A Research Paper on Gay Adoption
.I INTRO
We have all heard the mantra that a child needs to be raised by both and a mother and afather. The qualities contributed by a man and a woman are each vital to raising a well roundedindividual and therefore the idea of having two mothers or two fathers is simplyunacceptable«right? Well what about no parents? No mother? No father? That child is bound to be well rounded
. So now the real question emerges: Is parental guidance by two parents of thesame sex really more harmful to a child¶s development than no parental guidance at all? In someminds the answer ³NO´ flashes in bright, blinking lights however, there are many, including themajority of Americans, who disagree. Laws banning adoption by gay and lesbian couples exist inmultiple states across the country. These bans do more than prohibit same-sex couples fromstarting families; they sentence children to a lifetime alone in world where plenty of eligibleadoptive parents exist.
II
BACKGROUND
Since the dawn of United States history states have been given ³full faith and credit«tothe public arts, records, and judicial proceedings of every other state,´ (Constitution 1) via theFull Faith and Credit clause of the constitution. This clause qualifies state officials to makedecisions about various matters not already decided by the federal government. Therefore thisarticle gives states the power to legalize gay adoption. Since it also says that states mustrecognize the judicial proceedings of other states, an adoption by a gay person or couplerecognized in one state must also be recognized in another state, even if said state bans gayadoption. Shockingly, while this right has been clearly stated since the formation of our country,it was not granted until the Adar v. Smith court case of 2010 (Lambda 1). The legal status of gay adoption varies across the country. Few are still outright banningit yet there are also few that fully accept it. Most states are ambiguous to the matter.
We have all heard the mantra that a child needs to be raised by both and a mother and afather. The qualities contributed by a man and a woman are each vital to raising a well roundedindividual and therefore the idea of having two mothers or two fathers is simplyunacceptable«right? Well what about no parents? No mother? No father? That child is bound to be well rounded
. So now the real question emerges: Is parental guidance by two parents of thesame sex really more harmful to a child¶s development than no parental guidance at all? In someminds the answer ³NO´ flashes in bright, blinking lights however, there are many, including themajority of Americans, who disagree. Laws banning adoption by gay and lesbian couples exist inmultiple states across the country. These bans do more than prohibit same-sex couples fromstarting families; they sentence children to a lifetime alone in world where plenty of eligibleadoptive parents exist.
II
BACKGROUND
Since the dawn of United States history states have been given ³full faith and credit«tothe public arts, records, and judicial proceedings of every other state,´ (Constitution 1) via theFull Faith and Credit clause of the constitution. This clause qualifies state officials to makedecisions about various matters not already decided by the federal government. Therefore thisarticle gives states the power to legalize gay adoption. Since it also says that states mustrecognize the judicial proceedings of other states, an adoption by a gay person or couplerecognized in one state must also be recognized in another state, even if said state bans gayadoption. Shockingly, while this right has been clearly stated since the formation of our country,it was not granted until the Adar v. Smith court case of 2010 (Lambda 1). The legal status of gay adoption varies across the country. Few are still outright banningit yet there are also few that fully accept it. Most states are ambiguous to the matter.