Recently Sen. Paul Stanley proposed legislation that “prohibits any individual who is cohabitating in a sexual relationship outside of marriage that is valid under the constitution and law of this state from adopting a minor.” This of course does not target homosexual families specifically, but it is obvious that such familial units would be affected by the ban. In one sense, the idea is not outrageous. It is logical to believe that married couple might provide a more supportive background in which to mature, but do studies demonstrate this?

That is not as simple a question as it first appears. The Spanish Forum for the Family and the Institute for Family Policy both report that same-sex parents correlate to increases in low self-esteem, drug use and promiscuity in the adopted children. Of course, both organizations are conservative and promote traditional “family” values, so their studies are prone to political bias. Furthermore, since the study was only released in Spanish, it’s hard for the average Tennessean to look it over in any depth.

Furthermore, the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute commissioned a report by Jeanne Howard on the subject of same-sex adoption that contradicts the Spanish study. It reported “against a backdrop of increasing public acceptance, social science research concludes that children reared by gay and lesbian couples fare comparably to children raised by heterosexuals.” The report also notes that many adoption groups hinder same-sex adoption because of personal beliefs or the misconception that in their respective state, it is in fact illegal.

Between confusion in adoption agencies and the differing views promoted in various studies, the adoption ban comes at a bad time. There is just not enough data to support such a proposal. If anything, it would be most reasonable to wait until more studies have been undertaken and the results have verified.