In Argentina, as in the rest of the western world, it will not be to long before gay couples can marry.
In fact, since 2003 there has been, a “Civil Union” legislated for gays in the city of Buenos Aires. Last year two judges declared unconstitutional the article of the Civil Code that prohibited gay marriage. Because of that, a couple of weeks ago, the first gay couple got married.
Our president said that her party will support gay marriage legislation this year and, because of the composition of forces, the law will pass.
For the the record I agree with the law in general.
But if that happens gay couples will have all the rights an heterosexual couple has. I am cool with all of that but I am not convinced in the adoption question.
I suppose that in your countries the adoption mechanism is similar to the one in Argentina: at some point someone decides which of the adopting couples is the “best” for the child.
So here goes the question. All things similar, would you agree if one couple is prefered over another because is an heterosexual one?
See, what I’m thinking right now is not so much a debate, but more GQ. When a couple want to adopt, they are pre-screened by the adoption agency, and are determined adequate, or not. Finding the best parents, and giving them preference first, and then second tier couples getting adoptees later – that I don’t see. Kinda makes some kids … I dunno, second-tier children, doesn’t it? That doesn’t make sense.
So what you may be asking is: Do we only recognize civil unions. Or, do we acknowledge same sex marriages, but then deprive them of some rights other couples enjoy, by fiat. Which is just the same as he status quo, really.
Nobody has any automatic right to adopt. The rights of the people wanting to adopt is irrelevant until after they have adopted the child. Until the child as been adopted only the rights of the child matters. Although I also think the rights of the birth mother should be taken into consideration. If she’d have wanted the child to be adopted by a special religion or by people of a special sexual leaning or any other preference then that should be taken into consideration.
The problem with homosexual adoption has mostly to do with the donor nations that would rather this was not an option. When this is the case then it should be respected.
No, such a position homophobic and unethical. It’s also a false dilemma, since in the real world the inevitable end result of such a policy is a greater number of children not getting adopted at all. Forbidding a homosexual couple from adopting won’t make your hypothetical straight-and-who-knows-what-else ideologically ideal couple materialize from nowhere.
Bingo. Social conservatives often act as though depriving homosexuals of rights will cause an upsurge of Christian heterosexual family values. It won’t. If my government told me that me and my wife couldn’t adopt children, it wouldn’t make us more likely to have biological offspring. We’d just be really pissed off.
No, sexual orientation shouldn’t be a consideration. The opposition I have read to gay adoption is typically not based on empirical evidence. When we do turn to the evidence, we find the following (.pdf):
Given the evidence, it is no surprise that same-sex adoption has been endorsed by the American Psychological Assocation, the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, etc., etc. I’m sure some religious social conservatives will write this off as a liberal conspiracy (as they tend to do when the evidence turns against them), but at this point, I don’t see a reasonable basis for discrimination.
One thing that really honks me off about anti-abortion groups is that most of them only support adoption to the “right” couples–married, hetrosexual and usually Christian. They are not pro-adoption, they are pro-the-“right”-people.
A friend of my sister the lesbian became pregnant as a result of rape. She decided to have the baby and raise it with her lesbian partner. She was actually told that the “right” thing to do would be to have the child and give it up for adoption to a straight couple.
Having 2 parents that fit the criteria of “normal” is always going to lead to a more stabilizing childhood. With that said, a less-than-stable factor in the equation is not always bad. Unlike most people, I side with the parents on this issue because it’s part of the larger constellation of civil rights.
I’d either flip or coin, or give it to the gay couple purposefully. When gay adoption is normalized, we won’t have to worry about who’s better and who’s worse. Until then, a few kids growing up with gay parents and having a less-than-normal childhood is the price that should be paid
Whenever this topic comes up, I also go all anecdotal on people because, as it happens, my mom was a lesbian. (Mom and Dad divorced when I was 4, she came out to me when I was 9 when her girlfriend moved in, and it was the three of us until Mom died when I was almost 15 and I moved in with Dad.) And I would consider myself at least reasonably well-adjusted.
Sure, it’s anecdotal, but in combination with the APA’s stance on it, it’s pretty convincing. I’m not an anomaly among children of GLBT parents.
Wow. I’m sure those children who get the less-than-normal childhood are so lucky to make the sacrifice for your social agenda. You’re a peach.
By the way, I’m pro gay marriage, so save it.
All things being equal, I would say that it doesn’t matter as long as the home is full of love.
Unfortunately, all things aren’t equal. If a gay couple and a married straight couple both had the same income, same disposition, etc in Minnesota and I had to decide, I would give the child to the married straight couple. The reason: they’re married. It’s a bit harder to get out of that contract, that’s not to say it can’t be done, obviously.
Of course, if the gay couple could get married in the state/country, then it would be a coin toss.
The way best for all is once they find the genetic cause of gayness, then it would be brilliant for any babies having this genetic trait to then be adopted by gay parents. Then they would grow up in what they would find to be a desirable environment and be well adjusted in such a family unit and happy. Same for foster parent choices as well. So in other words I am for it if the baby is for it. I think such genetic markers will be found as we map the DNA.
It’s not a sacrifice unless you start from the assumption that gay people are somehow ‘lesser’ than hetero people.
How do you feel about “gay babies” with heterosexual parents?
No. I don’t have much to add here beyond what’s already been said, but there shouldn’t be any preference based on sexuality. It would be like deciding adoptions based on left or right handedness or sports team affiliation: it doesn’t affect the job of being a parent.
Silverstreak Wonder, you’re proposing a pointless form of segregation even if it’s well intentioned. And I don’t think you understand genetics. This is one issue that has been talked to death on this board and sexuality appears to involve factors other than genes.
I don’t think that the foreign adoption from sensitive countries will be impacted one way or the other. Maybe China will just have a government agency verifying that the prospective adoptive parents are straight. The anti-homophobes cannot persecute their ideological opponents in Asia like they do in America.
Meanwhile, when it comes to adoption of American kids by American families, yes, obviously this could change things. E.g. like YogSosoth has suggested, maybe next thing we know the adoption authorities will prioritize giving kids to homosexuals “purposefully”. You know, to redress the past discrimination, but all over in 25 years, cross my heart and hope to die (see http://chronicle.com/article/Sandra-Day-OConnor-Revisits/63523/ for similar situation).
From the very post I was responding to, which I quoted in my response:
This goes absurdly too far. Please tell me you were being hyperbolic.
Oops. Just saw a mistake I made in Post 10. I’m pro gay adoption, not pro SSM.
Please tell me how my job as being a gay parent is any different from a straight parent. I’d love to know.