Articles Posted in Adoption

Late last year, a Florida appeals court declared unconstitutional a 33-year-old state law that prevented gay people from adopting children. Since that decision, gay couples in Florida have quietly begun adopting children.

Prior to the ruling, social workers often did not ask about the sexual orientation of an adopting parent, which meant some gay Floridians were adopting children under the radar. However, even with this option gay couples could not obtain the same legal rights as straight couples in the same situation, such as custodial rights in the event the adoptive parent died. The court’s ruling, however, means gay couples can legally adopt and have many of the same custodial rights as straight parents.

There are many things a gay couple should consider prior to adopting a child of their own. For example, the current court ruling is relatively young and will likely be challenged in other courts or the Florida legislature. Additionally, the media may be interested in your adoption and you may find yourself with unwanted attention. If you are interested in growing your family, contact a Florida LGBT Lawyer or a Jacksonville Family Law Lawyer to discuss your options.

Florida same-sex couples that want to adopt, the movement is on. The Arkansas Supreme Court recently ruled that the state’s ban on adoption and foster parenting by any person cohabiting with a sexual partner outside of marriage is a violation of the Arkansas Constitution.

As in Florida, the best interest of the child criteria was the focus. The Plaintiffs in the
Arkansas case involved:• a lesbian couple adopting a special-needs child;

• a lesbian grandmother wanting to adopt a grandchild, currently in state care;

Jacksonville Florida gay and lesbian couples are ready to adopt. Now that the Florida law banning gay and lesbian individuals from adopting has been lifted, many same-sex Florida couples are making their dreams of a family, a reality.

Florida “second-parent” adoption procedures allow the biological parent’s same-sex partner to adopt a child without terminating the rights of the biological or adoptive parent.

Children being raised in Jacksonville by same-sex parents are at a disadvantage if they only have a legal relationship with one of those parents. The legal parent may not have benefits or health insurance coverage for their child, but the non-legal parent does. Social security death benefits will not be provided to a child that does not have a legal relationship with the parent who dies.

A recent Florida ruling has made it possible for St. Augustine lesbian and gay men to finally become legally recognized parents. A Florida Court of Appeals has ruled that the Florida law banning gay men and lesbians from adopting in the state of Florida is unconstitutional. According to recent data, a quarter million American children are living with same-sex parents. The Florida court of appeals relied on mainstream health and child welfare organizations that have issued policies opposing restrictions on parenting by lesbians and gay men.

The Child Welfare League of America (CWLA) eloquently stated that:

“Based on more than three decades of social science research and our 85 years of service to millions of families, CWLA believes that any attempt to preclude or prevent gay, lesbian and bisexual individuals or couples from parenting, based solely on their sexual orientation, is not in the best interest of children.”