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Adoption: Homosexuals Need Not Apply In the last decade the ever changing face of the American family “has seen a sharp rise in the number of lesbians and gay men forming their own families through adoption, foster care, artificial insemination and other means” (“Fact Sheet”). With over 500,000 children in foster care nationally and 100,000 currently in need of adoption, the United States faces a critical shortage in the number of adoptive parents. Homosexual couples hoping to start families look towards adoption to make their dream a reality, but in many states this is a dream that will never be realized. There are currently 22 states that allow gay adoption, but states like Florida, Utah and Mississippi continue to deny homosexuals the opportunity to adopt. Opponents of gay adoption argue that allowing children to be adopted by homosexual couples puts them at risk of sexual abuse and disadvantages them by placing them in a morally corrupt environment. They offer other arguments such as children who come from homes with homosexual parents will suffer from taunting and prejudice, and “gay parents will turn their own children gay” (“Fact Sheet”), while organizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics and