In the last decade the ever changing face of the American family “has seen a sharp rise in the number of lesbians and gay men forming their own families through adoption, foster care, artificial insemination and other means” (“Fact Sheet”). With over 500,000 children in foster care nationally and 100,000 currently in need of adoption, the United States faces a critical shortage in the number of adoptive parents. Homosexual couples hoping to start families look towards adoption to make their dream a reality, but in many states this is a dream that will never be realized. There are currently 22 states that allow gay adoption, but states like Florida, Utah and Mississippi continue to deny homosexuals the opportunity to adopt. Opponents of gay adoption argue that allowing children to be adopted by homosexual couples puts them at risk of sexual abuse and disadvantages them by placing them in a morally corrupt environment. They offer other arguments such as children who come from homes with homosexual parents will suffer from taunting and prejudice, and “gay parents will turn their own children gay” (“Fact Sheet”), while organizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics and

Ninety percent of child abuse is committed by heterosexual men. In one study of 269 cases of child sexual abuse, only two of the offenders were gay or lesbian. Of the cases studied involving molestation of a boy by a man, 74 percent of the men were or had been in a heterosexual relationship with the boy’s mother or another female relative. (“Fact Sheet”).

There are many arguments in the much-debated topic of gay adoption. What is not up for debate is that there are half a million children in foster care and over 100,000 of those children are in need of adoption. What is also not up for debate is there are people in the gay community who would love the opportunity to give these children a good home but are denied because of their sexual orientation. Research destroys the claims that the opponents of gay adoption put forth such as, a child with homosexual parents suffers a greater risk of molestation, homosexuals are incapable of being good parents, and the ridiculous claim that children with homosexual parents will grow to be homosexual adults. Whether you are for or against gay adoption, the question that should be foremost in your mind is “What is in the best interest of the child?” In my opinion, the real perversion in this matter is that so much emphasis is put on an applicants sexual orientation and so little emphasis is given to the fact that there are half a million children who are in need of a home. This is not a matter of just providing a roof over a child’s head. It is my belief that there are no fundamental differences between a homosexual or heterosexual parent. I say judge each person based on his or her ability to provide a loving, stable foundation in which the child will grow. It is with this in mind that I feel homosexuals should be given the opportunity to adopt without prejudice of their sexual orientation.

Opponents of gay adoption claim that putting a child in a home with homosexual parents will put them at risk both physically and morally. Opponents of gay adoption claim gays and lesbians are more likely to molest their children. The fact of the matter is, there is no connection between homosexuality and pedophilia and legitimate scientific evidence supports this. In a recent article published by the American Civil Liberties Union, it was found that:

If Heather has two mommies but Mommy No.2 can’t adopt her, she’s worse off than a child with two legally recognized parents. As the Human Rights Campaign Foundation notes, if she (Heather) gets sick, Mommy No.2’s health insurance may not cover her. If the second mother dies, she won’t be eligible for Social Security survivor benefits, as other children are, and she may inherit nothing. If her biological mother dies, she may be removed from the only home she knows and placed so

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