Gay And Lesbian Adoption Essay Research Paper

Gay And Lesbian Adoption Essay, Research Paper

Introduction

In society today there is a given norm of what a family should and shouldn t be. By the very word family I am refer to a relationship that contains children. The socially accepted version of the family is that there is a mum and a dad and children, not two dads or two mothers. There is a growing number of the latter type of families and society is very split on whether these families are right and fit for raising children. There are several issues that relate to the raising of children in a homosexual relationship, these are the affect on the child, should homosexuals be able to raise children, the means that they become parents.

Effect on the children

The main concern of society isn t that gays, as humans are raising children but the affect that being gay is going to have on the children and are they going to turn out normal. An American study found that children of homosexual parents have similar IQs, develop typical friendships, have a normal metal health and are no more likely to be confused about their sexuality (Shapiro 1996). This is not to say that the children are distributed in the same ratio in sexual preference Actually homosexual parents have a higher percentage of gay offspring. This is unlikely to do with the parenting style of the gay parents, considering that the latest research shows that homosexuality is largely genetic (Shapiro 1996). It may mean that there is an earlier realization of the child s sexual preference. This is inevitably going to mean that there are going to less marital break ups, because of adults realizing that they are gay.

The affect on children is a hotly debated issue; the general social idea is that, both a mom and a dad are essential for a balanced upbringing. If we take the example of a boy, he needs both a mom and a dad for the various parts of his metal and physically development so he can turn out to be a normal man. The very fact that normal is dictated by society is the biggest down fall in this argument. If being gay were full acknowledged by society and seen as part of being normal then there would be no problem with a normal gay person raising children. If homosexuality is genetic then being gay is part of being normal. This means that it would make sense if gay parents raised gay children for the very reason that the parents would be more open and less prejudice about being gay. Another advantage of gay parents raising children is that they are raised in a world that they can see both sides to sexuality and they can make a more informed choice and follow their inner sexuality.

The research that has been done with children raised in gay families is very limited and there have been no documented case studies. This is because the issue has only really come to a head in the last 20 years. This means that the long-term effects, if any, on the child s mental health have not had a chance to be recognized. The research that has been has been done has not uncovered any adverse effects.

Should homosexual couples raise children

Apart from the dilemma to do with the fact if they are right or wrong in their sexuality, the raising of children by homosexuals is a very controversial topic for the fact that they can not have children with their partners. This problem has two sides to the argument one: they, as a group of people, have chosen not to have children by being gay, the other is that homosexuals are still humans and they still have the same human nurturing characteristics that heterosexuals do. The very argument that homosexuals do not have the right to raise children because they are gay is a unsubstantiated. It is implying that they are not human. It is not OK for gays to raise children but if a murder wants to raise a child it is OK, on the grounds that he is heterosexual.

The main issue is the family environment that the child is being raised in. If a child is raised in a loving and stable home, they are generally classed as normal children, and they usually grow up to join the bulk of society. So the question is whether a loving and stable gay family is different from a loving and stable heterosexual family. There are a lot of good aspects of children being raised in gay families. The children have a greater openness toward minority groups and other groups that are subject to social prejudice. Prejudice is the highest form of ignorance and since the child has grown up in an environment that is very open and they have experienced discrimination at a high level, they will inevitably be more excepting. Results of another American research project (Crawford 1999) shows that children that are raised in homosexual homes are not as affected by taunts when they are growing up as similar children raised in heterosexual homes. This means that these children are much better equipped to cope with schoolyard bullying. Wouldn t it be a good thing that children do not worry about these situations as much. As a result of the children understanding that major taunts are more important than schoolyard minor problem they would not dish out insults; Maybe all children should be raised by gay couples.

There is only one more issue that is of major concern to the general population and that is the one of pedophilia. This is a major concern because:

Even though homosexuals represent less than three per