RESUMEN
The struggle to achieve the legalization of same-gender adoption is ongoing. Notably, not until 2011 was adoption by a lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender individual legalized in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, and adoption by same-gender couples is still illegal in many states. Anti-adoption forces are ever-present: From 2011 to 2013, at least five states passed laws granting faith-based agencies the right to refuse service to same-gender couples or to give preference to heterosexual couples. The aim of this article is, first, to examine the challenges confronting the legalization of same-gender adoption; second, to report the current legal status of same-gender adoption for each state; third, to report on Americans' attitudes toward the legalization of same-gender adoption from 1994 to 2012, drawing from previously published surveys of a cross section of Americans; and, fourth, to explore the implications for social work practice, including social advocacy and social policy implementation.
Asunto(s)
Adopción/legislación & jurisprudencia , Bisexualidad , Derechos Civiles/legislación & jurisprudencia , Derechos Civiles/tendencias , Identidad de Género , Homosexualidad Femenina , Homosexualidad Masculina , Opinión Pública , Sexismo/legislación & jurisprudencia , Sexismo/tendencias , Personas Transgénero , Adolescente , Adulto , Anciano , Niño , Estudios Transversales , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Estados Unidos , Adulto JovenAsunto(s)
Aborto Legal , Ingeniería Genética , Pruebas Genéticas , Opinión Pública , Aborto Eugénico , Femenino , Humanos , Embarazo , Diagnóstico Prenatal , Medición de Riesgo , Estados UnidosRESUMEN
On May 17, 2004, Massachusetts became the first state to legalize same-gender marriage. From California to Missouri, nearly all states now face legislative challenges to the once firmly entrenched notion that marriage can only exist between a man and a woman. Public opinion polls conducted from 1977 to 2004 found that Americans' attitudes toward gay men and lesbians and marriages or civil unions for same-gender couples have evolved. Opposition persists, however. The most recent data indicate support for some legal recognition of gay and lesbian couples, but most Americans favor civil unions over same-gender marriages. Although the future of civil unions and same-gender marriages remains uncertain, social workers can serve gay and lesbian clients and their families best by staying informed of the attendant legal, social, and policy issues.