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(Washington) A new report on adoption concludes that "there is no child-centered reason to prevent gays and lesbians from becoming adoptive parents", and recommends that they be utilized more extensively to provide permanent, loving homes for children living in state care across the country.
The report, prepared for the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute - a nonpartisan policy organization that deals in adoption issues - says that "adoption by gays and lesbians holds promise as an avenue for achieving permanency for many of the waiting children in foster care."
There are currently about 120,000 available for adoption across the country.
The Institute report - which is part of a larger, more extensive yearlong project that will be completed and released in several months - is intended to provide a research-based context for the ongoing debate over the adoption of children by gays and lesbians.
The report notes that research concludes that children reared by gay and lesbian parents fare comparably to those of children raised by heterosexuals "on a range of measures of social and psychological adjustment."
It also said that "laws and policies that preclude adoption by gay or lesbian parents disadvantage the tens of thousands of children mired in the foster care system who need permanent, loving homes."
Adam Pertman, the Executive Director of the Adoption Institute, told 365Gay.com he was surprised at the overwhelming evidence.
"The bottom line for those of us who advocate for children is clear," said Pertman.
"There's simply no credible research to indicate that children are harmed in any way when they're adopted by gay and lesbian parents, but there's lots of evidence to indicate that they do well in those homes. So, if we as a society believe that kids should be our primary concern, we have to put aside our prejudices and preconceived notions, and do the best we can for them."
If the pool of available parents for waiting children is to be expanded to include gays and lesbians, the report recommends that child advocates and policy-makers move to end legal and de facto restrictions on adoption by gays and lesbians. This includes working to expand co-parent and second parent adoption, as well as revising agency policies and practices that may impede their consideration as an adoptive resource.
It also recommends the development of clear statements in support of such adoptions, recognizing a "don't ask, don't tell" approach disadvantages parents and, ultimately, their children. And develop contacts with the gay/lesbian community in order to engage in genuine, informed outreach.
The Institute is considered the pre-eminent research, policy and education organization in its field.
It regularly provides research for lawmakers and because it is independent of any interest group or cause, the Institute has long been a considered a source of accurate, unbiased information for journalists, researchers and policymakers
The release of the report follows an announcement by the Catholic diocese of Boston that it will close its adoption agency rather than conform to Massachusetts law that prohibits discrimination against gays and lesbians and as the diocese in San Francisco moves to halt adoptions by gays.
Florida is the only state with an all-out ban on gay adoption. Recent moves to amend the law to allow judges to decide whether gays on individual bases have faltered.
Asked about the timing of the study's release, Pertman told 365Gay.com that it was a matter of coincidence.
©365Gay.com 2006
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