Over the past several years, great strides have been made in the struggle to achieve equal rights regardless of a person's sexual identity. These advances have come in the form of employment and housing non-discrimination laws along with equal recognition of same-sex relationships through civil unions or legalized marriage in some jurisdictions. In many cases, these advancements have been made in spite of laws that were currently in place. Many states still have laws in place specifically barring same-sex couples the dignity of having their relationships publicly recognized. Further, many of these laws specifically deem a homosexual unfit to be an adoptive parent, regardless of all other factors (Cooper and Cates 6-11). According to the 2000 US Census/Demography Study, there are approximately 4,000,000 homosexuals living in the United States and less than 4% of those are raising children (Graph: Gay Households with Children). The disparity between percentage of homosexual households raising children and that of their heterosexual counterparts is astonishing. This gap can't reflect a difference in desire as we all share the common instinctual drive to build what we perceive to be an ideal family.
It is well understood that genetic families are often the result of outside forces and can often begin in the most inopportune of circumstances. Millions of unplanned children are born each year into families that are ill equipped to care for them. These challenges may be financial, an unwed mother or a couple trying to get on their feet or possibly already having too many mouths to feed. These issues are not often found in people considering adoption. Because they have a choice as to when they adopt, most candidates have the freedom to get their affairs in order without the pressure of an impending due date. This allows them to determine when they are financially prepared to assume the responsibility of parenthood.
