Argument for Right for Gays to Adopt in Virginia Essay

Argument for Right for Gays to Adopt in Virginia - Essay Example In today’s society, there are more than 500,000 foster children waiting to be placed in stable, caring homes (Ruggeri, 29). There is a shortage of people who fit the broader social norm, this being the heterosexual individual or couple, to assist in the adopting process. Because of different political and social division that is present in society, many homosexuals are not given the opportunity to adopt these foster children or any other youths that have been put into the adoption system. Homosexuals, whether coupled or living in individual households, often face pressure from defiant ethical supporters and their social peers because of their lifestyles. When coupled with laws designed to prevent them from attaining equal status, offering themselves as potential parents for awaiting children becomes a significant uphill battle. The division that exists in society about the validity of homosexuals’ claims that they can be stable parents can be witnessed in the many different laws designed to prevent adoption by this social group. For example, a 2006 constitutional amendment banned same-sex marriage in Colorado with similar constraints in Indiana (Padgett, 51). In more progressive states, such as Connecticut and New Jersey, civil unions are allowed under law but are given considerable limitations compared to their heterosexual counterparts (Padgett). These laws, and many others which ban civil unions act as the foundation for why homosexuals are not considered qualified or capable parents for volumes of children looking for support and stability. In homosexual households consisting of two partners, it has been argued by many that extending same-sex marriage rights would tend to normalize the household for potential adopted children.