The Pros And Cons Of Adoption

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Register to read the introduction… (Carp, 1998) Rather than split up families, child welfare reformers worked to prevent the factors which caused a family to break up. Reforms resulting from these movements included establishment of the U.S. Children's Bureau in 1912, creation of juvenile courts, and enactment of Mother's pensions. It was around this time that social work become professionalized, as case workers were utilized in family preservation and prevention. Social workers denounced unregulated adoption, and lobbied for state licensing and supervision of child placing agencies. (Carp, 1998) As a result, the 1917 Children's Code of Minnesota was passed. This law became the model for other states to follow, and required an investigation of potential adoptive parents to determine the suitability of their home for a child. Adoption was still uncommon, considered only as a last resort, as it carried a great deal of stigma and prejudice. (Kahan, 2006) It wasn't until the 1950's that adoption became a more common occurrence because of the increase in "illegitimate" births, and as result of the baby boom rising marriage rates in which demand for children grew. (Carp, 1998) Other reasons were that after World War II, parenthood was considered a patriotic duty, and new medical treatments enabled doctors to diagnose infertility. (Carp, 1998) …show more content…
Professional organizations, such as the American Medical Association, American Psychiatric Association, Child Welfare League of America, and the National Association of Social Workers, all agree that sexual orientation should not be a determining factor in assessing the ability of individuals to raise children through adoption or foster care.(Gates& Badgett, 2007) The governing body of the American Psychological Association released a statement that said "Research has shown that the adjustment , development, and psychological well being of children is unrelated to parental sexual orientation and that children of lesbian and gay parents are as likely as those of heterosexual parents to flourish." (APA, 2004) The article goes on to say that more important to youth than the gender of their parent's partner is the quality of daily interaction and strength of relationships with the parents that they have.(APA,

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