Deanna Sorge

Professor Goodheart
Persuasive Essay
Now that gay marriage is becoming legalized throughout the United States, many LGTB
couples want to start a family and to have children of their own. According to the Urban Institute
An estimated two million GLB people are interested in adopting. As of now, twenty six out of
the fifty states allow joint gay adoption. Joint gay adoption is when two people petition to
adopt a child together at the same time. All states explicitly allow single people to petition to
adopt and married couples to petition to adopt jointly, but only very few states permit unmarried
partners to petition to adopt jointly (Family Equality Council).
Many people are still against this issue, but research has shown that more people are
staring to support this issue. Statistics have shown a rise in children living with two parents of
the same sex. In the 2000 Census Bureau approximately 65,000 children were living with same
sex parents. As of 2010 the National Resource Center for Permanency and Family Connections
reports 4% of adopted children and 3% of foster children in the United States are living with
same sex parents. Fast forward to 2012 110,000 children live with gay parents. Princeton
University conducted a survey in 2012 asking if people supported gay adoption. The results
were 53% supported gay adoption, 39% were against gay adoption, and 8% were unsure.
In 2009 President Obama stated Whether children are raised by two parents, a single
parent, grandparents, a same sex couple, or a guardian, families encourage us to do our best and
enable us to accomplish great things. This was noted to be the first mention of same sex
parenting by a president. On the other hand in Rachel Stewart's article titled A Same-Sex
couple's struggle to adopt, Bishop David J. Malloy of the Diocese of Rockford issued a letter

in which he called the state's progress toward legalizing same-sex marriage a "deplorable
misstep." He went on to cite the impact on children, "who have a right to a mother and a father.
Different opinions in circulation makes it hard for people to deal with this situation depending
on the society's.
Gay couples should have the right to adopt and foster children because gay couples
should be able feel the joy and happiness of raising a child if desired. Not only should their
happiness be taken into consideration, but other aspects such as economical costs. Letting these
adoptions occur can be used to better our society's future in the long run.
The reality is that any children should be given a stable loving home to grow up in. In a
New York Times Article Sabrina Tavernise quotes Moira Weir who expresses her feelings
towards the issue. Moira says The reality is we really need foster and adoptive parents, and it
doesnt matter what the relationship is, If they can provide a safe and loving home for a child,
isnt that what we want? Having a loving environment with openly gay parents have positive
effects mentally as well. orals on gay adoption as well as gay marriage.
Today Almost 40% of all agencies and 83% of public agencies reported making at least
one adoption placement with a lesbian or gay man. However, one-third of agencies would reject
a gay or lesbian applicant, either because of the religious beliefs guiding the agency, a state law
prohibiting placement with LGBT parents, or a policy of placing children only with married
couple (LifeLong Adoption Organization) Since every state has their own protocol on this
issue, there are many different policies. For example, New Jersey, same sex couples are
permitted to jointly petition to adopt, But in Utah and Mississippi this same sex adoption strictly
prohibited, and gay marriage is also prohibited.

Oddly in of Mississippi it is legal for a single LGBT to adopt, but it is illegal for an
LGTB couple to have a joint adoption. Gay marriage is banned, so they do not recognize gay
couples when it comes to adoption. Ed Vitagliano states in his article that We are obviously
intended to grow through childhood and enter puberty attracted to the opposite sex because
thats the only thing that makes sense of the biological design inherent in humankind. The
reason why gay adoption is banned in Mississippi is due to the fact that they are against
recognizing same sex couples as legally married. They believe it is against humankind and
unnatural.

When children have the opportunity to be put into loving homes they can be supported
and nurtured. Thousands of children aging out of foster care they are left with no family ties or
emotional support. These children can be a debt to society. A Huff Post article states that, on
average, for every young person who ages out of foster care, taxpayers and communities pay
$300,000 in social costs like public assistance, incarceration, and lost wages to a community
over that person's lifetime (Strangler) The children who are left without a family when they are
eighteen are likely to cause taxpayers to spend more money. If families of any sexual orientation
could adopt there would be less children aging out of foster homes, which leaves taxpayers
spending less money.

According to AdoptUSKids there are 140,000 children in foster care waiting to be

adopted. Research also shows that 20,000 children age out of foster care without being adopted
at all. Meanwhile the number of gay families wanting to adopt is increasing quickly. In Adoption
and Foster Care by Gay and Lesbian Parents in the United States, From the Williams Institute at

UCLA, they estimate that banning same-sex couples from fostering or adopting could displace
9,300 to 14,000 children nationwide, testing a system already strained for resources.
Research also shows that 20,000 children age out of foster care without being adopted at
all. With all of these children getting put into the system and having 20,000 aging out of foster
people may wonder how much is this costing taxpayers? Around 2010 we see that in the state of
Virginia that The aging out of foster youth in Virginia poses significant costs for Virginia
taxpayers and society at large. The annual costs for the state could reach $29.7 million in 2010,
and $8.5 million in Central Virginia. (Carol Underhill)

Studies from the Williams Institute of Law of UCLA concluded that a national ban on
GLB foster care could add $87 to $130 million to foster care system expenditures each year.
These large sums of money are quite alarming and can be easily fixed by letting Gay and Lesbian
adopt throughout the United States. The Williams Institute also found that for every foster child
adopted states save money, States also save when children are adopted because of the extra
costs of foster care.

Extra costs might include costs associated with periodic case reviews by courts,
administrative costs of case management, independent living costs, and extra health care costs.
One recent study estimated that North Carolina saved between $21,000 and $127,000 each time a
foster child was adopted. Another reason as to why lifting bans would help people
economically. If more children are adopted and out of foster care before they mature states can
save millions of dollars which results in taxpayers saving. Not only is money being saved, but
the well being of the children are as well.

The LGBT Adoption Advantage organization states that Children raised in a same-sex
household are proven more open minded about different lifestyles than children who are raised in
the traditional opposite sex households. Creating a future where adults are more open minded
will be a great step in the right direction considering more states are becoming open towards gay
marriage. In todays society the states that ban gay couples from adopting are being overpowered
by the people who want these bans to be lifted.
Sabrina Tavernise from the Times states that that discrimination still remains and that in
some conservative states, adoption agencies that serve gay families function like an underground

railroad. With people going against the ban it just goes to show how the family dynamic today
is changing drastically even in the states/people who are going against it anyway. If people are
going to rebel against the ban why not just lift it?
People who are against gay adoption need to put their opinions aside and think of the
children involved in these situations. Most of the people against these adoptions tend to be very
religious and believe that helping people is Gods Will In my opinion leaving a child stuck in
and out of foster homes is a cruel punishment that no one deserves. People who believe that this
ban should not be lifted should think about the innocent children and wanting to better their lives
so that the future of our society can thrive.

References
Adoption and Foster Care by Lesbian and Gay Parents in the United States. (n.d.).
Retrieved October 20, 2014, from http://www.urban.org/publications/411437.html
Gates, G. J. (2007). Adoption and foster care by gay and lesbian parents in the United
States. Washington, D.C.: The Urban Institute. Retrieved October 16, 2014, from
http://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/Gates-Badgett-MacomberChambers-Final-Adoption-Report-Mar-2007.pdf
James, S. D. (2013, November 06). Same-Sex Adoptions Next Frontier for LGBT
Advocates. Retrieved October 17, 2014, from http://abcnews.go.com/Health/sexadoptions-frontier-lgbt-advocates/story?id=20780309

LGBT Adoption Advantages. (n.d.). Retrieved from

http://www.lifelongadoptions.com/lgbt-adoption/lgbt-adoption-advantages
LGBT Adoption Facts. (n.d.). Retrieved October 16, 2014, from
http://www.lifelongadoptions.com/lgbt-adoption/lgbt-adoption-facts
LGBT Adoption Statistics. (n.d.). Retrieved October 16, 2014, from
http://www.lifelongadoptions.com/lgbt-adoption/lgbt-adoption-statistics
Meet the Children. (n.d.). Retrieved October 20, 2014, from
http://www.adoptuskids.org/meet-the-children
A same-sex couple's struggle to adopt. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://hub.jhu.edu/magazine/2013/fall/gay-couple-adoption
Stangler, G. (2013, July 28). Aging Out of Foster Care: The Costs of Doing Nothing
Affect Us All. Retrieved October 20, 2014, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/garystangler/aging-out-of-foster-care-_b_3658694.html
Stangler, G. (2013, July 28). Aging Out of Foster Care: The Costs of Doing Nothing
Affect Us All. Retrieved October 22, 2014, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/garystangler/aging-out-of-foster-care-_b_3658694.html
Tavernise, S. (2011, June 13). Adoptions by Gay Couples Rise, Despite Barriers.
Retrieved October 20, 2014, from
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/14/us/14adoption.html?pagewanted=all&_r=2&