Letters | Letting LGBT couples become adoptive parents benefits society

Orphans and children without a family, as well as adults willing to share their love, same-sex couples or not, must not be denied the right to be happy

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A promotional image by the Italian gay rights group Condividi Love, bearing the slogan, Every Family is Sacred. Photo: Facebook/Condividi Love

Published: 6:40am, 19 Oct 2020Updated: 6:40am, 19 Oct 2020

Anson Chan in his letter does not oppose same-sex marriage per se, but would not support it due to what could come associated with it (“Hong Kong society still not fully ready for same-sex marriage”, October 7). In his opinion, it would bring about, among other things, child adoption by same-sex couples, which he deems a red line (and sweepingly concludes the same for Hong Kong society). I will focus on this deeply flawed reasoning.

When saying a child is best raised by a mother and a father, one explicitly deems single parents unfit when many are saddled with that situation by unfortunate circumstances in life, and whose children can and do turn out to be very fine people in many cases. That, in itself, debunks the conclusion that a child cannot be raised by a same-sex couple.

Moreover, we know that parents nowadays can, unfortunately, be quite busy, and there are a multitude of other people involved in the care of children and their growth – from grandparents to caretakers, teachers and even friends. The reality is that while parents, as they most definitely should, play a crucial role in raising children, they form only part of the equation.

Mr Chan also voiced fears about the mistreatment suffered by children of same-sex couples at school. I wonder though, if that situation, rather than being blamed on the same-sex parents of said children, is not rather more reflective of the bad parenting of those who teach their children to bully others because they are somehow different?

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A clear advantage of a same-sex couple adoption is that, compared to heterosexual couples, they have a greater tendency to adopt non-biological children, harder to place children, and children of a different race from them. I don’t think anyone could argue that a child is best raised as an orphan than by a same-sex couple. It would do well to consult the current estimate of orphans in the world – more than 140 million, according to Unicef.