Imagine not having a real family. Imagine being shuffled from place to place and not having your own place to call home. That is how it is for thousands of children every year in America. There are so many children that need permanent homes and do not have them. So many children go without love, and there are ways to prevent that. One way, which a lot of states do not allow, is the adoption of children by same sex couples. "While only a few states outright deny adoption to same sex couples, many have laws that are made to prohibit adoption by same sex couples" (Hoover). So many states make it very difficult for same sex couples to adopt children, or simply do not allow it at all. These laws needs to change so more children will have a chance at experiencing love. 

Same sex adoption is one topic I am very passionate about. One reason is because I do not understand the need to get in other people's business. I believe everybody should live and let live. It should not matter what someone else chooses to do with their life as long as they are not hurting anyone else. What is the harm in allowing a kind, healthy, and happy same sex couple to adopt a child in need? By doing this, the couple is able to have a child, which is something that is difficult for a same sex couple. Additionally, a child in need is given a home and a family that will love him or her.  Another reason I am so passionate about this topic is because I have a gay uncle. He was originally married to a woman and has four daughters from that first marriage. After he came out, he and his wife had a mutual civil divorce that ended with them being friends. Just because my uncle came out as gay did not make him any different as a father than he already was. He still treated his daughters in the same loving way he always had. Same sex couples are no worse parents than opposite sex couples, especially since there are plenty of children out there that have two straight parents that treat them horribly. A person's parental abilities should not be based on their sexuality.  That is not what makes a good or bad parent. A person that wants to be a parent needs to be able to demonstrate responsibility and care for their child unconditionally. A parent also needs to be able to provide their child with one essential thing, love.  

Some people believe that adoption should not be allowed at all. "This paradigm (a married man and women and their biological children) posits blood ties as the most powerful bond between people" (Godsoe). People think that parents that adopt their children do not have as much love for them because they do not share blood. When it comes to family, sharing blood is such a trivial matter. People, hopefully, do not share blood with a spouse and they are still considered family. So I do not see why children, to some people, are not considered family just because they do not share blood with their parents. Love is a beautiful thing and is something that we, as human beings, are extremely fortunate to be capable of. Love is something we are lucky enough to give and receive. We are supposed to love thy neighbor, and most certainly love our friends and family. Even though a good amount of families are related by blood, there are plenty of loving families that do not share blood. Most people also probably have people in their life not in their family, whether it be friends or other people, which they love and care for deeply. I believe parents who have adopted their children are some of the most loving parents of all because they chose to have a child, while some parents accidentally get pregnant and do not want the child. Choosing to bring a child into your home, which more often than not could be from another country that is completely unfamiliar to the parents, is a huge sign of love and compassion. 

Many people think that children raised by same sex parents do not do well in life. They believe that the children have a lot of emotional issues and they do not know how to have a real relationship. "There are strong indications that children raised by same sex couples fair less well than children raised in stable homes with a mother and a father" (Fitzgibbons). However, there is no extensive research on how children raised by same sex parents compare to children raised by opposite sex parents. No study has been done about the long term affects for these situations. If we really want to know how and if it affects children to be raised by same sex parents as opposed to opposite sex parents, there needs to be a long term study done showing the affects. 

It is hard to get valid research on situations like same sex adoption. "The problem with social scientific research is that the methodology and the assumptions of the researchers often shape the outcomes" (Burk). If people being interviewed know what they are being interviewed about, then it may change their answers. If they are biased one way or the other it could change a lot about the way they respond. Also, if the researchers are biased one way or the other it could drastically skew the results. In social science experiments and research it is very hard to get completely unbiased results. A researcher or interviewer that is biased one way or another will present results that favor with their side and disregard the other results. The other results could very well be crucial to the study, but will remain unknown if the person in charge decides not to share these results. 

With that being said, there has been some very positive research regarding children raised by same sex couples. "Existing research finding suggest that home environments provided by lesbian and gay parents are as likely as those provided by heterosexual parents to support and enable psychosocial growth among family members." (Patterson) The fact that this says "suggests" instead of using a word like "shows" means they do not want to say for sure whether or not this is true. They are being more realistic about their research, instead of just assuming something they say that it could be possible. 

Some people think same sex couples view adopting children the same way as owning something. "Children are, to gays and secularists, mere chattel or possessions" (Klar). I believe it is the complete opposite. Same sex couples have chosen to have a child and have to go through an extensive process to get one. The author of this piece did not base this off any research. This is simply an opinion. He posed his entire article as argumentative, however he did not have any research to back it up. Also, why is a straight couple adopting a child any different than a gay couple adopting a child? Why are same sex couples considered possessive and not straight couples? It is time for people to ignore the stereotypes that are extremely old-fashioned and come to accept people for who they are.

One important reason to allow same sex couples to adopt is because they are more willing to adopt children that are not as likely to be adopted. "Many gay and lesbian families are interested in adopting and willing to adopt children and are often open to accepting the harder to place children such as those who are older" (Averett, Nalavany, Ryan). This is very important because the majority of families looking to adopt a child want a child that was just recently born or for the most part under the age of five. For instance, there are multiple children in the age range of ten to fifteen that are in need of a family but will have a hard time getting adopted due to the fact that so many families want younger children.  Because same sex couples have a harder time adopting, they are more likely to adopt children that have extensive medical needs or other factors that makes it hard for them to be adopted. This provides an opportunity of a loving family that children in need may not have otherwise.  

One thing that none of the sources that are against same sex couples adopting mention is single parents. Many children are being raised by just their mother or just their father and they turn out fine. In an article from the Huffington Post called "A Gay Couple Opens Up about Building Their Beautiful Family", by James Nichols, a gay couple shares how they were able to adopt a child. One of the men tells about his upbringing. He talks about his mom being a single mother. "Manny's Mom assumed the roles of both mother and father for a time, and life was good. She likely showed him how each parent can embody either parenting role  --  an early lesson that shaped his own parenting abilities" (Nichols). If a child only has one parent then that means they are without a mom or a dad. Saying that a child needs both a mother and a father in order to have a proper upbringing would be like saying a child that has a single parent, whether it be a mother or a father, needs another family with a mother and a father to take care of them. There are so many single parents throughout the world that are excellent parents and raise amazing children. These single parents often need multiple jobs to provide for their child. This means the parents may not be around as much or may not be as financially stable since they are on their own. Regardless of this, they work their hardest and put their child first and foremost. If these single parents are capable of raising great children, why is a gay family unable to do the same? James 

Many adoption agencies are in favor of same sex couples adopting children. 

A nationwide survey of adoption agencies was conducted to examine their policies, practices, and attitudes with regard to lesbian and gay prospective adoptive parents. A total of 214 questionnaires were received, representing a return rate of 26 percent. Sixty-three percent of respondents indicated that their agency accepted applications from lesbian and gay individuals, and nearly 38 percent indicated that their agency had made at least one adoption placement with a lesbian or gay adult during the two-year period understudy. Attitudes and practices regarding adoption by lesbian and gay individuals varied as a function of the religious affiliation (if any) of the agency, the type of children the agency predominantly placed for adoption, and the gender of the respondent. Overall, the results reveal that, while policies, practices, and attitudes vary across agencies, many adoption professionals are willing to work with lesbian and gay prospective parents, and, in fact, a substantial number have experience in doing so. (Brodzinsky, Patterson, Vaziri). 

What is important for adoption agencies to consider when finding a couple to adopt a child is the couple's parenting abilities. It would be wrong for agencies to make their decision based on things such a religion, race, political status, etc. so how a couple identifies their relationship should not be a factor. A couple should of course be in decent financial standing because they will need to provide for a child. Also, the couple needs to be loving, caring, and responsible. 

Children of same sex couples often do not see anything wrong with their families. Most children think it is perfectly normal to have two moms or two dads. "If one mom is away, you always have another one to cuddle" (Beadle-Blair). This is a quote from a little girl in a video where she is talking about having two moms. Children think this way because no one has had the opportunity to change their views about the world.

One of the main reasons people are against same sex adoption is because of their religious views. Some religions are against homosexual people in general, and that includes same sex adoption. However, in America, we were founded on freedom and the right to believe whatever you want to believe. We should not have laws against people, especially when they are because of certain religious views.  There are a huge number of children, not only in the United States, but throughout the world that are in need of adoption. These children would consider themselves fortunate to have the opportunity to be a part of a loving family, regardless of if the couple is gay or straight. Considering gay marriage has been legalized recently, there will be more gay couples. These couples will most likely want to start a family at some point in time. Since there will always be children in need of adoption, this increase in married gay couples allows for an increase in couples that will adopt children. It is essential for our society to begin to learn how to accept the new definition of a relationship. A relationship is no longer strictly between a man and a woman. Unfortunately, gay couples are still waiting for the world to accept them and acknowledge their existence in society. Once the world does this, the next step will be accepting families run by gay parents. There is not much that can be done legally to change the way society views gays. There is however, actions that can be taken to help this process. Adoption agencies can start by allowing gay couples to adopt children. By adoption agencies doing this, they are skipping the step of acceptance of the gay couple and going right to accepting gay couples with families. With more gay couples being able to start families, people will have no choice but to accept gays as equal members of society.  For those against gay adoption, would you rather children live in an orphanage their whole life than have the opportunity to live their life with a loving family? What is the harm in two people reaching out their hearts and sharing their home with a child in need? Many children need homes, and there are people willing to provide those loving homes. This is why same sex couples should be allowed to adopt children. 

