Attitudes Towards Same-Sex Adoption
Same-sex marriage have been the centre of controversy for a long time. It has always been seen as a cultural and social mark which was not acceptable to the people of the society. Even though there have been several marches and laws which were passed in favour of same sex marriage, in the minds of the people it was an unnatural and unacceptable phenomenon (McCutcheon & Morrison, 2015). Another thing which was looked down upon was the adoption of children by couples of the same sex. Their effectiveness in taking care of the child have been a matter of doubt for many people.
According to Gato and Fontaine (2013) there not many studies which focused on the parenting abilities of same-sex couples, however, there were many studies which dealt about the attitudes of the society towards such couples and parents. According to the author, same-sex parents were seen as less competent as compared to heterosexual parents. The research shows that there existed a high level of problematic behaviour towards the children with homosexual parents and this affected the psychological development of the child. Moreover, there have been concerns regarding the understanding of the child’s own gender when raised by homosexual parents.
For example, a boy who is raised by two gay parents is said to have a confusion about his own sexual orientation at a later stage, however, there have been no proven statistics regarding the same. Whitehead and Perry (2016) further state that religious views play a great role in the adoption by same-sex couples. It has been seen that people who are more acceptable to same-sex marriage as well as adoption by homosexual couples are young and less religious in their views. The research shows that people who practice religion in a regular manner and read the Bible everyday oppose to the idea of same-sex adoption and people who believe that the Bible is a book which contains legend and history are more supportive to the idea of same-sex adoption.
Gato and Fontaine (2016) highlights the attitude of people towards same-sex adoption in Portugal. The country viewed homosexual parenting as a sin and thought of it as an abnormal phenomenon. The people of the country felt that homosexual parenting would lead to the abandonment of the best interests of the children and deprive them of the perfect way to grow up and perceive a role model of the appropriate gender. Similar to the other researches, this article also confirms that the people feels that raising a child by homosexual parents would lead the child to become confused about their own gender and hence they would become lesbians or gay themselves at the later stage.
Moreover, homosexual parenting would lead to the child being bullied for majority of their lives which could create a mental pressure on the student. There have also been several stereotypes which views gay men as less competent in parenting than lesbian parents since they are viewed to be not capable of nurturing the children in the right manner as women. As stated by Takács and Szalma (2013) the opposition of same-sex adoption could also be a result of homophobia all around the world, where people have a fear of same-sex couples and see them as an unnatural aspect of the world. In the United Stated, same-sex parenting is much more accepted in current times due to the belief that gender does not play a major role in the parenting of children, and what matters is the care of the parents towards their child. This has seen a rise in the number of homosexual parents in the last few years.
Psychological Development of Children Raised By Homosexual Parents
Posner (2015) in their article stated that homosexual couples should not be allowed without understanding the implications of the adoption on the child and their sexual orientation. The author states that homosexual couples should not be given the same rights of parenting as heterosexual parents since it could end up to be problematic and create a negative impact on the upbringing of the children. However, Perry and Whitehead (2015) argued that despite there being many controversies to the aspect of homosexual parenting and the narrow-mindness of the society towards such couples, there were various reasons for supporting same-sex adoption.
Firstly, in the aspects of religion and Christianity, adoption is highly valued since the Bible states to look after the orphans and give home to the fatherless. Therefore, adoption can be seen as a rescue mechanism for the ignored children and can be viewed as a better way to give them homes. This is why adoption of children even by same-sex couples should be valued by the religious fanatics, who otherwise oppose the concept of homosexual adoption. Secondly, sine homosexual couples would not be able to bear children of their own it could help them to fulfil their wish of having a children. Irrespective of the gender of the parents, whether gay or lesbian, humans in general have a nurturing quality within themselves, more so in homosexual couples.
Therefore, it would be helpful for the children growing in such households as they would be cared for in the best possible way. There have also been several first hand evidence which show that homosexual couples tend to take more care of their children as compared to heterosexual couples since they realise the social issues that they have faced for the adoption.
With time the ideologies of people are slowly changing and this has given way to the people to accept the view of same-sex adoption and therefore it has been much easier for homosexual couples to adopt children (Gates, 2015). Even though there exists higher scrutiny in such adoption as compared to homosexuals, the legal right is what makes the issue more stable for households with same-sex couples and contribute to their wish and anticipation to have a child of their own even through adoption. Flores (2014) shows the fact that there is a high level of public support for the rights of adoption for homosexual couples with a percentage of 63%. There have been changes in the attitude of the people for the concept and a legal recognition has contributed more to it.
Hence, it can be concluded that there have been many controversies regarding same-sex adoption and questions have been raised on the competency of the couples to raise the children in the right manner. Even though there is no direct denial which can be made to the homosexual couples regarding the adoption and raising of children, there exists a social stigma which makes it unacceptable to the people. The competency is questioned even though there is no set specification on the part of parenting, and the view that heterosexual couples are more able parents than homosexual couples is completely based on the view of the people and not on any scientific or logical facts.
The denial of adoption to the same-sex couples is seen also as a part of homophobia. However, the society has seen many changes due to the exposure and that has made them more acceptable of same-sex marriage and adoption. Moreover, homosexual couples are acknowledged in the society in recent times and therefore are seen as a part of the community and hence the acceptance of marriage and adoption on their part has grown.
References:
Flores, A. (2014). National trends in public opinion on LGBT rights in the United States.
Gates, G. J. (2015). Marriage and family: LGBT individuals and same-sex couples. The Future of Children, 67-87.
Gato, J., & Fontaine, A. M. (2013). Anticipation of the sexual and gender development of children adopted by same-sex couples. International Journal of Psychology, 48(3), 244-253.
Gato, J., & Fontaine, A. M. (2016). Attitudes toward adoption by same-sex couples: Effects of gender of the participant, sexual orientation of the couple, and gender of the child. Journal of GLBT Family Studies, 12(1), 46-67.
McCutcheon, J., & Morrison, M. A. (2015). The effect of parental gender roles on students’ attitudes toward lesbian, gay, and heterosexual adoptive couples. Adoption Quarterly, 18(2), 138-167.
Perry, S. L., & Whitehead, A. L. (2015). Same-sex adoption as a welfare alternative? Conservatism, neoliberal values, and support for adoption by same-sex couples. Journal of homosexuality, 62(12), 1722-1745.
Posner, R. A. (2015). Eighteen Years On: A Re-Review-The Case for Same-Sex Marriage: From Sexual Liberty to Civilized Commitment. Yale LJ, 125, 533.
Takács, J., & Szalma, I. (2013). How to measure homophobia in an international comparison?. Družboslovne razprave, 29(73), 11-42.
Whitehead, A. L., & Perry, S. L. (2016). Religion and support for adoption by same-sex couples: The relative effects of religious tradition, practices, and beliefs. Journal of Family Issues, 37(6), 789-813.
LGBT Parenting in the United States – Williams Institute.
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