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The Rainbow Clause:
Giving us the right to choose who; where; when; why; and how.
Rights, Laws, and the Gay Parent
Giving birth to, or adopting, a child is a right
that every person seems to have. I mean, all you have to do is look around
and you will see millions of families, some deserving (some not), trying
their hand at parenting. But even though parenting seems to be an inherent
right, things are not so clear cut when it comes to gay parents.
For lesbian couples, becoming parents seems
like it should be easy. All you have to do is purchase some donor sperm,
artificially inseminate and viola, you have a family. But things are not
that easy. Did you know that many sperm banks discriminate against lesbian
couples? In fact, it is not uncommon for lesbians to be turned down by sperm
banks who claim to cater their services to traditional, married, heterosexual
families only. And if you think getting donor sperm is a hassle, just think
about what happens legally to a child that is born to two female parents.
In four states, it is impermissible by law for
gay parents to adopt a child, or for a biological parent to allow a partner
of the same sex to adopt his or her child. In other states, creating a legal,
two-parent same-sex household involves completing a legal obstacle course
that may prove to be impossible.
You see, most states will allow a single person
to adopt a child. This can include gays and lesbians. But things become
complicated when a second same-sex parent is involved. Many couples have
to go through costly second-parent adoptions, or may even be denied parental
rights altogether. In worst case scenarios, families have been torn apart
when the adoptive, or biological, parent dies, or becomes unable to care
for the children. And if the child has a third legal or biological parent
who is not of the same household, things become even more complicated.
Adoption among gay males is even harder. According
to Census statistics, 34 percent of same-sex female households were raising
children, whereas only 22 percent of male gay households were raising children.
The statistics also show that certain states make it easier for gay parents.
For instance, Mississippi has the most same-sex parents with 44 percent of
lesbians parenting and 31 percent of gays parenting.
On the surface, conservatives may argue that
anti-gay adoption and parenting laws protect children from being raised in
same-sex households. But it has long been proven that children raised by
same-sex partners suffer no ill affects, and are just as emotionally and
socially adjusted as children raised in heterosexual households. And anti-gay
parenting laws may serve to only harm the children that they claim to protect.
Children of non-legally recognized gay partnerships
may face severe hardships under certain circumstances. They can be torn away
from the only family that they've known if their biological or adoptive parent
dies. They may also have limited access to government programs designed to
keep children healthy and housed. In the event that they become homeless,
these children may be turned away from public housing due to the fact that
their family unit is not recognized by government agencies. Some children
have even been taken away from a caring biological parent by a grandparent
on the basis of their sexuality.
Hardships, such as these, should never be faced
anywhere, by any child, for any reason. This is proof enough that
anti-gay parenting laws have no place in this country. or any country for
that matter.
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