In an ironic twist, gay-marriage laws now make foreign adoption more difficult for gay couples. Adoption agencies and lawyers say no foreign countries knowingly give babies to gay couples for adoption. Same-sex couples who want to adopt internationally have traditionally circumvented this prohibition with the following fudge: one half of the couple adopts as a single person. Once back home, the couple goes to court and establishes co-parenthood in states that will allow it. A legally married gay couple doesn't have the option of a fudge: truthful responses to questions about marital status on adoption documents crush the couple's chances of ever adopting abroad. That's why Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders advises couples to wait to get married. "If international adoption is important?.?.?.?then they need to postpone forming a legal relationship," says Bruce Bell, who runs GLAD's help line.
Talking about adoption, birthparents, abandonment, race, and China with my kids. That's not all we talk about -- but reading this blog, you'll think it's all we do!!!!!
Friday, June 12, 2009
Same-Sex Marriage and International Adoption
From a Newsweek article, The Sins of the Fathers: Raising Kids in a Same-Sex Union:
This entire subject is a frustrating mess. Why does it have to be so difficult to unite a child in need of a family, with a family in need of a child? Grrrr.
ReplyDeleteI predict gay men and lesbians will have to keep using this ruse for a long time. Same-sex marriage isn't going to be accepted in most parts of the world where children are being adopted from any time soon. It's another part of the international adoption scene that makes you wonder at times. Two worlds on so many levels.
ReplyDeleteOn a side note, I never thought that China dumped us single people from its A list because it suddenly decided we were unfit. It was definitely a supply and demand thing. Yes, they were probably po'd when they discovered some people used single adoption to get around the no-gays-allowed thing, but when it comes down to it, I think they are to be applauded for letting so many single parents adopt. (I know this is kinda tangential to the discussion but it's something that always impressed me. I experienced ZERO prejudice from the Chinese gov't on this front and if you set that again some of the claptrap out there now about the scourge of single mothers, it's truly amazing.)
Well that's a conundrum that hadn't occured to me.
ReplyDeleteMalinda- have you read about the mandatory software installation that is causing an uproar in the Chinese gay community (and elsewhere)-
http://tiny.cc/hlmvS