The Struggle Of Bearing Children for Same Sex Parents
...n and heterosexual women have not been found to differ markedly either in their overall mental health or in their approaches to child rearing” (Patterson, 3). The sexual relationship that lesbian women have with other women does not at all have any negative affects on children and does not inhibit their ability to care or a child. Some individuals feel that it is punishment is child is born and brought up without a male influence or father figure in their life. It has been suggested that lesbians who have started a family, with another partner divide chores around the house and responsibilities evenly to try and fill that void of the missing male parent and to make their child’s life more like the “norm” society it says it should be. There are concerns that children living in a household with homosexual parents have a normal gender identity. There was a study performed on children ages five through fourteen to test there gender identity. “All children in this study reported that they were happy with their gender, and that they had no wish to be a member of the opposite sex” (Patterson, 4). Other activists who do not advocate lesbian parenting feel as if gender- role behavior is affected because the child is being brought up and is surrounded by one specific gender, again studies and experiments have proven this notion wrong. In a study testing children who are living in a homosexual habitat they, “Found no differences between children of lesbian versus heterosexual mothers in toy preferences, activates, Puro 3 interests, or occupational choices” (Patterson, 4). In the same study children were asked what their favorite television show was and who their favorite characters were; again no difference. So far there has been absolutely no evidence that lesbian women are unfit to be parents. “ Though lesbian mothers share with single heterosexual mothers a concern with child care and family finances and a preference for an egalitarian style of interaction, they alone have to manage the stigma attached to homosexuality” (Lewin, 103). I want to just quickly return to the point I made prior about this preconceived notion that the offspring of lesbian women and gay men will they themselves grow up to be gay. In a study to discuss sexual orientation, “The data does not suggest elevated rates of homosexuality among the offspring of lesbian or gay parents. For instance Huggins (1989) interviewed thirty-six teenagers, half of whom were offspring of lesbian mothers and half of heterosexual mothers and fathers. NO children of lesbian mothers identified themselves as lesbian or gay, but ONE child of a heterosexual mother and father did” (Patterson, 5). So how exactly are these racist, activist going to explain this? Well, I think it is obvious that two men and two women cannot create life together, so how do they become parents? Lesbians look to obtain motherhood through insemination of sperm from a sperm bank or for a male friend. Other women are unable to come to a consensuses about which mother will bare the child so, they decide to use a surrogate mother with one of their eggs and sperm from a bank. Yet, the most controversial issue facing lesbians today is their right to adopt or foster a child. There, is conflict all over the, “United States with each state setting its own policies regarding Puro 4 adoption by gay parents” (Stein, 361). It was found that even though some agencies agree to adopt children out to lesbians and gays they only offer them the children that...