Gay adoption, also known as same-sex adoption, is the legal adoption of a minor by two parents of the same gender. Depending on state mandates, the parents may be domestic partners or legally married. One of the parents may also be the biological parent of the child. While gay adoption is controversial, it may have both personal and economic benefits.
Empathy
Children whose parents are of lesbian or gay sexual orientation may have more sensitivity for social differences and feel less constrained by gender-based stereotypes, notes the journal American Sociological Review. Researchers from the University of Southern California reviewed 21 studies on gay parenting that extended back to the 1980s. They concluded that the sexual orientation of parents had no measurable difference on the quality of parent-child relationships or the mental health of the children.
Development
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), research has shown that children of homosexual and heterosexual parents have the same emotional, cognitive and social abilities. Moreover, legal recognition of gay adoption can provide serenity to the child, the AAP notes, by acknowledging that the parents are both stable and formally recognized.
Work Benefits
Children who are legally adopted by gay parents may have access to work-related health benefits. According to the Human Rights Campaign, nearly half of all Fortune 500 companies now offer domestic partner benefits, most of which insure dependent children. Corporate-level acceptance of gay parenting can empower individuals working for smaller companies to request comparable benefit, notes USA Today.
Societal Benefits
Gay adoptive parents are willing to use the resource of the public child welfare system, where there are many children in need of permanent homes, notes the Child Welfare League of America. Moreover, legal adoption of these children removes them from the welfare system, thereby reducing their burden on local taxpayers.
References
- NARTH: Gay Parenting Does Affect Children Differently, Study Finds
- American Academy of Pediatrics: Coparent or Second-Parent Adoption by Same-Sex Parents
- Psychiatric News: Pediatricians Support Adoption by Gay Partners
- USA Today: Gay parents cheer a benefit revolution
- Child Welfare League of America: Gay Adoption
