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1) Re: 2009 House Bill 4131 (Allow two unmarried persons to adopt a child ) [by Educated&Employed on September 14, 2009]If you ever looked to adopt a child, you would see that there are many more male children up for adoption compared to female. If you just wanted a child to love, boy or girl, which waiting list would you choose? the one that has many (male) children available to increase your chances of getting one, or the (female) list and just hope that someday - years and years later - you might get chosen to be a parent. CrazyCajun you need to see the obvious rather than being so ignorant about adoption and homosexuals.
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Crazy.. First off I want to say, "Your Name Says It all" ! And I
often wonder how in the world you have the time to watch and post all the
opinions you have on all the topics you seem to be so well versed in.
I would hazard a guess that you are sitting in front of your
computer with absoutly nothing else to do. Yes I would bet you are on welfare,
or some form of financial assistance.
With that said, here is some justification as to why we need this legislation here in Michigan.
I was just going to post the link but I doubt you would have gone to it anyway.
Feb.
4, 2002 -- Children thrive in same-sex families, studies have shown.
Yet in most states, the co-parent -- the second parent -- is not
allowed to adopt the child. That should change, says the American
Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).
"When two adults participate in parenting
a child, they and the child deserve the serenity that comes with legal
recognition," says a statement issued by the AAP's Committee on
Psychosocial Aspects of Child and Family Health. The statement appears
in the current issue of the medical journal Pediatrics.
"The Academy supports the legal adoption
of children by co-parents or second parents," says the statement.
"Denying legal parent status through adoption ... prevents these
children from enjoying the psychologic and legal security that comes
from having two willing, capable, and loving parents."
In the statement, the committee says when the law recognizes co-parent adoption, it produces these benefits:
- It
guarantees that the second parent's custody rights and responsibilities
will be protected if the first parent were to die or become
incapacitated. - It protects the second parent's right to custody and visitation if the couple separates.
- It establishes the requirement for child support from both parents in the event of the parents' separation.
- It ensures the child's eligibility for health benefits from both parents.
- It
provides legal grounds for either parent to provide consent for medical
care and to make education, healthcare, and other important decisions
on behalf of the child. - It creates the basis for financial security for children in the event of the death of either parent.
It's time to stop looking for problems in gay and lesbian parent-child relationships,
says Ellen C. Perrin, MD, a professor of pediatrics at Tufts New
England Medical Center in Boston. Perrin served as a consultant to the
AAP committee. Her technical report also appears in this month's Pediatrics.
"There's
very clear research showing that children whose parents are gays and
lesbians are not at any disadvantage compared to children of
heterosexual parents," she tells WebMD. "They grow up like any other
kid. There are no data that suggest there is a special problem conveyed
to those children. We can feel pretty comfortable about that."
Also,
research shows that gay and straight parents have similar attitudes
toward parenting, Perrin says, adding that all parents want to do the
best they can for their children.
The
child's emotional and cognitive development -- their ability to perform
well in school and in jobs -- is just like other children, she says.
"It's indistinguishable." Children's play and friend choices and
interests are all exactly consistent with their anatomic sex," she says.
In
fact, children growing up in gay homes seem to be "more tolerant of
diversity, which is certainly of value in our multicultural society,"
Perrin tells WebMD. They also seem to develop different coping
mechanisms. "The children also seem to be less aggressive, more
nurturing at a young age -- in preschool and early elementary school.
They seem to be able to resolve conflicts in a less-aggressive way than
other children."
continued...
But
are the kids more likely to be gay? Both environment and genetics do
seem to help determine gender identity, says Perrin. However, two
long-term studies -- in which the children are now aged 30 -- show that
gay families don't produce more gay kids. While the data aren't
definitive, they "would suggest there is no difference," she tells
WebMD.
Children
of gay parents may be more likely to experiment, however. The long-term
studies show that both boys and girls indicated they would be more
willing to think about the possibility of a same-sex relationship, says
Perrin.
Allowing
co-parents to adopt is crucial, she tells WebMD. "There are legal
issues plus the emotional security of knowing they can have continuity
in their caretaking relationship."
"There's
a lot at risk," Perrin says. "If the one legally recognized parent gets
disabled or dies, the child is left out of luck. Legally and
financially, it's a very big issue. If there is a separation between
the parents, there are emotional issues. One parent -- someone that
child has known for maybe 10 years -- suddenly has no rights and the
child will never see them again. These are big issues."
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In a perfect world I suppose it would be better to place children with good heterosexual parents. However, there are certainly worse circumstances out there than having a loving gay couple raise a child. There are plenty of bad heterosexual parents and a well screened gay couple is very capable of raising a child.
Do we need this law? I don't really know enough about the adoption process to know.
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