adoptions will be more emotionally helpful to their child because each member of a gay couple has had to face difficulties in her life. Perhaps her friends and family were less than supportive when she announced she was a lesbian. Maybe she faced discrimination at school or work. Gay parents know first-hand what it is like to go through life's bumps, and they will be able to appreciate when their child has his own problems. A gay or lesbian couple also will be more open minded when it comes to accepting their child's lifestyle choices, and will teach their child to be accepting of everyone in this world regardless of differences. Gay parents tend to be more motivated, more committed than heterosexual parents on average because they choose to be parents, they choose to adopt and take care of a kid. Most cases these days opposite-sex marriage, parenting is often there because most claim that their child was an accident. Either the condom broke, or they did not use protection at all. They have to take care of that child and be there for that child because they see the child as a responsibility not a gift from The Lord Jesus. Gays and lesbians rarely become parents by accident compare to the almost 50% accidental pregnancy rate. Many gay couples, certainly those offering themselves as adoptive parents, form relationships that are more stable than many heterosexual marriages, thus giving adopted children a secure emotional home. In an era when many children are raised by single parents with proven disadvantages such as lower educational achievements and poor behavior gay couples offer adopted children two full-time parents. Lesbian couples are permitted to have children through artificial insemination. The record is that such couples provide loving homes and raise well balanced children. Barring gay men and lesbians from becoming parents is discrimination, based on sexual orientation, which would not be acceptable in other contexts such as employment. There is a shortage of adoptive parents. The family, whether gay or straight, is better than the foster care system. Researches have shown that whether a child is adopted by a gay couple, it does not affect their achievements, mental health, social functioning. In fact, these kids often have open minds, tolerance, and role models for equitable relationships. We should acknowledge that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people do what every other American tries to do. They want to pursue life, liberty, happiness, love and marry the person of their choice, go to work without fear of being fired, they have access to health benefits and hospital visitation rights. And, like their straight friends, they also want to create families. There are a million lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender parents raising about 2 million children in the U.S., according to a research by UCLA's Williams Institute. Good parents are good parents, no matter their sexual orientation, the child does not represent off their parents, they are their individual person, all the parents have to do is show their child love, care, and all important stuff there is to know about life. A person's ability to be a good parent does not depend on whether he is attracted to and loves someone of the same gender. Many heterosexual couples are raising children in abusive homes and forcing children to live in horrible conditions. It is no more rational to say those parents are good parents because they are heterosexual than it is to say two men or two women raising a child together are bad parents because they are different, because they choose with a same gender partner. The American Academy of Pediatrics confirms children raised by gay and lesbian parents experience no disadvantages when it comes to psychosocial growth. A well-adjusted, emotionally stable child is not the product of bad parenting. Almost 40% of all agencies and 83% of public agencies reported making at least one adoption placement with a lesbian or gay man. However, 1/3 of agencies would reject a gay or lesbian applicant, either because of the religious beliefs guiding the agency, a state law prohibiting placement with LGBT parents, or a policy of placing children only with married couples. Additionally, agency heads are more likely to have negative views towards gays and lesbians adopting when they associate such adoptions with greater evaluation and support needs. As a gay friendly agency, we were appalled to hear such discrimination. There are many other reasons why same sex parenting is good and they are ot all onky about emotional status. An estimated two million LGBT people are interested in adopting. An estimated 65,500 adopted children are living with a lesbian or gay parent. More than 16,000 adopted children are living with lesbian and gay parents in California, the highest number in the U.S. Gay and lesbian parents are raising four percent of all adopted children in the United States. Adopted children with same-sex parents are younger and more likely to be foreign born. There were an estimated 300,000 to 500,000 gay and lesbian biological parents in 1976. In 1990, an estimated 6 to 14 million children have gay or lesbian parents. Research suggests that sexual identities including gender identity, gender-role behavior, and sexual orientation, develop in much the same ways among children of lesbian mothers as they do among children of heterosexual parents. There is no reliable evidence that homosexual orientation, impairs psychological functioning. Second, beliefs that lesbian and gay adults are not fit parents have no empirical foundation. There is no conclusive evidence that homosexuality is linked to one's environment. In other words, growing up in a gay couple household will not make a child gay. Most children in the United States do not live with two married parents. In fact, according to the 2000 census, only 24% of homes were composed of a married mother and father with children living at home. Studies have shown that children are more influenced by their interactions with their parents, than by their sexual orientation. States and regions which explicitly allow for adoption by same-sex couples include California, Connecticut, Washington D.C., Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon and Vermont. In states allowing gay individuals to adopt, Colorado, Ohio, Nebraska and Wisconsin have laws preventing second parent adoptions. Her are just some more facts about adoption that can really be useful in proving that gay adoption is ok, it is just as effective as regular adoption. Over 65,000 adopted children and 14,000 foster children in the U.S. are being raised in homes headed by nonheterosexual individuals or couples According to U.S. Census Bureau estimates, the number of same-sex couples who have adopted children in the past decade more than tripled, from 6,477 couples in 2000, to 21,740 in 2009. Foster kids do equally well when adopted by gay, lesbian or heterosexual parents. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry. Same-sex couples raising adopted children are older, more educated, and have more economic resources than other adoptive parents. The Williams Institute, Adoption and Foster Care by Gay and Lesbian Parents in the United States. Public support for allowing gays and lesbians to adopt children has steadily increased. While in 1999, only 38% favored gay adoption and 57% opposed it, in July 2012 52% favor gay adoption while 42% were opposed. Six million American children and adults have an LGBT parent. 8. 41% of lesbians and 52% of gay men have considered adoption. LGBT parents may be judged more harshly than heterosexual parents. LGBT-headed families are not a new phenomenon. Lesbian, gay or heterosexual adoptive parents raise equally well-adjusted children. Lesbian, gay, and heterosexual parents bond equally well with adopted children. Adoptive parents’ ability to work cooperatively with each other is more important than sexual orientation in raising children with fewer behavior problems. Teens with lesbian mothers are psychologically well-adjusted, academically successful, and report strong family bonds and quality social relationships with their peers. Lesbian and gay couples are adopt transracially more often than heterosexual couples; transracial adoptions also occur more often among interracial rather than same-race couples. And then there is the opposite side. The ones who do not agree on same-sex marriage. They are not always heterosexual, but the majority of them are. They believe that gay adoption is wrong, because as I stated before, the child does not have a male and female adult figure in their life as an adult. Most also think that just plainly being gay is wrong. They believe it is wrong to the society, and gay couples are often discriminated, for something that they cannot control. Like many Christians that believe that there was a Adam and Eve for a reason, that God created a man and a woman, because that is how it should be. They do not get the concept that love is love, no matter what gender. But, this is still their opinion and everyone has the freedom of speech. And this is how I believe they think. A couple that does not have a right to receive children naturally, a couple that is unable to have children does not have a right to receive children through adoption. Meaning to speak of the right of all couples to be treated equal with regards to adoption is misguided, because we cannot protect a right that does not exist. A couple that desires to adopt children has to fulfill the objective conditions established by natural law and revelation. They must demonstrate a capacity to provide a stable home for children through diverse objective conditions. A couple that does not fulfill these conditions, and thus is not able to adopt, should not be considered as having suffered unjust discrimination. Per the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, the best interests of the child, as the weaker and more vulnerable party, are to be the paramount consideration in every case. It should be evident that the healthiest setting by far to raise a child is a traditional family, one in which a father and a mother lovingly and faithfully live out their vocation as protectors and role models for their children. This is why adoption agencies carefully evaluate and certify the moral, psychological and economic capacity of a couple to adopt children. Allowing a homosexual couple to adopt, on the other hand, presents the children with an unnatural model of adult relationships that does not foster normal, healthy psychological growth and instead will most likely harm the children. Gay adoption is wrong, being gay is wrong. Gays upset the foundation of what it means to be human. Human is a man and a woman. They can have children biologically and because of this, are what created our race. Even looking at their biological parts shows that gays are not meant to exist. If everyone became gay, our race would die out. Gays also have mental issues, even if weak issues. This can be statistically proven and is logic; they have been social outcasts forever and are well aware they are abnormal. Therefore, not only would gays raising children make the children think it is okay to be gay, they are also so often mentally unfit to raise kids. Gay parents create disturbed children. They will either be picked on themselves for having gay parents, or just feel mentally unbalanced from not having the balance of a man and woman raising them. Children of gays will more likely become gay. It would diminish population and could even cause our society to cease existing. Reiterate that gays are too warmed up in themselves to be successful parents. Compare them to teenage parents, two wrapped in their own emotional immaturity to be good parents. Reiterate that being gay is unnatural. Letting gay people raise our children, our society of tomorrow, is like handing over our children to be raised wolves. Doesn't mean wolves can't raise human children, but they won't be normal. Because depending on if either if the couple is a two women or two men relationship things could go wrong. If two dudes adopt a kid they will never know what it is like to have a mother and that can be hard. If it is a boy they adopt it will seem weird having two dads. If a girl, wouldn't it be awkward for the parents and the girl when she starts her personal, girl life, won’t she needs advice? She won’t have a womanly figure there to help. Or how about when the boy wants to be taught how to do mechanics, I’m not saying that a women won’t know how to do those things, it is just something that usually you want to learn with a dad. Same with two women. The boy needs a man figure for a role model. How will he become a man if he has no one to learn from? And there is always the chance that the couple will try to impose their sexual orientation on the kid. There is a reason that a family is normally a Man a Woman and the child. So that the kid can learn from both the parents to get a grip on reality. Sure there are already families without the mom or one without the dad. But in all reality the kid is not well in at least one way or another. They are missing something that should have been taught when they would have been in a family. So in conclusion, there are two sides to this issue that we have with the society, there isn’t necessarily a good or a bad side, it is just people’s opinion. I agree that gay adoption is affective as traditional adoption, there is no right or wrong way to raise a child. Gay or not, they will get the love they deserve. URL: http://www.lifelongadoptions.com/adoption-process Article Title: Adoption Process Website Title: LGBT