Gay Adoption

Gay parents are facing discrimination because of their sexual orientation. Twenty-two states currently allow single gays to adopt and 21 states currently allow gay and lesbian couples to adopt in the U.S. (Mallon, 2007, p. 6). The ability of gay couples to rear a child should not be denied only because they are gay. Homosexuals may be looked down upon by society, but they still are humans and have morals. These morals they possess, may influence a child more than those morals taught to a child with heterosexual parents. All over the world, children suffer in families consisting of alcoholics, drug abusers, and sexual abusers (Powell, 2007, p.1). It is not possible that these environments are safer than what would be provided by homosexual parents. As always, the main focus in this argument has been forgotten. The main concern should be the well being of the child, not the homosexual parents.

Growing up, a child should be subjected to as much love and attention as possible, as well as learning to comprehend right from wrong. As long as these elements are in the home scene, the child is in a positive environment, which is much better than some children in this nation are exposed to. The people who suffer the most because of the homophobic bans on gay adoptive parents are the children who need and deserve good loving homes. Half a million children live in foster homes today and 100,000 are in critical need of adoption, according to information from the Child Welfare League of America (Rosario, 2006, p.16). Multitudes of needy children are still without parents because of misguided public opinion and unconstitutional unrealistic "faith based" ignorant bans against gay adoptions like the ones in Florida, Mississippi, and Utah (Mallon, 2007, p.12).

It is believed that homosexuality is gained from genes, rather than a decision. If this is true, homosexuals don’t have the option to choose their sexuality. Therefore, they shouldn’t be punished by prohibiting homosexuals from parenting children. Applicants should be assessed on the basis of their abilities to successfully parent a child needing family membership and not on their race, ethnicity, culture, income, age, marital status, religion, appearance, differing lifestyles, or sexual orientation. Further, applicants for adoption should be accepted on the basis of an individual assessment of their capacity to understand and meet the needs of a particular available child at the point of adoption and in the future (Rosario, 2006, p.8). The United States is facing a critical shortage of adoptive and foster parents. As a result, hundreds of thousands of children in this country are without permanent homes. These children deteriorate for months, even years, within state foster care systems that lack qualified foster parents and are frequently faced with other problems.

When a gay couple sought to adopt a boy, who had leukemia, had been neglected

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