The Growing Need for Nontraditional Adoptions Essay -- Family Children

The Growing Need for Nontraditional Adoptions When picturing a family with an adopted child, the first image that comes to many people’s mind is that of a mother, father, and their child, but have you ever stopped to consider the alternatives. Who says that every family has to consist of a male and female who are married? Can a single parent, homosexual couples, or couples with a differing ethnicity from the child provide the same love and support as a tradition couple? These are options that adoption and foster care agencies have begun to consider due to the lack of available nontraditional families. In recent years there has been a drastic shortage of available homes for children in the adoption and foster care network. Because many of these children suffer from considerable health problems or happen to be of minority races, they have often been considered â€Å"unadoptable† (Overview 2). Therefore, many of the children move from one foster home to another throughout their lives, which can lead to â€Å"increased emotional problems, delinquency, substance abuse, and academic problems† (Overview 2). In order to reduce the number of children floating through the system, child welfare agencies have expanded their policies to allow adults, including single parents, families of minority races, and even people who have physical disabilities, to make an adopted child part of their family (Overview 2-3). Perhaps one of the most debated groups included in this expansion are gays and lesbians. It has recently become quite common for homosexual couples to adopt children, yet many people question the ability of the couples to provide a mentally healthy and moral environment. It has been questioned that if children w... ...ties Union Freedom Network . 6 Apr. 1999. American Civil Liberties Union . 19 Feb. 2003 . Prowler, Mady. â€Å"Single Parent Adoption: What You Need to Know.† Adoptions.com . 2000. Adoption Events.com . 15 Apr. 2003 . Shireman, Joan F. â€Å"Adoptions by Single Parents.† Marriage and Family Review 20 (1995): 367-388. Simon, Rita James. Transracial Adoption . New York: John Wiley & Son, Inc., 1977. Teicher, Stacy A.. â€Å"Fight Over Mixed-Race Adoptions.† Christian Science Monitor . 14 April 1999. EBSCOhost . Joyner Library, Greenville, NC. 19 Mar. 2003. â€Å"Transracial Adoption Sparks Debate.† Issues and Controversies . 12 Oct. 1995. Issues and Controversies . 19 Mar. 2003. .