领养孩子~

LGBT领养是指由男同性恋、女同性恋、双性恋及跨性别（LGBT）族群可否来领养孩子的权利情况。


合法情况
在美国，各州针对领养可根据性倾向与婚姻状况加以限制，但联邦法院在阿达尔诉史密斯案（Adar v. Smith）判决中指出，依照充分互信条款(Full Faith and Credit Clause)，即便在该州内的领养并非合法，每一州仍须承认其他州的合法领养。

犹他州和佛罗里达州are among the states that historically imposed more stringent restrictions of LGBT adoption. Utah prohibits adoption by "a person who is cohabiting in a relationship that is not a legally valid and binding marriage,"making it legal for single people to adopt, regardless of sexual orientation, so long as they are not co-habitating in non-marital relationships.

在佛罗里达州，however, the statute forbidding adoptions by gays was struck down by Judge Cindy Lederman in November 2008. In her opinion, Lederman said the law violated equal protection rights for the children and their prospective gay parents; adding that there was no rational basis to prohibit gay parents from adopting, particularly since the state allowed them to act as foster parents

直到最近，佛罗里达州was the only state with an outright ban on adoption by gay parents。2008年11月4日，阿肯色州通过表决a measure to ban anyone "co-habitating outside of a valid marriage" from being foster parents or adopting children. 尽管这项法律的适用范围包括同志伴侣，但对于当地同志伴侣而言只是空有其文，因为事实上当地法令禁止同性婚姻，造成同性领养实际上是不可能存在。

领养案件几乎都是由美国各州地方法院负责受理，some judges and clerks accept or deny petitions to adopt on criteria that vary from other judges and clerks in the same state.


世界各地
同志伴侣领养小孩在关岛、安道尔、比利时、丹麦、冰岛、荷兰、挪威、瑞典、南非、西班牙、联合王国以及部分的澳大利亚、美国、加拿大是合法地。

在丹麦、德国及以色列允许“继子领养”，也就是说民事结合的其中一方可以领养其伴侣的孩子（有时甚至包括养子女）。

在联合王国、爱尔兰共和国、匈牙利以及其他一些国家施行普遍领养政策（universal adoption policy）：任何被认为有能力提供一个健康稳定家庭环境的人，无论是异性恋、LGBT、已婚、单身、同居、或未婚，均可声请领养。

在爱尔兰共和国，如果有极度需要寄养双亲的情况时，同性伴侣可担任儿童的寄养人。在芬兰，同性伴侣也可以提供儿童寄养，但大多数的案件都是继子寄养，同性伴侣领养继子女则仍属非法。

This right in Finland is based on court judgements, but a passed law 1342/2006 clearly supports it in its 16th paragraph (Parental state-support in same-sex civil-unions).

在芬兰，a bill (HE 198/2008) allowing step-child adoption of same-sex couples, but not joint adoption was introduced to the Parliament in November 2008. The bill has sparked much controversy and one alternate proposal is to further restrict the forecoming step-child adoption in such a way that mother's lesbian couple may not adopt if there is a basis for establishing paternity by paternity law .

A petition for rejecting gay adoption law outright or allowing it in very restricted form is here . At least one member of Law Committee has responded positively to this petition. It is considered likely that the bill will pass in some form in Spring, 2009.

2006年2月，法国的Court of Cassation ruled that both partners in a same-sex relationship can have parental rights over one partner's biological child. The result came from a case where a woman tried to give parental rights of her two daughters to her partner whom she was in a civil union with.

2007年2月，法国最高法院判决驳回了一对女同性恋伴侣所的领养申请。The court stated that the woman's partner cannot be recognized unless the birth mother withdraws parental rights. The court ruling dismissed the couple's rights to co-parent the child, and stated the only way it could allow adoption would be to legalize same-sex marriage. In the same case the European Court of Human Rights ruled that the lesbian couple have the right to adopt a child.

2006年6月2日，冰岛国会进行表决通过，给予同性伴侣领养权利。没有任何一位国会议员表示反对。该法于2006年6月27日生效。

在乌拉圭，第一个同志民事结合合法化的南美国家，有关同志领养的法案已经在乌拉圭国会下议院进行讨论，并准备移交上议院进行批准。

在加拿大，领养权与否是属于各省或领地内的地方权力，因此每个省或领地之间的法律情况也不太一样。 同性伴侣领养在不列颠哥伦比亚省、马尼托巴省、纽芬兰-拉布拉多、新斯科细亚、安大略省、[魁北克省、萨克其万省、西北领地、新伯伦瑞克、爱德华王子岛及努纳武特是合法地。

在亚伯达省，private adoptions and stepchild adoption were allowed in 1999. January 2006 was the first time a child in care of the Alberta government was placed for adoption with a same sex couple, Lance Anderson and Blair Croft of Edmonton.在育空，the law regarding adoption is ambiguous. NDP MP Libby Davies, has campaigned for national uniformity when it comes to same-sex adoption.

在澳大利亚，同志伴侣领养在堪培拉和西澳大利亚是合法地。while only biolological adoption (regardless of type of couple) is possible in 塔斯马尼亚。 The lesbian co-mother or gay co-father(s) can apply to the Family Court of Australia for a parenting order, as 'other people significant to the care, welfare and development' of the child. But the lesbian co-mother and gay co-father(s) will be treated in the same way as a social parent is treated under the law; they will not be treated in the same way as a birth parent.

2007年5月，维多利亚省的法制改革委员会公布了最终的报告，建议that the laws be modified to allow more people to use assisted reproductive technologies and to allow same-sex couples to adopt and be recognized as parents to their partner's children.

LGBT rights in Australia
在新西兰国会法律委员会报告白皮书have raised the issue already, while Metiria Turei, a 新西兰绿党 List MP raised the issue in late May 2006 In February 2005, the Greens had suggested that an adoption law reform clause should be added to the Relationships (Statutory References) Act 2005, which equalized heterosexual, lesbian and gay spousal status in New Zealand law and regulatory policy, apart from the Adoption Act 1955. While the measure was unsuccessful, it remains to be seen whether a reintroduced adoption law reform bill on its own would fare differently.

2005年1月一项来自以色列最高法院的判决，允许同性伴侣可以领养stepchild。Israel previously allowed limited co-guardianship rights for non-biological parents. 2008年2月，以色列法院判决允许同性扮侣可以领养没有任何亲人在世的小孩。 这标志著所有以色列同志equal rights 的一个新的里程碑。以色列的政府官方部落格Isrealli，不定期会出版更新有关以色列同志领养的讯息。The site also has a complete timeline of 同志权利 milestones in Israel.

2007年不列颠Catholic adoption agencies, comprising around a third of the voluntary sector, have said they will shut if forced to comply with new government legislation requiring them to enlist same-sex couples as potential adoptive parents.The government announced they will have to obey the law, although MP Ruth Kelly allowed them some extra time to comply.


反对LGBT领养的观点
反对LGBT族群领养子女的包括可能使被领养者有对性别概念的混淆以及whether the increased likelihood of depression, suicide, promiscuity, and domestic violence among homosexuals might affect children .

Numerous studies on LGBT parenting aim to counter these questions, demonstrating that young children of lesbian parents (no information is available on gay fathers) fare as well as other children on many measures. Nevertheless, these studies do not distinguish between the parenting of a gay person’s biological children and the parenting of adopted children who are unrelated to them.

In fact, research specific to adoption of unrelated children indicates that successful adoptions are those where both parent and adoptee recall similarities in personality, likes, and appearance.Despite such opposing studies, the American Psychological Association, Child Welfare League of America, believe LGBT parents are as qualified as heterosexuals.

有关LGBT领养的争辩has sometimes been shifted to examine the monetary cost of not letting LGBT persons adopt unrelated children.

一份根据UCLA法学学校Williams机构及Urban Institute所做的调查报告显示，在美国若禁止LGBT族群领养子女大约要花费8700万至1亿3千万美元。 because of the reduced numbers of prospective adoptive parents. Since LGBT couples adopt special needs children at rates similar to others, this was not a major driver of savings.


Bibliography
New Zealand Law Commission: Adoption- Options for Reform: Wellington: New Zealand Law Commission Preliminary Paper No 38: 1999: ISBN 1-877187-44-5


延伸阅读
Lerner, Brenda Wilmoth & K. Lee Lerner (eds)（2006）．Gender issues and sexuality : essential primary sources.．Thomson Gale．ISBN 1414403259． Primary resource collection and readings. Library of Congress. Jefferson or Adams Bldg General or Area Studies Reading Rms
Lerner, Brenda Wilmoth & K. Lee Lerner (eds)（2006）．Family in society : essential primary sources.．Thomson Gale．ISBN 1414403305． Primary resource collection and readings. Library of Congress. Jefferson or Adams Bldg General or Area Studies Reading Rms
Stacey, J. & Davenport, E. (2002) Queer Families Quack Back, in: D. Richardson & S. Seidman (Eds) Handbook of Lesbian and Gay Studies. London, SAGE Publications), 355-374.