Gay Adoption

[fragmentsofdreams]

Originally posted by coastie
In response to that statement, I'd like to see some figures on how many heterosexual parents have been on waiting lists to adopt.

this is an statement from adoptionservices.org regarding the waiting:





Now I don't have any hard numbers on adoptions, but I can tell you that there is no shortage of people wanting to adopt. As a matter of fact there are two couple in my church on a waiting list, and I know several adoptees and families that have adopted.

The correlation between abortion and outlawing gay adoption is non-substantiated as far as my research has taken me.

As your source indicates, people want a healthy, caucasion infant. The number of people willing to adopt older children, children with special needs, and children of different races is much lower. That is why it takes so little time to adopt them.

Also, if more people chose adoption rather than abortion, the number of children available for adoption would increase.

 

[seebs]

There are a lot of couples waiting for babies - but there are even more babies waiting for couples. Gay parents are, predictably enough, often much more willing to deal with "non-standard" children.

 

[coastie]

Originally posted by fragmentsofdreams
As your source indicates, people want a healthy, caucasion infant. The number of people willing to adopt older children, children with special needs, and children of different races is much lower. That is why it takes so little time to adopt them.

Also, if more people chose adoption rather than abortion, the number of children available for adoption would increase.

Well, that's a good point. I guess you read that however you wanted, however, keep in mind that the waiting list is still a few months even for children of other races and such.

However, my post was regarding the the contention that people should have MORE abortions so that there weren't so many kids waiting to be adopted... as it stands, that isn't the case now, and there is no reason to suspect that that will be the case in the future.

If you want to argue on an ethical stand point, that would probably be a better approach, because previous statements regarding too many elgible adoptees is unsubstatiated thus far.

Zach

 

[coastie]

Originally posted by seebs
There are a lot of couples waiting for babies - but there are even more babies waiting for couples. Gay parents are, predictably enough, often much more willing to deal with "non-standard" children.

Thanks Seebs, I've been looking for statistics going either way and I cannot find any.

Where'd you get this info? I'd like to read more about it.

 

[stillsmallvoice]

Hi all!

Hmm...here in Israel, all domestic adoptions are (by law) under the sole & exclusive jurisdiction of the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare's Child Welfare Service (US-style private adoptions are very illegal here). DW & I went through a lengthy screening process before we received our eldest boy (Yohanan; means "God has been gracious" in Biblical Hebrew; it's the original form of "John" in all its derivations) back in May 1997 (when he was 4 months old) & our youngest boy (Naor; means "has been made light" or "enlightened") in November 2000 (when he was a wee 2.5 weeks). As was explained to us again & again, the CWS is the Child Welfare Service & their sole concern in placing children is the welfare & interests of the child. It is the CWS's working assumption that the welfare of the children in their care is best served by stable, married, heterosexual parents. Yes, unmarried heterosexual couple could be good parents. Yes, homosexual couples could be good parents. Yes, single adults (of whatever sexual orientation) could be good parents. But this is not the focus of the CWS's concern. Thus, the CWS will place infants only with married couples who meet age, financial & other requirements. Single-parents are eligible for children who, for whatever reason, are hard to place.

Anyone else out there an adopted parent?

Be well!

ssv

 

[wildernesse]

coastie,

Where I grew up, (near columbus, Ga) there are public service announcements with children (not babies) who need to be adopted. The news anchor tells the audiences something about the child and that they need to be adopted. If there was such a wait, why have commercials for children? I think that's incredibly sad.
--tibac

 

[coastie]

tibac---

You know I don't get it... I didn't make this stuff up... and I'm asking for statistics so that I can form a more informed opinion regarding the needs of adoption, but all I get is statements with no hard facts.

Seriously, it's not that I don't believe you, and I'm really trying not to form a premature opinion here... I just want to see some numbers.

Good grief!

Zach

 

[fragmentsofdreams]

Originally posted by coastie
Well, that's a good point. I guess you read that however you wanted, however, keep in mind that the waiting list is still a few months even for children of other races and such.

However, my post was regarding the the contention that people should have MORE abortions so that there weren't so many kids waiting to be adopted... as it stands, that isn't the case now, and there is no reason to suspect that that will be the case in the future.

If you want to argue on an ethical stand point, that would probably be a better approach, because previous statements regarding too many elgible adoptees is unsubstatiated thus far.

Zach

However, special needs children and older children can be adopted without any waiting time.

I agree, the abortion commet was off the wall.

 

[fragmentsofdreams]

According to http://www.lethimstay.com/ there are 3,400 children in foster care waiting for adoption in Florida.

 

[fragmentsofdreams]

In order to make a case about why one group should be excluded automatically from consideration about adoption is to show that the best potential parents from that group are inferior to the worst parents accepted from other groups.

Let's look at an example which is fairly objective. The army does not allow women to fight on the ground partially on the premise that women physically inferior fighters. However, they should allow women to take the same tests as men. Less women might pass than men, but the women who do pass will be as capable as any man who passes. Looking at height requirements as an example, since women are shorter on average than women, a smaller percentage of women would pass this test than men, but many women would still pass.

In the same way, adoption should look at the relevent qualifications rather than saying that people are automatically excluded many qualified parents for some arbitrary quality.

 

[coastie]

However, special needs children and older children can be adopted without any waiting time.

I agree, the abortion commet was off the wall.

Thank you... that's all I wanted to hear. I was wondering if people were just completely ignoring the context of my posts for a second there

According to http://www.lethimstay.com/ there are 3,400 children in foster care waiting for adoption in Florida.

Would these be grown up kids or babies?

Just curious... how do 10 year old kids end up needing adoption. Derelict parents?

Because now I'm concerned about how to keep these poor kids out of foster care in the first place.

In order to make a case about why one group should be excluded automatically from consideration about adoption is to show that the best potential parents from that group are inferior to the worst parents accepted from other groups.

And unfortunately, people with my moral objections will not win this one because there is too opposition. But you are right, this question comes down to an ethical dilema in which numbers have not yet produced a formula. Since the numbers are rather inconclusive either way, as far as I've seen, my moral objection is:

Homosexuality is a sin, and a serious one at that, and is not the intended family structure for a child, I contend that introducing a child into that particular environment is wrong.

Zach

 

[fragmentsofdreams]

Would these be grown up kids or babies?

Just curious... how do 10 year old kids end up needing adoption. Derelict parents?

Because now I'm concerned about how to keep these poor kids out of foster care in the first place.

I believe that kids in foster care are the older ones.

It's my understanding that kids in foster care a usually there because of parental abuse or neglect.

 

[crazyfingers]

Originally posted by coastie


Now I don't have any hard numbers on adoptions, but I can tell you that there is no shortage of people wanting to adopt. As a matter of fact there are two couple in my church on a waiting list, and I know several adoptees and families that have adopted.

 

However the kids that people want to adopt are often not the same as the kids who are waiting to be adopted.

Most all prospective parents want a baby or a very young child.  Few are willing to take on kids with significant physical or mental handicaps. Mosts prospective parents are white and many want white kids.

OTOH, most of the kids who are waiting for adoption are older.  They tend to be six years old at least.  I'd guess the average age is 11-12 years old.  By the time the kid is 15 or so there is very little chance that s/he'll be adopted. S/he will most likely group up and out of the system never having had a family. Many kids are with siblings with ages ranging from 4 to13ish. The vast majority of kids still waiting to be adopted are not white.

So while there are plenty of people out there who want to adopt, the kids who are available are not the kind of kids they are looking for.

 

 

 

 

[wildernesse]

coastie:

I know that my previous post isn't proof--just an example from my own experience. I'm not upset that you don't consider it evidence!

Here is information about foster care and adoption from 2000. This is a US Dept of Health and Human Services report. It states that on Sept. 30, 2000, 131,000 children were waiting to be adopted. Forty-three percent were black, non-Hispanics and the next highest percentage is white, non-Hispanics at 34%.

Only 3% of those children were infants. And almost 50% of those children waiting for adoption had been in foster care waiting for adoption for more than 36 months--that's more than 3 years!   With 40% of them removed from their homes when they were in the 1-5 age group, 3 years or more is an incredibly long wait.

While 66% of children adopted in 2000 (33, 440) went to married couples, 32 percent (16, 083) went to single mothers and 1,026 children went to single fathers and 451 went to unmarried couples.

Note: The children adopted are not from the group of children awaiting adoption--they are in addition to those 131,000 children.

--tibac

I hope that this info helps you!

 

[coastie]

Holy COW!!!

Great statistics Tibac!!!

I appreciate your research!

Zach

 

[Stormy]

In the same way, adoption should look at the relevent qualifications rather than saying that people are automatically excluded many qualified parents for some arbitrary quality.

Children need more than clothes and food and even more than love. They need role models that they can learn from and imitate. I do not think a gay is qualified to raise a child.

 

[Inspired]

Originally posted by Stormy
Children need more than clothes and food and even more than love. They need role models that they can learn from and imitate. I do not think a gay is qualified to raise a child.

You have never met me, know absolulety nothing about me, and yet you can say I am not qualified to be a parent?

Sorry to dissapoint you, but I will have children, and they will be raised in a loving environment, and will not be taught to be predjudice against other people, and the only fear I have for them, is people are raising there children to discriminate and hate.

 

[Stormy]

If you do not have children now and you are a gay female. Tell me, how do you purpose to acquire these children?

 

[Inspired]

Originally posted by Stormy
If you do not have children now and you are a gay female. Tell me, how do you purpose to acquire these children?

Artifical insemenation, so I don't have to deal with the close minded people who get to decide that those poor children should be forced not to have parents, because all the people they deem "fit" to adopt them are the ones who have no desire to.

 

[Inspired]

And let me ask something to all of those who think I am going to teach my children to be gay.

My parents aren't gay, do you think they taught me to be gay? My brother isn't so did I catch it one day playing with a gay neighbor's kid?

It is not something that is taught, you either are or you aren't, do you think if you where locked in a room with me for a month you would come out gay? It's not contagious.

You can't make someone feel something, that isn't there. I can't make anyone gay, anynore than you can't make me straight.