SAME SEX ADOPTION

By, Salomé Yari G.

What do Colombia, Uruguay, Mexico, Brazil and Argentina have in common?

According to “TeleSur”, these countries allow same-sex couples to adopt children. The rights

of homosexuals people vary in each country, and have changed over time. One of the rights

that has been fought for is to be able to adopt, but due to the prejudices of society this has not

yet been achieved.

Same sex adoption “should be legalized everywhere because anyone who is able to

meet the requirements of being a loving parent deserves to become a parent, despite their sexual

preferences and around the world, many kids would be grateful to have two loving parents”

(Hsu, 2013). This issue emerged several years ago and along with it came another problems.

One of them has to do with the concern that the sexual orientation of the child would be affected

by having parents of the same sex.

In the past, "the behavioral tendencies of having sex with people of the same sex go

back to the first centuries" (Layton, 2010). This is evident from artwork portraying two people

of similar sex in relationships. Same-sex couples already existed but kept it a secret so as not

to be discriminated against.

However, in some parts of Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt there is evidence that same-

sex marriages were tolerated by the people of that society. It is shown that same-sex

relationships were recognized by the kingdom. For example, a Pharaonic tomb was built for a

same-sex couple. Further, none of the recorded laws of Mesopotamia, including the

Hammurabi Code, contain restrictions on same-sex unions (Salazar, 2011).

 The topic of adoption is a delicate issue because of the way in which children are

educated and whether this would impact their sexual orientation. In the same way, Mark

Regnerus (2014) a sociologist at the Center for Population Research at the University of Texas,

“conducted a study on same-sex adoptions and concluded that young people who have grown

up in same-sex households are more prone to mental problems, less stable relationships and

higher crime rates” (Regneurs, 2014).

Likewise, in a study by Rachel H. Farr “examining adopted children’s development due

to the parenting orientation discovered that children development was not affected by the

sexual orientation of their parents. There is are controversy on whether gay families should

adopt young children” (Premiun Papers, 2010). Moreover, they concluded that "the sexual

orientation of the parents had no effect on the development and adjustment of children, but on

the family process and the technique of the parents, regardless of the sexual orientation of the

parents" (Engle & Huffman, 2010).

Around the world, there are several people who were adopted by same-sex couples,

below I present a clear example of this: Zack Wahls, a boy who at the age of 19 has his own

company, and he spoke in the House Joint Resolution 6 in Iowa, “where a proposed

constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage (where permitted) was being discussed to

explain their situation and experiences as a child raised by two lesbians” (Bastida, 2013). He

is a rather bright young man, who said: “In my 19 years old not once have I met an individual

who realized that I have been raised by a gay couple” (Wahls, 2011). So, his family is not that

different from us because the sense of our families does not stem from the fact that the state

has told them "they are married, congratulations." No, the sense of family derives from the

commitment to the other, from being united in difficult times and enjoying the good ones.

Driven by the love that unites us, that is what makes us a true family.
 In addition to that, I can say that same sex adoption can give a child a home and

therefore a family. Also, it can give him or her an emotional and financial stability. According

to “Caracol”, between 1997 and 2016, 45 thousand children were adopted. But more than 3700

children expect to be adopted, this only in the case of Colombia. It is, therefore, important to

understand that same-sex parental adoption is, in fact, an issue that needs to be examined with

caution because we can affect the child's feelings.

Nowadays, with all these argumentative facts, there is no precise reason to deny

homosexual people the right to adopt children because it would be inappropriate to prohibit

same-sex couples from having a similar right to others in the community. And if you exercise

that you would be exhibiting homophobia: fear, discomfort or hatred, against lesbian, gay or

bisexual people. Also, you would be trying to suggest that these parents will end up being

inferior. The best way to eliminate this strange ideology is through exposure and accepting it.

The community must recognize that homosexual people can raise children in a loving and

appropriate way (LawTeacher, s.f.).

To conclude, there are parents who are anxious to have a child in their homes and

children who are anxious to be adopted and have a beautiful family. Unfortunately, that is

forbidden. Same sex adoption should be legalized all over the world because it would benefit

both the child and the parents, and also, society because it will decrease the rate of juvenile

offenders who are the result of a “foster home”: “a household in which a child is raised by

someone other than his natural or adoptive parent” (Dictionary, 2017). And at the end of the

day, the only thing that is important is family love.

 Bibliography

Bastida, A. (31 de March de 2013). Bebes y mas. Obtenido de

https://www.bebesymas.com/ser-padres/el-testimonio-de-un-hijo-criado-por-dos-

lesbianas-como-defensa-del-matrimonio-gay

Caracol. (9 de May de 2017). Caracol. Obtenido de

http://caracol.com.co/radio/2017/05/09/politica/1494353039_063789.html

Dictionary. (2017). Dictionary. Obtenido de http://www.dictionary.com/browse/foster-home

Engle, & Huffman. (2010). PMC. Obtenido de

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4250972/

Hsu, J. (23 de November de 2013). Ap Rhe. Obtenido de http://aprhetmoon.weebly.com/gay-

adoption-argumentative-essay.html

LawTeacher. (s.f.). LawTeacher. Obtenido de https://www.lawteacher.net/free-law-

essays/family-law/same-sex-marriage-and-adoption-law-essay.php

Layton. (2010). PMC. Obtenido de https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4695779/

Premiun Papers. (2010). Premiun Papers. Obtenido de http://premiumpapers.net/paper-

writing-services/essay-on-gay-adoption

Regneurs, M. (2014). HuffPost. Obtenido de

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/10/mark-regnerus-university-of-

texas_n_3049309.html

Salazar, X. (4 de February de 2011). Ciudadanias. Obtenido de

http://ciudadaniasx.org/uniones-del-mismo-sexo-a-traves-de-los-tiempos-la-historia-

del-matrimonio-gay/
TeleSur. (2015 de November de 2015). TeleSur. Obtenido de

http://www.telesurtv.net/news/Conozca-los-paises-donde-se-permite-la-adopcion-

igualitaria-20151105-0048.html

Wahls, Z. (5 de December de 2011). YouTube. Obtenido de

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=135&v=48dIekteGmw