The “Necessity” for Same-Sex Adoptive Couples – getting some facts straight

Perhaps, like me, you’ve heard the argument that same-sex couples ought to be allowed to adopt children since there is a need. No child, it is argued, ought to be denied the right to loving parents. Implicit in this is the assumption that, somehow, there is a lack of loving heterosexual adoptive parents. Given the lack, why should we not allow homosexuals to adopt?

The statistics make a mockery of the argument. According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), a government body, there were 384 finalised adoptions in Australia in 2010-2011. Of these 56% were intercountry, 12% were local and 32% were ‘known’ child adoptions; ie only 45 Australian children were adopted last year where the child was not formerly known to the adoptive parent(s).

45 children in need of adoption. The figure has been dropping year on year, the AIHW report [pdf] tells us, due to

…the decline in the number of children considered to be in need of adoption and legally able to be adopted.

So categorically not because there are not enough adoptive parents available.

Or, put another way, there is no desperate need in Australia for homosexuals to adopt based on a shortfall of potential loving adoptive parents. Quite the contrary. Last year only 45 such parents were required. Of those 45 children, 42 were adopted by registered married couples (ie heterosexual couples) and 3 by singles (Table 3.9 – n.b. the table has a row for “de-facto” couples (which would include homosexual couples) but none are recorded). Are the gay lobby seriously arguing that there were only 42 loving heterosexual couples in the whole of Australia who wanted to adopt and were suitable for it and so there is a massive need for homosexual couples?

Really?

Don’t let this lie (for that’s what it is) be perpetuated any further.