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Barrett Ranney
ENG 101
Professor Parks
May 27
th
2014
Should Same-Sex Couples be Allowed to Adopt Children
On September 30, 2012 there were around 400,000 children in the foster care system
throughout the United States (Soronen pg 4). Based on government reports such as one laid out
by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, inevitably 60,000 or 15%, of
those cases go to the adoption pool never to return to their families (Soronen pg 4). With nearly
200,000 children looking for a new home every year, the need for couples willing to adopt is
greater than ever, and will continue to rise with the ever growing population. Between the years
1999 and 2013, a mere 249,694 adoptions were completed within our country (Adoption
Statistics). The equivalent of one tenth of the children in foster care end up being adopted every
year. With adoption in such great need, we as a society should be looking to anyone who is
willing, and able, to adopt a child. The decision for so many states to refuse adoption to someone
based on sexuality is not only senseless but, borderlines bigotry due to most supporters of anti-
gay adoption being just that, supporters of anti-gay rights. Same-Sex adoptions should be
allowed due to the fact that couples desire to adopt when so many children need homes, are just
as safe as with heterosexuals, and able be effective parents just as heterosexuals are.
It is common for most people to perceive that children looking to be adopted came from
homes that brought them physical abuse, sexual abuse, or even starvation. While this is true for
some, more often than not they came from impoverished homes (Stone pg 9) which led to
nearly three quarters of these children being neglected which is what causes them to end up in
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the adoption pool either by choice or by court order. These children enter the system of foster
homes moving from family to family, 10 times in 23 months creating a staggering 43% chance
of moving every month (Stone pg 24). This unstable home change that looms over these children
is unnerving for children, and creates undue stress both on the child, the foster care system and,
at large, our welfare system. The whole point of the foster care system is to provide these
children with a temporary safe haven until they can find their permanent home with parents who
will take care of them and raise them in a safe manner. However, there are not as many willing
couples to adopt as are needed. By allowing same-sex couples to adopt, we can reduce the
number of children looking for a reliable home while simultaneously. relieving the burden on the
welfare system.
When courts decided who the primary care taker in divorce court is, they look at what is
in the childs best interest and sometimes decide on a joint care taker plan. This decision making
applies to the foster care and adoption as well, and helps give the child the best chance of an
average child hood. When the adoption request is being reviewed by both the adoption agency
and a judge, it is their general practice to look at all factors and, unfortunately some judges
consider homosexuality when they decided to award custody. In 1993, a judge in Virginia
declared a mother to be an unfit parent due to her sexuality and awarded custody to her mother
instead (Debating Studies on Homosexual Parenting pg 21). The decision was upheld in 1995
ruling under the elucidation of "active lesbianism practiced in the home may impose a burden
upon a child by reason of the 'social condemnation' attached to such an arrangement (Debating
Studies on Homosexual Parenting pg 21)". Others are moving towards neutrality on the subject
of potential parent sexuality as this isnt a factor that determines if they can provide a safe,
nurturing home. In fact, in 1992, a review called Child Development 62 was performed on over
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20 studies concerning same sex parents and found that children raised by same sex parents
preformed equally as well as those raised by heterosexuals (Debating Studies on Homosexual
Parenting pg 39). In 2010 a published study by the United States National Longitudinal Lesbian
Family Study concluded that there was zero percent of any physical, emotional or sexual abuse
found in those that were surveyed and compared them with similar surveys by other
organizations findings that were replicated with these separate but same environments of same
sex parenting (Chiles pg 2). When compared in 2010 to other children that reported at a twenty
six percent rate of abuse this is a strong indicator of safety for same sex adoption potentials
(Chiles pg 2).
Parents are looked to by children for guidance and nurturing throughout their
development. They learn socially accepted ethics such as lying, theft or cheating is wrong, while
helping others, doing what they are supposed to without being asked and looking to better
themselves is the right thing to do. Professor Perrin, MD at Tufts New England Medical Center
says studies have shown that both heterosexual and same-sex parents have similar views on
parenting (Davis pg 13). These children have the same effective parents regardless of their
parents sexual orientation and Professor Perrin has said that based on studies these children are
at no disadvantage (Davis pg 12). The children of same-sex parents are in line in all
developmental stages, socially, intellectually, as well as their interests, consistent with their
anatomic sex. Based on these researched facts it is indistinguishable between the development
of children with heterosexual parents and same-sex parents leveling any debated argument of the
effects on a child based on their parents sexual orientation (Davis pg 14). With studies showing
that their parents orientation doesnt affect their development the argument that these same-sex
parents can alter their children based on their orientation is a voided subject at best.
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Same-sex couples should most certainly be allowed to adopt a child without their
orientation being called into question. These children need homes as so many are shuffling
around the foster care system with an unacceptable percentage aging out of that system, never
developing a family structure to support them as a person both socially and emotionally (Soronen
pg 1). These children can find themselves in safe homes regardless of their parents being a same-
sex couple. Most likely based on what home they came from it wasnt a safe reliable home and
being able to provide one isnt based on weather a potential parent is heterosexual or not. May
studies have been done by medical doctors and government surveyors, showing that same-sex
couples will not influence a childs development sexually while providing them the same loving,
caring and moral development as their heterosexual counterparts. These studies have proved that
same-sex couples are able to provide safe reliable parenting. By not allowing same-sex couples
to adopt, we are not only discriminating a group of people, we are putting these children at a
disadvantage by not providing a welcoming home defeating the purpose of the adoption system.










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Works Cited
"Adoption Statistics." Statistics. Bureau of Consular Affairs, n.d. Web. 23 May 2014.
"Homosexual Parenting." Issues & Controversies On File: n. pag. Issues & Controversies. Facts
On File News Services, 10 Apr. 2006. Web. 27 May 2014.
Chiles, Clay, et al. "Child Abuse Rate At Zero Percent In Lesbian Households, New Report
Finds." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 10 Nov. 2010. Web. 26 May 2014.
Davis, Jeanie Lerche, et al. "Adoption in Same-Sex Couples." WebMD. WebMD, 4 Feb. 2004.
Web. 23 May 2014.
Soronen, Rita. "We Are Abandoning Children in Foster Care." CNN. Cable News Network, 17
Apr. 2014. Web. 24 May 2014.
Stone, Deb, et al. "U.S. Foster Care: A Flawed Solution." STIR Journal. Stir Journal, 12 May
2014. Web. 20 May 2014.