Why Same–Sex Couples Make Great Parents

It’s been estimated that approximately 114,000 same-sex couples are raising children together in the United States. Scientific research confirms that there are few, if any, long-term differences in the lives of children that are related to the relationship status of their parents. Differences between children appear to be related to the stability, economic status, and emotional availability of the parents.

Same-sex couples can make excellent mothers and fathers. Here are a few of the advantages that same-sex couples might have over heterosexual couples when it comes to parenting.

Same-Sex Parents May Be More Committed Parents

How many times have you read a horrific story in the newspaper about a neglectful or abusive parent and thought, “There really ought to be some sort of licensing procedure for parenthood”?

While such a procedure does not exist in any which way, it is true that homosexual men and women rarely become parents by accident, so they are often more attentive parents. When same-sex couples become parents through adoption, through surrogacy, or through the egg donation process, it’s the result of an explicit choice they’ve made. This often translates to a greater dedication to parenting and to more involvement in their children’s lives.

Same-Sex Couples Are Often More Tolerant Parents

Many partners in same-sex relationships have experienced prejudice and even discrimination at some point in their lives. If and when these people become parents, they’re committed to instilling values like tolerance and open-mindedness in their progeny.

Several scientific studies have highlighted the fact that people whose parents were LGBT are more broadminded than their peers on a wide variety of issues. Furthermore, the incidence of homosexuality among children with same-sex parents is exactly the same as the incidence of homosexuality among the general population.

Same-Sex Parents Care for the Neediest

Approximately 68 percent of same-sex parents raise children to whom they are biologically related and who were conceived through some type of donor insemination while 21 percent raise children whom they have adopted. Gay and lesbian parents often adopt children who are difficult to place in a loving home far more frequently than their heterosexual counterparts do. They adopt children outside of their own race far more often, and they also adopt older children who can be particularly difficult to place. More than 50 percent of the children adopted by same-sex parents are kids with special needs.

Whether they have children through adoption, the egg donation process, or surrogacy, same-sex couples make great parents who can give their children full and happy lives.

If you are part of a same-sex couple and are looking into your options for creating a family, we’d be happy to discuss them with you. Contact us online or give us a call to get the conversation started today.