- my iParenting
- quick clicks
- preconception articles
- preconception q&a
- community & groups
- research baby names
- prepare a birth plan
- content channels
- ip channel rss feeds
- read birth stories
- read parenting stories
- recommended books
- e-newsletters
- safety recalls
- ip diaries
- ip store
- mom of the month
- dad of the month
- editor's letter
- letters to the editor
From Our Sponsors
- e-newsletters
- Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters
- award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
New Age Families
Family-Building for Gay and Lesbian Parents
By Jonathon Allen
According to Tim Fisher of the Gay and Lesbian Parents Coalition International (GLPCI), the 21 states that have established court precedents allowing second-parent adoptions for same-sex couples are Alaska, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Washington, D.C., Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Vermont and Washington.
"All 50 states allow unmarried individuals to adopt," Fisher says. "Unfortunately, no states currently sanction standard adoption by lesbian or homosexual couples. The main problem in getting this overturned is that the marriage of same-sex couples is illegal in [most states], and most states require couples to be legally married in order to adopt a child. There's little doubt that the children of gay parents would benefit from the legal, social and financial stability that accompanies a sanctioned marriage."
Opponents of gay marriage and same-sex parenting frequently argue that children are better off when they are raised by two parents of the opposite sex because children need both genders as role models.
"Every study I've read to date indicates that children of homosexual parents have no developmental hindrances or disadvantages as compared to children of heterosexual parents," says Dr. Pepper Scwartz, professor of sociology at the University of Washington in Seattle, and author of The Gender of Sexuality
Want to see more?
Comments
There are no comments for this article yet.Be the first to 
|
Post As:
|
||
| Enter your comment below: | ||
| Title | ||
| Comment Text | ||
| CAPTCHA | ||
| Please note that any comments submitted become the property of Disney Family / iParenting and can be edited and posted at our discrection. | ||