Ethics
No Child Should Be Left Behind
Adoption is the process of giving a child a substitute family when their biological families cannot or choose not to. Adoption severs any ties between a child and their natural family and gives legal parent-child rights to the adoptive family. This action completely removes any parental rights that the biological parents would have and it is as though the child were born into the adoptive family to begin with. This new parent-child relationship states who has the power of decision on subjects like the child’s welfare, education, medical procedures and inheritance. The main goal of adoption is to provide the best care and protection of a child in a way that gives the child an opportunity to grow and develop in a safe and stable environment. When considering adoption in those terms it would seem obvious that same sex couples should be allowed the right to adopt. The focus of adoption should be on the parent’s abilities to provide for the child rather than on their martial status and/or their sexual orientation.
No one has the automatic right to adopt a child. If an individual or couple would like to adopt they must pass rigorous testing and interviews. During this time the child’s best interest and welfare are always put first. There are two main categories of adoption: placement adoption and known child adoption. Placement adoption is defined as, “…where the child and adoptive parents do not already know each other…this can be a local placement or an intercountry placement” (Peirce-Warwick 14). This type of adoption appeals to most gay and/or lesbian couples who cannot or do not wish to have a child through artificial insemina ...