However, in the United States, the Establishment Clause has created a wall between church and state, and the morality of church policies cannot impact the laws of the land. While people are free to believe that being gay is immoral or unnatural, their religious beliefs cannot and should not hamper the rights and the liberties of others, including the right to the pursuit of happiness of gay couples who regard their love as natural and good.
Another objection raised to gay adoption that is frequently cited is the idea that children will experience negative psychological consequences because they will be teased at school. But these objections could also be raised against the ability of biracial couples to wed and to have children, or simply the children of any religious or minority group who suffers persecution. The problem is not the teasing of other students, but the prejudices of society. Such prejudice and bullying must be confronted and rooted out, rather than condoned by attempting to limit the rights of gays to have children. The child of one gay male couple said "his own robust self-esteem stems from a strong relationship with his father" (Carpenter 2007).
Conservative groups also argue that it is better for children to have both a mother and a father. But while having the economic and emotional support of two parents may be extremely beneficial, this does not necessarily mean that the two parents have to be of the same gender. And not all traditional couples seek out children in the U.S. International adoption, which offers a greater likelihood of securing a desirably young baby, currently remains the preferred method for most heterosexual, Caucasian couples: 60% since its peak of nearly 23,000 in 2004. (This is partially due to the fact that birth mothers are less apt to change their minds and it is easier to find newborns abroad). Gay couples may be more willing to adopt nontraditional children if they are not given priority by adoptive services for babies, or simply because they are more willing to overlook conventional stereotypes and expectations about what a traditional family resembles (Greenblatt 2011).
The true barrier to gay adoption is not nature. It is culture. However, that culture is beginning to change, as more and more gay celebrities, such as Rosie O'Donnell are advertising the fact that they have adopted children. In the media, the fact that more gay men and women are adopting children and raising nontraditional families is also growing more prominent. And the law, in this instance, is increasingly on the side of gays and lesbians. In Florida, a law banning adoptions by gay couples was recently ruled unconstitutional. "The best interests...
Of this group. 50% were male, 50% were female, 38% were White, 35% were Black, and 16% were Hispanic. Adoption statistics are difficult to find because reporting is not as complete as it should be. The government spent $2.6 billion dollars to conduct the 1990 Census, but still it under-represented minorities and categorized children as "natural or by adoption" without differentiating, while special laws were implemented to "protect" and
771). His arguments center on the public responsibilities of marriage. He writes, "This is true because legal marriage is a public institution, created by law to promote public policy and to further social interests" (Wardle, 2001, p. 771). He goes on to state that traditional marriages foster "childrearing, economic stability, and channel sexual behavior" (Wardle, 2001, p. 771). Unfortunately, these arguments seem outmoded and irrational. If this is the
Alcohol Prohibition from 1920 to 1933 did not work. There are many parallels from this failed effort and the current laws prohibiting drugs in the United States. Alcohol prohibition was undertaken to reduce crime and corruption, solve social problems, reduce the tax burden created by prisons and poorhouses, and improve the health of Americans. According to research, alcohol consumption of alcohol fell at the beginning of Prohibition, but then it
Pedagogic Model for Teaching of Technology to Special Education Students Almost thirty years ago, the American federal government passed an act mandating the availability of a free and appropriate public education for all handicapped children. In 1990, this act was updated and reformed as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which itself was reformed in 1997. At each step, the goal was to make education more equitable and more accessible to
Italy is a cultural hub of gender identity where issues of feminism and masculinism have been deeply entrenched for many years. For centuries Italy has been considered a more masculine country, though the majority of work documented related to masculinism actually is sparse. Issues of feminism and masculinity has surfaced in the workplace, where naturally access to issues such as equal employment and technology have surfaced. Gender inequality issues in
Slave Narrative and Black Autobiography - Richard Wright's "Black Boy" and James Weldon Johnson's Autobiography The slave narrative maintains a unique station in modern literature. Unlike any other body of literature, it provides us with a first-hand account of institutional racially-motivated human bondage in an ostensibly democratic society. As a reflection on the author, these narratives were the first expression of humanity by a group of people in a society where
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