Study: Children adopted by gays and lesbians develop well
Celeste Lavin
By Celeste Lavin, 365gay.com
07.28.2010 9:00am EDT
Children adopted by gay and lesbian couples developed just as well as those adopted by heterosexual couples, according to a new study from the University of Virginia and George Washington University.
The study, published in the August issue of Applied Developmental Science, sampled 106 adopted children living in different parts of the U.S. The parents of the adopted children consisted of 27 lesbian couples, 29 gay male couples and 50 heterosexual couples.
The study found that the development of the adopted children was not related to the sexual orientation of the parents who adopted them.
“We found that children adopted by lesbian and gay couples are thriving,” said UVA psychology professor Charlotte J. Patterson, who led the study.
“Our results provide no justification for denying lesbian or gay prospective adoptive parents the opportunity to adopt children. With thousands of children in need of permanent homes in the United States alone, our findings suggest that outreach to lesbian and gay prospective adoptive parents might benefit children who are in need,” she said.
Adoption by gay couples is illegal in Florida, Mississippi, and Utah.
A study published in Pediatrics in June found that children of lesbians were better psychologically adjusted than children of heterosexual couples.
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