Adoption of children by same sex couples
Gay married couples is a very recent issue in the country of Mexico and it has been ruled in favor just a few months ago in Mexico city. Few days after that approval, these couples have also gotten the right to adopt children, arising with this a lot of concerns and disagreements within different sectors of the population. However, there is more to consider than just two or three points of view. I am in favor of adoption in general and I believe that adoption by same sex couples can do more good than harm and in the next lines I will explain why I believe this.
Opponents to this idea claim that children that grow up with two dads or two moms may get confused and get the wrong idea of what a traditional family is and the role of each one of the members. If the idea of a traditional family is still based on the macho man who does his will at home and mistreats the woman, then there are plenty of changes that could take place in a gay couple’s home that can be different from a traditional home. For example, would there be a man mistreating another man? Or would a woman beat up the other one? Times change and this type of home might represent a good change for the children that will have the opportunity to be adopted which the ones that are begotten by a heterosexual couple don’t have.
They also claim that by observing this type of couple, the child will actually become gay, but if we consider this as a valid claim, then how can we explain the fact that guys who come from a normal heterosexual couple become gays? Or what happens with the children that become murderers and kidnappers? Is it because of what they saw at home and they are imitating? The point is that there is not enough evidence to prove the influence of what you see with what you become. To a certain extent they are right, our environment influences us, but studies have shown that people who have declared themselves as gays have recognized to have had those preferences during their whole lives, which tells us that they are born that way, one more reason to reject the idea about how living with a same sex couple influences the children.
The Supreme Court in Mexico (Mexico: Landmark adopting ruling for same sex couples, 2010) argues that: “Our concern should be in the best interest of the child which is to have a loving family regardless of the sexes of the family members”. Some people may disagree with this idea but I wonder if they have taken the time to look around their own city and find out how many children are awaiting in orphanages for someone who cares and wants them. LGBT couples (Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) are just asking for an opportunity to show that it is time to give the next step and give the children that life they are dreaming of having. Would it be perfect? Of course not, but that is not guaranteed in a heterosexual couple either.
There is still a long way to go for same sex couples in many areas. In adopting they are gaining some ground as they already did in Mexico City but the rest of the country will be more difficult to open to this issue. Opponents to granting adoptions to gay people will keep working on finding arguments that support their beliefs but as they do that, there are others that will also be willing to offer help and support to make things as fair as possible. Prejudice should not interfere in guaranteeing family rights (Mexico: Landmark… 2010) so, are those who are against this matter really worried about the best well being of the children or is it just prejudice speaking up for them? It would be interesting to find out.
