...HEAD: SAME SEX ADOPTION-AN ETHICAL DILEMMA Same Sex Adoption- An Ethical Dilemma The topic of homosexual equality is a very controversial one for many people; from legalizing gay marriage to inequality in the workplace. Homosexual adoption is another issue that is overlooked by many. The view of a happy and healthy family in the United States has always been looked at as a traditional mother, father, 2.5 kids a dog and a goldfish and that the child’s wellbeing is determined by having a good, strong mother and a father to teach and guide their children to be the best they can be. However, what about the opposite? Many same-sex couples are ready and willing to adopt and have a family of their own, but many states have laws in place that ban same-sex couples from being able to adopt. This ban on same-sex adoption leaves thousands of children without families in the foster care system or in unstable households where they will never reach their full potential. Currently, there are 130,000 children in the foster care system without a permanent family (Ryan, Averett, & Nalavany, 2009). Giving same-sex couples the opportunity to adopt could lessen the load and give more children loving, healthy, and happy permanent families. As of today, 24 states recognize same-sex marriage and only 19; including Washington DC permit same-sex couples to jointly adopt; which allows a couple to adopt a child at the same time. 13 states permit second-parent adoption and 6...
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...Should Same Sex Couples Have the Same Adoption Rights as Heterosexual Couples? Krystal Davis COM/220 March 13, 2012 Barbara Plyler Should Same Sex Couples Have the Same Adoption Rights as Heterosexual Couples? In 2008, President Barack Obama stated there are too many children who need loving parents to deny one group of people adoption rights (eQuality, 2005). A child will benefit from a healthy, loving home, whether the parents are gay or not (eQuality, 2005). With that statement in 2008 from the individual who holds the most powerful authority in the United States, why are gay and lesbian couples today still battling adoption laws? When in fact while trying to adopt and raise children a couple’s sexual orientation should not be a factor. Homosexuals should not have to battle or circumvent adoption laws. The American family does not look the same as it did 30 years ago; therefore the adoption laws should not be the same either. Consequently, the adoption laws for some states are changing as the world evolves and realizes that a child’s well-being is more important than his or her parent’s sexual preferences. Currently, gay and lesbian couples are prohibited from adopting in only two states, Utah and Mississippi (Tavernise, 2011). Equally important is the exclusion on marriage and equal parenting rights for both parents. Some same sex households face the inequality in parental rights when children are included from previous heterosexual relationships...
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...13, 2014 Same-Sex Adoption Throughout the past few years, the subject of same-sex adoption has been caught in the crosshairs, due to the fact that it is a particularly controversial topic. Many people have the idea that a child cannot be raised properly without the traditional upbringing of both a man and a woman as parents. While the traditional form of parenthood is great, a same-sex couple can also sufficiently raise a child to become a moral, strong individual. Though many people believe that same-sex couples are unfit parents, many statistics actually contradict this belief. Same-sex couples are usually guaranteed to love a child, due to the fact that it is not as easy to become parents as it is for heterosexual couples, and the fact that there is not usually an ’oops’ factor for same-sex couples. As well as guaranteed love and acceptance, same-sex couples are usually older, more formally educated, and have more economic resources than heterosexual couples. This allows them to provide an optimal developmental environment. Same-sex couples can also provide several foster children loving homes. Foster care can be extremely difficult on kids of any age. “More than 500,000 children are in foster care in the United States. Most of these children have been the victims of repeated abuse and prolonged neglect and have not experienced a nurturing, stable environment during the early years of life”. Foster care can close doors on opportunities, though same-sex adoption can help...
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...Adoption has help many couples start a family. Although there has been many ups and downs for couples during the process, some recent main issues have been rather same sex couples should have the right to adopt and start and family, and also rather race should be a consideration when a couple is adopting a child. While many argue that same sex couples shouldn’t adopt and that race should be a consideration when adopting, I believe same sex couples should be give the opportunity to adopt and start a family as well as to how race shouldn’t be a consideration when adopting. Adoption affects many children in different ways. Rather it being of their different race or because they have same sex parents. Although for some it might not affect them...
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...and the creation of a home full of love. According to Opposing Viewpoints, adoption is the process of taking legal responsibility for the care and protection of a child that is not one’s own by birth. Same-sex couple adoption should be allowed based upon the following principles: a number of same-sex couples looking to adopt or have already, same-sex parents fail to negatively impact the children, and same-sex relationships feature the same basic components and desires as heterosexual relationships. It is imperative to children who are in the position to be adopted for LGBT families to have the legal ability to...
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...Allison Rousseau Mrs. Bristol English 10, 6th hour 2 December 2016 Who has the right to adopt? Same sex couples should be allowed to adopt children because the discrimination of them is taking potential parents away from orphans. The children in foster homes obviously want parents, and they same sex couples looking to adopt obviously want children. The solution is simple, but biases and invalid concerns are stopping the government and adoption agencies from seeing it. The sexuality of an adult will not matter to children who don’t have parents, they just want somewhere to call home. Children are not born judgemental they are raised to be judgemental. There is not a single baby in the world who would reject parents because...
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...Gay adoption is the adoption of children by same sex couples. Based on this topic, I’d like to look into the question “Are children adopted by gay parents more likely to have the psychological problem?” And the thesis I stated is that gay couples are able to provide a warm and normal environment for adopted children to grow up. I want to focus on this topic from the current situation of gay adoption, gay couples are capable of raising children and children adopted by gay parents are the same as those who born in heterosexual families. Nowadays, the homosexual people are coming into public view and are accepted by more and more people. It has attracted much concern to improve and protect their rights, such as the Gay-Right Movement which refers...
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...acceptable ‘alternative’ lifestyle,’” Blount wrote. “A day is fast approaching when North Carolina will have to deal with the issue of same sex marriage.” This phrase is written across dozens of newspapers, journals, and websites. All you have to do is simply go to yahoo, type in gay marriage in North Carolina and thousands of results come up. Now you may think at first that most of these websites or links may just be talking about the approaching topic, but you would be baffled by what you actually do find. In my case the first time I searched the topic of gay marriage in this state, I was at a loss for words when the first 500 results were all against gay marriage. Such titles as “support traditional marriage” and “nogaymarriage.com” where some of the first I saw. You would have to rummage around through thousands of results before finding one moderate website that could actually tell you what was going on without putting in their own input. Gay marriage, in my opinion should be allowed. There is no strong reason for why homosexuals cannot be married. People should drop all of the political jargon and realize how they would feel if someone told them they could not marry the person they loved just because they were heterosexual. It’s easier to understand once the shoe is one the other foot. One argument heard is that same sex marriages will take away from the founding of marriages everywhere. Not to be funny, but that has been taking away centuries ago. With 57% of...
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...don't know, and “God loves all his children" is somehow forgotten, but we paraphrase a book written thirty-five-hundred years ago” (Haggerty & Lewis). Same sex marriage has been a hot topic in the United States for a very long time. This issue is highly important because marriage is a human right and it a basic moral that all should know. Many people are against gay marriage because according to many right wing conservatives being gay is a choice and that it is against what we learn from the bible. Same sex marriage should be legalized in every state in the United States because it is a basic human right, it shows family values and anti- discrimination, will increase children adoption rates and same sex marriage will also bring financial benefits. Gay marriage should be legal in the United States because it is a basic human right. Although conservatives will continue to debate the issues of gay rights and same sex marriages for years to come, there has been many improvements. Many individuals that oppose gay marriage will “come to understand the fundamental injustice of subjecting gay and lesbian Americans to their own form of Jim Crow rather than sharing in equal rights for all” (Lampo). There is no different from what this nation did to African Americans during the Civil rights movement, to what we are doing to same-sex couples today, not allowing them to get marries. Recognized federal civil rights law in the United States is grounded in the U.S. Constitution as interpreted...
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...Alijoski Professor Osborne WRT 101 21 October 2012 Signify Our Wedding Ring In today’s world, many controversial issues are discussed such as abortion, prostitution, and homosexuality. Same sex marriage has been debated in various countries for many years. This issue brings wide concern to moral and human rights. In earlier times, same-sex marriages were evidential tolerated in parts of Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt as shown in artifacts found. The Western world was known for being very accepting of same-sex relationships and unions, which is revealed in Greek paintings. People who are against gay marriage primarily focus on the moral aspect of gay marriage. Supporters of gay marriage think about same-sex couples and the positive effects it can have on them and our society. Gay marriage should be legalized in all states because it is their civil right, it increases family value which leads to an increasing rate in adoption, and same sex marriages stimulate the economy through financial increase. People who are non-supporters of gay marriage believe it goes against the moral and definition of marriage. In Market Watch magazine (2008), many people believe that gay marriages destroy the value of family and tradition. Furthermore, same sex marriage completely goes against major religions such as Catholicism and Islam. However, people do not realize that civil and religious marriages are distinct and separated. Joe Solmoneses, the president of the Human...
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...Same-Sex Marriage and Its Affect on Society April 9, 2011 Same-Sex Marriage and Its Affect on Society Gay marriage is a highly controversial topic that has caused violence, tears, confusion, debate, and unhappiness, and action towards the gay equality movement. The United States stresses how everyone is equal and everyone has the same rights, but if that were true, why are gays and lesbians not allowed to get married. In the recent years, the concept of same-sex marriage has become quite the controversial issue. Many lawsuits, law amendments, and debates of occurred because of this issue. It has not only caused pain to those who are affected by these laws, but it has caused hatred for both those who are affected and those who believe that same-sex marriage should not happen. There are many benefits to same-sex marriages. Same-sex marriage decreases the risk of sexually transmitted diseases amongst the gay community, increases adoptions, and is all about love; therefore same-sex marriages should be legalized. Gays and lesbians have been fighting hard for equality for many years now. Before the fight for same-sex marriage came about, discrimination against homosexuals was the current war that is still in process. In its earlier years, being gay was unacceptable. People had to hide who they truly were in order to avoid being beaten or bullied. During and after the wild 1960s, a lot of people were sleeping with multiple partners and even groups. This led to gays and lesbians...
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...“Same-Sex Marriage and the Civil Rights Movement” Shelby Atkinson COM/170 April 27, 2015 Vanessa D. Hayden “Same-Sex Marriage and the Civil Rights Movement” Is the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s and the fight for same-sex marriage the same? African Americans fought discrimination and unfair treatment, segregation and hate for being who they were. Same-sex couples are doing the same thing, now in fighting for equality, rights, and liberties that America owes them all. Same-sex couples may not have been enslaved, but doesn’t that mean same-sex couples don't feel hurt all the same by not being allowed to be with someone they love or in danger because of it. Just because they didn't endure the years of hardship that African Americans doesn't mean same-sex couples don't have their fair share of discrimination for extremely illegitimate reasons. It boils down to people’s blatant fear of change and allowing anything new to blossom. Marriage equality is the same fight as the Civil Rights Movement because it will benefit everyone, end discrimination, and make a better future for our country. Marriage equality will benefit everyone like the Civil Rights Movement did in the 1960’s. Federal, state, and local government will benefit the same ways it did after the Civil Rights Movement. There are 1,138 benefits, rights, and protections available to married couples, but not to same-sex couples until marriage equality is approved everywhere. Marriage equality will create opportunities...
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...Estate Planning for Same Sex Couples I. Introduction The benefits of marriage are unavailable to same-sex couples. Moreover, outdated intestacy statutes fail to recognize the close family bond between same-sex partners. Moreover, most intestacy laws discriminate against same-sex couples in that gay or lesbian relationships are generally considered invalid for the purposes of distributing the estate of a deceased partner who dies without a will. Accordingly, in order to reap inheritance and tax benefits that are automatically afforded to traditional married couples, these same-sex couples must rely on extensive and creative legal planning. There are several tools that provide solutions to this issue. Contract based estate planning techniques are the most commonly used tools for distributing a decedent’s property at death. Though the following planning mechanisms provide certain advantages, they are also accompanied by various disadvantages. II. Wills A will is an instrument by which a person directs dispositions of property to take effect upon death. It is the only document that allows a decedent’s probate assets to pass testate to persons of his or her choosing as opposed to passing via the strict laws of intestacy, under which the surviving partner would receive nothing. Even in the presence of strategies used to avoid probate such as intervivos trusts, wills are an essential precautionary measure to demonstrate the intent to pass property outside of probate, to...
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...discusses and defends the argument that same-sex couples should be granted the right to adopt. Although every state in the United States has recently passed laws allowing these types of adoption to take place, many people still oppose and protest against it. As this controversial topic grows even more evident, it's important for people to realize the facts and statistics of homosexual couples adopting in order for them to consciously pick a side to agree with. This paper will present you with three valid reasons on why these parents should be treated equally, along with details to support them. Keywords: adoption, homosexual couples, human rights Adoption Rights for Same-Sex Couples To quote Anne Hathaway, “Love is a human experience, not a political statement.” Why then, is love often restricted by the laws of a state or...
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...Same Sex Marriage Recently the discussion of same sex marriage has been a hot topic in both the political and religious arenas. This controversial issue has caused many citizens to take a solid stance on same sex marriages based on his or her morals, beliefs, and viewpoints. Popular reasons that citizens considered when deciding their stance are civil rights, religion, parenting, and financial matters. This paper will break down the pros and cons of each of the reasons listed and attempt to come to a conclusion of should same sex marriages be legalized in the state of Californians. Civil Rights The Constitution of the United States was written in 1776, which during that time there were no gender specifications noted pertaining to the recognition of a legal marriage. Same sex marriage debate is so large that in 1996, President Bill Clinton signed for the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which clarified that marriage is between a man and woman. The main reason gay and lesbian couples are fighting hard to legalize same sex marriage is so those couples will be allowed to and benefit from the same government, financial, and legal stances as heterosexuals marriages. Several states allow partnerships or civil union for same sex couples, however, they are denied certain rights given to heterosexual couples (National Conference of State Legislatures, 2013). Because of the growing debate of same sex marriages, President Obama administration said that it would no longer defend...
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