Gay Adoption?
Wednesday, April 19, 2006

Ask the children.

While there are nearly 3,000 children in the custody of DSS waiting to be adopted, almost 80% are already a part of a foster family that would like to adopt them. Sadly, for 600 children there is no waiting family, there are no prospective parents. They have little hope, and even less if adoption by gay and lesbian parents continues to be a football, kicked around in the political arena.

The Home for Little Wanderers, the oldest and largest child welfare agency in New England, believes that adoption policy belongs in the realm of child welfare, not in politics.

The Home, alongside many reputable organizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics, The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, The American Psychological Association, the North American Council on Adoptable Children and the Child Welfare League of America, fully supports adoptions by gay and lesbian families. We have successfully placed children with gay and lesbian families for over a decade and we have found gay and lesbian families are uniquely qualified to adopt, as they often have more experience in dealing with adversity in the form of marginalization, accepting human differences and understanding the importance of advocating for their families.

At least two decades of scientific research demonstrates that children who grow up with one or two gay or lesbian parents fare as well in emotional, cognitive, and social development as children of heterosexual parents. Research also shows that children who are raised in gay and lesbian families experience no difference in gender identity, self-concept or sexual orientation.

The science indicates that children’s optimal development is influenced more by the nature and quality of the relationships in their family than by the particular structural form it takes. In addition to ensuring that prospective adoptive parents can provide a safe, loving home, we also assess parental capacity for creativity and humor, and the ability to tolerate rejection, access resources and model flexible family roles. All potential adoptive parents should be evaluated on the basis of their ability to meet the needs of a particular child and to provide a loving, nurturing home — not on their sexual orientation.

We do not support any exemption to the Commonwealth’s anti-discrimination laws. Attempts to prevent gay and lesbian couples from parenting are simply not in the best interest of children.

Click here to learn more about The Home's Adoption program.

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