Homosexuality and the Issue of Parenting

In recent years, five countries, South Africa, Spain, Canada, Netherlands and Belgium have unequivocally legalized same sex marriage, thereby officially giving same sex married couples equal rights as heterosexual couples. With the growing acceptance for homosexuality and same sex marriage, the issues of homosexual and same sex parenting has received greater attention.

In other countries, instead of legalizing same sex marriage, legal provisions for civil unions have been provided instead. This is something similar to marriage but different in the sense that not all benefits of married couples can be enjoyed by same sex partners in legal unions. One such benefit which is not allowed in some countries and states is the benefit or right to adopt.

In the U.S. alone, the states of Utah, Florida, Arkansas and Michigan have laws that either imply or expressly forbid homosexuals or same sex partners from adopting. The rationale behind such laws revolves around the same argument thrown against same sex marriage, that is, allowing homosexuals to adopt will redefine the definition of family and marriage forever. What comes to mind is the question: What is so bad about redefinition?

Opponents of homosexual adoption put forth the notion that in the first place, the state's role is to foster procreation in order to ensure the continuance of society. Same sex couples therefore, since they cannot procreate, have to rely on heterosexual couples who can. While marriage is not a natural requirement for couples to procreate, some contend that it is absolutely necessary to have a healthy family environment to ensure that children grow normally and eventually become well-adjusted and productive citizens of society.

The argument then extends to the notion that most homosexual relationships do not provide healthy environments to promote the normal development of children. While this statement may sound extremely judgmental and unqualified, studies have actually been generated to prove the truth of the matter. These studies suggest that most homosexuals do not maintain exclusive relationships and may have multiple sexual partners in their lifetime. Even if there are homosexuals who are in committed relationships, certain homosexual acts tend to increase the possibility of heightening the risks of sexual diseases. Although this may seem to be the current trend today and a lot of people seem to view this kind of reality as perfectly acceptable, there are also those who say that promoting such realities will send the wrong impression to children. One such wrong impression is the notion that relationships and even marriages can simply be avenues towards sexual gratification and not procreation.

On the opposite side of the spectrum are those who contend that there is nothing wrong with families that have same sex or homosexual parents. This argument relies somewhat on studies purportedly proving the ability of homosexuals to raise families. These studies however, have come into intense scrutiny and criticism. It is suggested that such studies were conducted without proper research methodology and were simply put up in an attempt to legally justify same sex or homosexual parenthood. These studies have been found out to have done away with the basic necessary requirements of academic research. With small sample sizes and the lack of provisions for random sampling and participant anonymity, studies on the side of homosexual parenthood cannot hope to call the attention of legislature.