At any given time, the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services (DCS), is caring for some 800 children who are wards of the State. The reasons that the children are in State custody are varied, but typically include abandonment by the biological parent(s) and revocation of custody when deemed in the best interest of the child. These children live in foster homes, group homes, in the homes of relatives, and in state-supported institutions.
DCS oversees the adoption of approximately 1200 children each year.
Given the difficulty in finding suitable homes for these children, I have to wonder what meaningful purpose some members of the Tennessee Legislature hope to achieve by preventing gay people from adopting children. In the 2006, 2007, and 2008 Legislative sessions, bills have been introduced in both the House and Senate restricting the ability of gay couples from adopting any of these children. Each year, the bills were killed in Committees – often by fair-minded Committee Chairs who put the needs of the children first; the needs of the children, in fact, as opposed to the personal and political agendas of the bills’ sponsors.
Study after study has shown that gay and lesbian adoptive families have an equal chance of supporting and producing successful adoptive children as their heterosexual counterparts. The commonality of wanting these children, and having the means and the desire to provide a loving, structured home life outweigh any minor differences in the make-up of the adoptive parents.
If the goal of the legislators is truly what is best for the children, they would support any efforts to further – not hinder – the adoption of children in need of a loving family.
After the failures of the gay-directed bills failed to get much traction, the 2009 Legislative session saw a new approach to the “problem”: A bill that prohibits any cohabitating (unmarried) couple from adopting. In particular, the bills mention being married as recognized by the State of
In the end, this concerted effort to ban gays from adopting, only hurts the children who are waiting for a loving home.
I agree, it seems that even though the homes of those wanting to adopt should be strictly checked out for the safety of the child they should not discriminate gay couples. Children need a home that is loving, caring, and stable and who is to say that these couples can not provide this. Yes, it is not a traditional home but who is to say what is and isnt traditional anymore? These couples deserve the exact chance as anyone else. Children could be adopted more quickly if they would give these couples the chance to provide a safe and loving home. They should have the right to that chance and for people to turn them down, like you said is only hurting the children.
ReplyDeleteI was once a ward of the state,and my reason for being a ward of the state is minor compared to other children. My mother was incarcerated, and my great-grandparents could not handle me as a teenager. But some of the children in the states care have been molested, raped, and abused by their parents. Those were suppose to be the ones that loved them most. I mean 4 and 5 year olds, molested by their father! You can not imagine the things that I witnessed. I agree with your argument whole-heartedly, especially since I am lesbian. All those kids need is someone who is going to love them, and once they understand that they will adjust to living in the unfamiliar surrounding. There was a boy, named Freddie, that lived with me in a foster home, and my foster parent ONLY did foster care for the money. He, his younger brother, and older brother were all severely molested by their father for years, while their mother watched and did nothing. My foster home was a temporary stop until they found someone to adopt them. The older and younger brother were so messed up in the head that they had to be locked up in a boys home. Freddie was found a permanent foster home with this gay guy. At first he was iffy about it, because of how his father did him, so he had to make visits to the guys home first before he just moved in. After he realized that he was not going to hurt him he moved in with no problem. Freddie was even adopted by this guy. He went on to graduate from High School with Honors, and is currently in college. Unfortunately this is not a Tennessee based story, I am from Des Moines, Iowa. Hopefully one day Tenneesee will recognize gay/lesbian adopotion.
ReplyDeleteChildren deserve to be in loving and nurturing environments.(PERIOD) All too often we put qualifiers on terms and situations that limit and prohibit such as gay and lesbian couples being able to adopt. The ideal of two parent households have been rooted in the providing of gender roles and posturing instead of the true reason two parent households are needed and that is for the better availability of financial, emotion, and time resources. It is time that we stick to the only qualifers that really matter when raising a child and that is love with a positive and nurturing environment.
ReplyDeleteAmerica was founded on a religious paradigm that has lasted for hundreds of years. In oder to be equitable, the founding fathers devised a plan to separate church and state; however, prejudices and biases have tainted this model with a more conservative approach against lesbians and gays and their "inherent" rights. The forced conservative ideology upon Gays and Lesbians can be juxtaposed with the founding fathers plight for their freedoms. To deny gays and lesbians the right to love a child, would dim the light on the hill of American principles.
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