# Adoption of adults. Why is this legal? Was it always? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 1, 2001, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adoption-of-adults-why-is-this-legal-was-it-always/52630 "2001-02-01T00:24:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 2
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2001, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adoption-of-adults-why-is-this-legal-was-it-always/52630/2 "2001-02-01T00:38:39Z")
Gay people have used adoption as a way of preserving their rights. For instance let’s say your S.O. was in the hospital and they will only let “family members” in. Your lover isn’t a wife or husband so your S.O. could be dying and you wouldn’t be able to see him. But if one of you adopted the other, you would be a son or father (daughter or mother) so you could see them. It would also work for inheritance(SP?). At one time way back I believed they used to allow a person to differentiate between an illegitimate child and a legitimate one in a will. This would also make an illegitimate child legitimate. Though that stigman isn’t much today. --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adoption-of-adults-why-is-this-legal-was-it-always/52630)._