Citation

Publication Date: 2006-07-01
Format: Working Paper
Bibliography: Michael S. Wald, Adult's Sexual Orientation and State Determinations Regarding Placement of Children, Stanford Public Law Working Paper No. 920670 (2006).

More

This article examines whether the fact that a parent or prospective parent is gay should be considered when the state places children in adoptive and foster care homes, resolves child custody disputes, and establishes policy with respect to access to assisted reproductive technologies (ART). I focus on whether consideration of adults' sexual orientation is likely to promote the positive development and well-being of children. I examine the value issues, with special focus on the claim that children should be placed only in “optimal” families, the relevant social science research, and a range of policy options. I conclude that it is almost always detrimental to children if decision-makers consider an adult's sexual orientation when making placement decisions.

Other publications by this author

View All

• Disconnected Youth in San Francisco
  2007-08-01
• Adults' Sexual Orientation and State Determinations Regarding Placement of Children
  2006-09-01
• Forward In On Your Own Without A Net: The Transition To Adulthood For Vulnerable Populations
  2005-01-01
• Same Sex Couple Marriage: A Family Policy Perspective
  2001-01-01
• Children, Rights of: Cultural Concerns
  2001-01-01
• Comment: Moving Forward, Some Thoughts on Strategies
  2000-01-01
• Same-Sex Couples: Marriage, Families and Children
  1999-01-01
• Same-Sex Couples: Marriage, Families, and Children: An Analysis of Proposition 22, The Knight Initiative
  1999-01-01
• Symposium Introduction: Welfare Reform: Economic Security for the Next Century
  1998-01-01
• Substance Abuse by Mothers and Termination of Parental Rights
  1994-01-01