Homosexuals: parents or just couples?
Νόρα Αλεξιάδου (Β'1), Χαράλαμπος Αλιάγας (B’1),
Γρηγόρης Δημητρίου (B’1), Σοφία Εφραιμίδου (Β'1), Γιώργος Καλαντζής (Β'1)
Following a debate our class B’1 had during English class about the question of same-sex couples becoming parents, our team decided to write an article on the topic, presenting the brain storming that we did and the outcome of the debate.
On the one hand…
• Homosexual couples can provide the same love and affection to their children that heterosexual couples can also provide. It is well known that love has no gender. The care and attention parents give to their children is not determined from their sexual orientation, but from their willingness to provide a healthy environment for their kids. Especially for LGBTQ+ couples, that have to go through an immense amount of paperwork and legislation to adopt, it must be true that they will love their children, since they’ve faced such hardships to have the right to be their parents to only pretend being heterosexual, for the sake of becoming parents. Many same-sex couples’ children face social criticism and bullying in their social circle due to their parents’ belonging to a minority. Therefore, it might be problematic to be a child of a homosexual couple.
• A positive prospect of allowing same-sex couples to adopt is that children raised in a socially different environment would be taught the importance of social individuality and grow to be more socially aware. This has also been confirmed by a research that analysed 34 studies between 1989 and April 2022. There is although, a high risk that their negative criticism will have the opposite effect and create more hatred, new social problems and increase the gap between the two struggling sides.
• We can’t have a discussion about parenting, without referring to adoption. According to the Adoption Network, there are over 390.000 children in foster care only in the US; it is a major problem that must be solved, and a lot of children in need of a loving home can find that in a homosexual household. There is no reason to limit the possible adoptive parents pool by eliminating all same-sex couples. Though, of course, the adoption above all has to give a better environment than a foster house. It can’t be sure that homosexual parents can provide that environment, while heterosexuals have more possibilities to be the parents that these kids are in need of.
• One more aspect of the issue is that even in countries where only different-sex parent adoptions and single-parent adoptions are legal, there are same-sex couples who adopt, with only one of the parents being considered as the parent on paper. This raises important issues and may cause dangerous circumstances for the child (e.g., if the child needs medical help and the official parent is not available to be informed). However, one could suggest that this tactic jeopardises the alternative of single-parent adoption as an effective way of deinstitutionalisation of children in child protection facilities and should be closely monitored in order for children to live in a lawful environment.
On the other hand…
• There is a possibility that the adopted child faces bullying and discrimination by their peers. For example, they may become victims of physical or verbal abuse by their classmates in school, as the idea of a child having same-sex parents is usually not accepted in society. Such a case can severely damage the child’s mental health and even cause psychological trauma. However, solutions can be provided by the State with the establishment of legislation against violence caused by such motives, while a change in society’s mindset on these issues is crucial.
• The lack of a mother/father figure can have damaging consequences on a same sex parents' child, whose conscience will be missing the basic characteristics and behaviors of the opposite gender of their parents. However, the same can be said for single parents' children who do not suffer from missing a mother/father figure. Additionally, this figure need not necessarily be the child's parent; such a role can be fulfilled by a relative or a close friend.
• A popular opinion among the opponents of same-sex parenting is that nature itself only provides to heterosexual couples the ability to reproduce and so comes the question; Do we know better than nature does? Why are we trying to defy its laws? In fact, some people go even further by supporting that this modern phenomenon comes to contrast with the foundations of religion. Nevertheless, a common response to these arguments is that love, all that a child needs, is an instinctive feeling that definitely has no gender, while religions promote equality and love among the people. So, rejecting any kind of human love is opposite to their values.
Conclusion:
Taking everything into account, it is obvious that there is no completely unanimous opinion on the matter. Nevertheless, the progressive world’s trend is to legalize same sex parent families. In any case, time will show and reveal the consequences.