Adoption by gay couples debate

IE 11 is not supported. Search Search. According to the survey, 60 percent of the agencies accept applications from self-identified gays and lesbians, and 40 percent of the agencies have placed children with such parents. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser.

Prior to , state courts commonly barred gay and lesbian individuals from holding a parenting role, especially through adoption. In second-parent adoption, the second parent is able to legally adopt the child of their partner through an intense process of paperwork, court hearings, and home visits.

About half the agencies said they routinely informed birth parents before placing a child with a gay adoptive parent. In the United States, for example, legislation to prevent adoption by LGBT people has been introduced in many jurisdictions; such efforts have largely been defeated.

Though a majority of agencies worked with lesbians and gays, only 19 percent made specific efforts to seek them out, the survey found. [13] Major professional. In post number two we defined the practice of second-parent adoption as one of the few methods of adoption open to unmarried same-sex couples.

Attitudes vary by agency The Donaldson Institute survey did not attempt to estimate the number of children adopted by gays; instead, it surveyed adoption agencies — private and 30 public — regarding their policies. Currently, many states allow only one unmarried adult to adopt a child, even if the child will live with two adults who act as parents.

The agencies most likely to place children with homosexuals were either public, private and secular, or Jewish- and Lutheran-affiliated, the institute said. About one-fourth of the agencies said some birth parents had objected to such a placement or specifically asked that their child not be placed in a gay-led household.

NBC News Logo. Agencies that were affiliated with other religious denominations were less likely to welcome applications from gays, it said. Data for the survey was collected in and , then compiled and assessed for the adoption institute by David Brodzinsky, a psychology professor and adoption expert at Rutgers University.

Such adoptions give both parents legal rights and allow children to qualify for inheritance and other benefits from both parents. Latest Stories U. The U.S. Supreme Court legalized gay marriage nationwide in , while a series of subsequent court rulings have made adoption by same-sex couples legal in all 50 states.

Sections U. Follow NBC News. Skip to Content. This outpaces the massive cultural shift toward support for same-sex marriage in the last 20 years. Americans say same-sex couples should be legally permitted to adopt children, the first time a majority in the U.S.

has believed this. Adam Pertman, executive director of the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute, predicted the holdouts would grow fewer in number as more homosexuals try to become parents. Mississippi bans adoption by gay couples, while Utah forbids adoption by any unmarried couple, including gay couples.

In August, the American Bar Association approved a recommendation that all states and courts allow gay partners and unmarried heterosexual couples to adopt children together. The institute said agencies specializing in children with special needs or in international adoptions were relatively more open toward gays.

Officials in Florida have taken a similar stance in defending their ban. Profile My News Sign Out. Sign In Create your free profile. Good news for gay parents Overall, the institute said the findings were good news for gays who want to become parents. Florida is the only state that explicitly bans adoption by any gay person; its law is being challenged by gay foster parents backed by the American Civil Liberties Union.

The adoption of children by LGBT people is an issue of active debate.