The American Academy of Pediatrics voiced its support of second-parent, or homosexual, adoption Feb. 4. An organization of 55,000 pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists, the AAP has notable influence and its opinions are powerful in court.
The AAP is taking a step in the right direction. In many states, including Wisconsin, gay couples have few rights in regards to their partners' children. In Wisconsin, for example, a married couple or a single person (regardless of sexual orientation) can adopt a child, but two people who are not married cannot. Because gay marriage is not legal in Wisconsin, a same-sex couple cannot adopt a child together, nor can they both be legally recognized as a child's parents.
Some people may not think this issue is important, but for the millions of children who have at least one gay parent, it's the difference between a parent and a family.
In its new policy statement, \Coparent or Second-Parent Adoption by Same-Sex Parents,"" the AAP cited two decades of scientific studies to support its endorsement. The policy statement focused on four areas: the attitudes and behaviors of gay parents, the children's sexual orientation, their emotional development and their social development.
Though the many arguments cannot be summarized quickly, a few are indicative of the report. For example, those who oppose second-parent adoptions may argue that the children of lesbian mothers may not have male role models. The AAP counters with two studies reporting that lesbian mothers ""have been shown to be more concerned with providing male role models for their children than are divorced heterosexual mothers.""
Others may believe that children of gay parents will grow up confused about their gender identity, but none of the more than 300 children studied ""have shown evidence of gender-identity confusion, wished to be the other sex or consistently engaged in cross-gender behavior.""
Nor are there significant differences in sexual orientation of adults who had a divorced homosexual parent (or parents) as compared to those with divorced heterosexual parents.
The studies cited also reported little difference between the emotional and social development of children with homosexual parents and those with heterosexual parents. ""In fact,"" according to the AAP, ""growing up with parents who are lesbian or gay may confer some advantages to children. They have been described as more tolerant of diversity and more nurturing toward younger children.""
Despite the overwhelming evidence supplied by the AAP, many critics have attacked its endorsement. Kenneth Connor, the president of the Family Research Council, said it was ""regrettable that the academy has succumbed to political correctness,"" according to the Feb. 4 New York Times. Unfortunately for Connor, this issue has nothing to do with being politically correct and everything to do with children.
In many states, if the legally recognized parent in a gay-couple relationship dies, the other parent has no legal custody rights. Even in less extreme circumstances, the legal standing of same-sex parents plays a role. If both parents are legally recognized, their children can receive health benefits from both parents and both can provide consent for important decisions such as medical care.
Clearly, in all situations, children benefit.
This is as much an issue in Wisconsin as it is across the country. Currently, when a gay parent adopts a child here, his or her partner is considered in the adoption family assessment as an adult member of the household. But, once again, the partner has few legal rights.
Wisconsin, along with the rest of the United States, must seriously consider the AAP's report. Same-sex couples and their children must not be denied their legal rights.
