Persuasive Essay on Adoption

Homosexual Couples Should Be Allowed to Adopt New Jersey’s statewide parenting legislation espouses a progressive stance on the matters of same-sex parenting and child care in the processes of adoption and foster parenting. The Garden State allows for same-sex adoption; allows single homosexuals to adopt; and allows second parent same-sex adoption (â€Å"Same-Sex Adoption Laws,† n. d. ). New Jersey has passed progressive laws and policies that prohibit discrimination charged against gay individuals in the adoption process (Sudol, 2010).New Jersey state law also bans discrimination against gay individuals in the foster parent process (2010). New Jersey Statutes Annotated 9:3-43 enables for any person to adopt permitted the said person(s) pass a background investigation and meet adoption criteria for eligibility(N. J. S. A. 9:3-43). Unmarried joint adoptive parents petitioning to adopt a child can do so because of N. J. S. A. 9:3-43. In re Adoption of two Children by H. N . R. , 666 A. 2d 535 (N. J. Super. 995) permits second parent adoption; this statute exercises the possibility for an individual to petition for shared rights of custody with a parent who already possesses legal parental custody of a child. Several states prohibit joint adoption due to unmarried status. This statute is favorable for unmarried parents seeking to adopt in New Jersey. This New Jersey statute provides for an overall tolerant atmosphere for queer individuals and couples looking to adopt or become foster parents. In summary, laws and policies regarding same-sex adoption vary from state to state.The three common forms of adoptive guardianship are individual (single) parent adoption, joint adoption, and second parent adoption. Firstly, the most traditional type of adoptive parents is the single parent adoption. This is where an unmarried individual adopts a child that has been put up for adoption by the birth parent or by the state. Secondly, joint adoption is when an unmar ried couple can petition the court to adopt a child. Lastly, in the case of a second parent adoption, one parent has legal guardianship over a child and a second parent petitions the court to become a legally recognized co-parent.Bans on gay marriage vary state by state, as a consequence, gay couples cannot petition for adoption as a married couple but, as single individuals. This creates the opportunity for gay couples to become legal parents of foster children since most states prevent unmarried couples from adopting. As a result of state to state differences in the question of gay adoptive parents, second-parent adoptions are either permitted or the laws are unclear (Montana, 2009). Montana (2009) argues that ambiguity in court decisions are prevalent regarding gay second parent adoption petitions.Montana (2009) asserts how a state’s unclear and ambiguous position on second parent adoption places the decision on the judge to rule according to his or her personal beliefs co ncerning homosexuality rather than the letter of the law. The courts of twenty-one states including Washington, D. C. have granted second-parent adoption availability to several individuals applying to become legal second parents or co-parents of former foster children (Public Broadcasting Service, 2006).Mississippi law bars same-sex couples from all possibilities of adoption but, allows the viability for single gays and lesbians to adopt (Public Broadcasting Service, 2006). In Utah and New Hampshire, all unmarried couples, regardless of sexual orientation are allowed to adopt (Public Broadcasting Service, 2006). The following states allow adoption by openly gay and lesbian couples: Florida, California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Washington, D. C. Social movements and countercultures during the 1960’s and 1970’s emerged and challenged institutionalized oppression.The Civil Rights movement addressed the pli ght of African Americans in a viciously racist society. Gay rights and the feminist movement actively subverted traditional gender norms through political activism. The American public’s disapproval of the Vietnam War served as the political platform to advance anti-war, civil rights, feminist, and queer political agendas in the increasing struggle for equal rights in a discriminatory inequitable society. The social movements of the 60’s and 70’s impacted the traditional views of adoption in the United States.The trend of challenging the dominant society’s oppressive social structures that best represent the interests of the dominant group, influenced society to question adoption laws during the 1970’s (Montana, 2009). Much like today, openly gay applicants were barred from adoption. The majorities of the cases was and still are second-parent adoptions, in which the biological parent is the legal guardian and their life partner petitions the state court to adopt (Montana, 2009). Adopting a child that is unrelated to either partner is still difficult in contemporary society; however, it is o longer illegal in most states (Montana, 2009). The seventies birthed professional organizations designed to advocate for disenfranchised oppressed groups. One of the most renowned organizations that continues to engage in public education and legal activism is Lambda Legal. Lambda Legal’s mission is to achieve full equality and secure the legal protection of the LGBT community. Throughout the 1970s, Lambda Legal was instrumental in winning some of the nation's first court cases on behalf of gay and lesbian parents and same-sex couples (Lambda Legal, n. . ). Since its inception in the seventies, Lambda Legal has battled to institute policy change, social change through political and legal activism, and to shape new positive attitudes about the LGBT community through educational awareness. For instance, a landmark court case, Finstuen v. Edmondson, was a paramount victory for LGBT individuals and same-sex parents everywhere. In 2004, the Oklahoma legislature exacted a punitive law that rendered children orphans if adopted in other states by same-sex couples.Thus, when their families returned, moved to or traveled through Oklahoma, the parents’ legal custody over the newly adopted children is not recognized by the state of Oklahoma. The three families in this case were headed by same-sex couples with children adopted in Washington, New Jersey and California respectively. Two of the families moved to Oklahoma. In the legal defense of the three families, Lambda Legal argued that the law is unconstitutional under the Fourteenth Amendment violating the Equal Protection and Due Process clauses. All legal parents have a fundamental right to care for and raise their children, which is protected by the Fourteenth Amendment to the U. S. Constitution (Lambda Legal, n. d. ). Lambda Legal remains active in challenging discriminatory laws and policies on the local and state level that work to invalidate the legal adoptions of children by same-sex parents. Lambda Legal secured pivotal wins for the LGBT community’s adoptive parents in its most recent trials; these trials are similar to the Oklahoma court case where the rights of same-sex couples and their adopted children were denied. The Evan B.Donaldson Adoption Institute is another notable organization that partnered with the Illinois chapter of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) to produce a legal document to ensure ethical practice and policy to secure the well-being of same-sex adoptive families. The Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute and the NASW Illinois chapter are dedicated to promote the best interests of children by engaging in research regarding adoption. The adequate education and training of child welfare professionals encourages fundamentally sound and ethical practice when interacting with the gay community. In an effort to fight for ethical public policies and laws for same-sex adoption, the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute immerses itself in political activism to apply pressure to local and state political officials to consider issues that inhibit the likelihood of same-sex parents for homeless foster children. The number of children in need of homes is steadily increasing; organizations like the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute and Lambda Legal are instrumental in changing the willingness of adoption agencies to accept same-sex parents. Organizational response creates room for social change.Although the debate about same-sex adoptive parents continues to gain national attention, state, local courts and adoption agencies will continue to arbitrarily deny or accept same-sex petitions for adoption if the federal government does not intervene to standardize this issue by implementing an overriding national policy. Ryan Nishimoto, author of â€Å"Marriage Makes Cents: How Law ;um p; Economics Justifies Same-Sex Marriage,† suggests that society’s objections against same-sex marriage and same-sex adoptive parents are rooted in homophobic sentiments, religious views, and denigrating stereotypes (Nishimoto, 2003).The Supreme Court has historically undermined the gay rights question in contemporary American law (Nishimoto, 2003). The Supreme Court shares the general public’s sentiments about homosexuality’s immoral nature which deems same-sex couples unfit for marriage and parenting (Nishimoto, 2003). The prohibitions on same-sex marriage intimately impact the legal and economic dimensions of homosexual relationships. Marital benefits heterosexual couples receive do not apply to same-sex couples looking to adopt.Nishimoto (2003) lists how same-sex partners are excluded from insurance awards, social security benefits, public pensions, worker's compensation, income tax benefits, and estate tax benefits. Being that gays are not able to mar ry, their partners are not considered spouses. As a result, same-sex â€Å"unions† and â€Å"partnerships† are not legally recognized to qualify for the aforementioned benefits that heterosexual couples reap. This reality complicates adoption and custody cases for LGBT same-sex couples. Same sex couples must file for a second parent adoption so that both artners have legal custody over the adopted child. This process is emotionally draining and financially costly; a petitioning gay or lesbian parent faces extensive social work assessment to establish suitability (Nishimoto, 2003). State laws can prohibit same-sex second-parent adoption nullifying the possibility of a couple possessing joint custody of a child. Once again, second-parent adoption may be unclear in state legislations. This leaves the decision to appeal a petition on the court judge. A couple’s opportunity to gain joint custody relies on the judge’s personal views on homosexuality (Nishimoto, 2003).Nishimoto (2003) concludes the discussion of adoption and custody battles for LGBT couples by stating, â€Å"Thus, even if the parents overcome the lengthy, costly obstacles in their path, a judge may simply choose not to authorize the adoption. † Recommendation/Conclusion Interventions at the practice level can have far reaching benefits for same-sex parents and their children. Same-sex friendly foster agencies must engage in practice that does not further oppress the LGBT population with uninformed and unethical practice, policy, and unprofessional behavior.According to Sudol (2010) foster care agencies must cultivate a culture of inclusive practice integrated at the agency and case levels. At the agency level, staff training must have a comprehensive coverage of LGBT issues and topics; paperwork documentation, informational materials must use inclusive language, advertisements should portray a diverse representation of LGBT families, and inclusive recruitment effort s. Inclusive practice suggests that a practitioner uses culturally competent language as preferred by individual/family, avoids â€Å"outing† people, and includes other LGBT people/groups in family engagement/kin search (Sudol, 2010).In addition, Sudol (2010) adds that child welfare professionals and social workers alike, need to avoid focusing on the sexual identity of the individual/family by seeing the human not the identity. We strongly agree that the federal government must negotiate the contemporary question of same-sex parenting. It makes no sense for the federal government to give a blind eye and a deaf ear to same-sex parenting. Same-sex marriage coupled with this debate is gaining increasing attention as homosexuality gains legitimacy within the broader dominant society.The overview of current adoption law concerning lesbian, gay, and bisexual parents by the National Center for Lesbian Rights perfectly considers contemporary evidence justifying why LGBT parents are fit for adoption and why the Supreme Court must address this ensuing issue as opposed to leaving it for individual states to reconcile. One, a growing number of children lives in families with two same-sex parents. University of Maryland, Family Policy Impact Seminar, conducted research juxtaposing the rates of adoption in â€Å"gay-friendly† states in comparison to states with â€Å"anti-gay† policies.Studies showed that â€Å"gay-friendly† states adopted children and found permanent residencies as twice as much as â€Å"anti-gay† states. Two, sexual orientation is not relevant to parental ability. Discourse on the capabilities of same-sex parents to be adequate parents is governed principally by harmful stereotypes and moral judgments condemning homosexuality. â€Å"Not a single study has found children of gay or lesbian parents to be disadvantaged in any significant respect relative to children of heterosexual parents.Indeed, the evidence to date sugg ests that home environments provided by gay and lesbian parents are as likely as those provided by heterosexual parents to support and enable children’s psychosocial growth. † (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2002). Three, the need for adoptive homes and the increasing visibility of lesbian, gay, and bisexual parent families has contributed to a dramatic decrease in anti-gay discriminatory policies and practices on the part of adoption agencies and courts.Four, adoption provides legal protection to children of LGBT parents. The United States guarantees financial support, inheritance rights, social security benefits, retirement benefits, and state worker’s compensation benefits for children of heterosexual parents. The downfall to this is that current law is bias against LGBT couples. Children are not eligible for these benefits if the co-parent in a same-sex partnership is not legally recognized as a guardian.For example, if the child is sick and needs to be hosp italized, the second parent cannot give medical consent for treatment to his/her child. These incentives/benefits must apply to all children regardless of the parent’s marital status and sexual orientation. The LGBT community has made progressive strides for legal rights in the area of family law (NCLR, 2011). To strengthen and preserve the emotional health of a family in a same-sex parented household, society must change their traditional views of what constitutes a family.LGBT organizations remain fierce and persistent in advocating for equality and legal rights of the gay community. Custody, visitation rights, domestic partnership benefits, sick-leave benefits, marriage, and adoption are all arenas which the gay community continues to transform for their benefit (NCLR, 2011). Legal recognition of family relationships for same-sex families further enables courts, social welfare policies, and child welfare institutions to adopt LGBT inclusive protections. Mass media mirrors our society’s values and social attitudes.The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) encourages media outlets to recognize the highly increasing numbers of families with gay, lesbian and bi-sexual parents by incorporating their stories and experiences into the coverage of all issues related to families. The diversity of images in popular media aids in the reconstruction of the idea of the â€Å"ideal† family. It is more important than ever for literature, publication, television, cinema, advertisements, and music to be change agents in today’s society.Structural change may be slow; however, as a society we must realize that thousands of loving individuals and couples are being denied the chance of giving orphans a loving home. The numbers of orphans increasing in foster care services are disproportionate to the number of foster parents willing to adopt them. This fact alone without a shadow of a doubt calls to question the involvement federal govern ment to revise law and policy to integrate the needs of same-sex parents and the growing orphan problem in the United States.The investigation of same-sex parents continues to produce evidence suggesting that children growing up in same-sex households report feeling more tolerant of other groups. The quality of parenting and family functioning are not inhibited by the parent’s sexual orientation. Lastly, children raised by same-sex parents do not exhibit psychosocial and emotionally disruptive behaviors (Children Welfare Information Gateway, 2011). | |

Cog-wk6 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Cog-wk6 - Essay Example They are responsible for the creation of bonds with other human beings due to a shared past. Memories might seem fixed and concrete and it would be natural to assume that they would still be there as always. But Loftus brings to our attention the notion that memories are not fixed. Our regular experiences lead us to consider that memories can be altered or even created. Such is the nature of inaccurate memories that they can appear to be quiet compelling and real. Early history For a very long time now psychologists have be interested in distortions of memory. The 1930s Bartlett’s report of studies is a classic example. In this Bartlett told people a folk tale from an unfamiliar culture and asked them to recall it from memory. It was after the people recalled the story did he realize that memory errors made brought the story more in line with the person’s own culturally determined expectations. Another prominent example is that of Carmichael, Hogan, and Walter’s demonstration about how forms are labeled influences how they are remembered. For example, people interpreted from memory two circles connected by a straight line as more likely to include a curved line if the defined form had been labeled as eyeglasses than a dumbbell. Furthermore Deese(1959) and Underwood(1965) work demonstrated that people were highly likely to falsely remember an item, say a needle, if earlier they had been presented with related items, such as a thread or haystack. Moving on to the 1970s, various studies highlighted the fact that memory distortions occurred not only for unfamiliar materials such as folk tales, word lists or pictures but that they are in a byproduct of our regular understanding and memory of information and events. Look at the work of Bransford and Johnson (1973) for example in which comprehension and memory showed that the recall of information depended on engaging constructive processes by which information is related to prior knowledge at enc oding. However, their work also depicted how people are a lot more likely to falsely claim that stories included information that was only inferred based on prior knowledge. People who were told the story in which the information was about the spy who threw a secret document into the fireplace just in time because another couple of seconds would have been too late were likely to recall the story that claimed that the spy had burned the document. Thus, distorted remembering of information is a possibility but it is not always true. In 1981, Johnson and Raye suggested that memory distortions reflect errors which arise from imperfect reality monitoring processes that are a key part of remembering: that is, people sometimes confuse information they are generate during initial encoding, the retention interval or consequent remembering of an incident for information that came from the event. So reality monitoring is a special consideration of the more generalized ongoing function of sourc e monitoring that makes attributions about the origins of activated information in mental experience (Johnson et al. 1993). Factors that cause false memories To gain a better understanding of the nature of false memories to look at the underlying causes that result in the phenomena is imperative. Some of these factors are highlighted as: Inaccurate perception Inaccurate perception suggests that false memory originates while the event is still occurring, that is,

Motivating Hong Kong students in writing English text Essay

Motivating Hong Kong students in writing English text - Essay Example But while the importance of English is recognized in Hong Kong, some students display a marked reluctance to learn English. There may be several reasons underlying this disinclination to learn to speak and write good English. Some of these are a generally low level of proficiency in English or that these students find it boring and somewhat difficult to learn English successfully. This report will examine how students in Hong Kong can be motivated to take a greater interest in the acquisition of English language skills and in learning how to write and communicate effectively in English. The term â€Å"motivation† was originally derived from the Latin word â€Å"movere† which means â€Å"to move†. Allan (1965) defines motivation as the â€Å"force that drives people to do things† (p 15). Biehler have defined motivation as the forces within an individual that are responsible for the â€Å"arousal, selection, direction and continuation of behavior.† (Snowman and Biehler, 1997, p 399). Beardwell et al (2004) subscribe to the view that a precise definition is not feasible, but they do agree that at a very basic level, â€Å"motivation is about motives and needs.† (p 505). Hence, a broad overall definition of motivation may be said to include the internal or external factors that are responsible for increasing an individual’s willingness to work towards the achievement of a particular objective. Motivation is the most important factor that determines the difference between â€Å"what a person can do and what he or she wil l do.† (Amabile, 1983, p 366). In the field of education, teachers may be able to extract a good performance from their students only when they can successfully motivate them. Davis (1999) has highlighted the views of Ericksen that â€Å"effective learning in the classroom depends on the teacher’s ability†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦to maintain the interest that brought students to the course

The Four Service Marketing Myths Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Four Service Marketing Myths - Essay Example The essay "The Four Service Marketing Myths" talks about the line between services marketing and goods marketing and depicts that both need various types of marketing strategies to be applied to them. Early marketing concepts are discussed and what views were for separating goods from services. Services marketing have their own divisions. Authors have made a line between services marketing and goods marketing and depict that both need various types of marketing strategies to be applied to them. The bottom line is that services should not be kept apart from goods, the definition of goods and services are being revamped. The myths of manufacturing based perspective from the marketing based perspective are being discussed in the case considering the four characteristics; intangibility, inseparability, heterogeneity, and perishability. The focus is towards investing their normative implications from a negative perspective towards a positive one. A more unified knowledge of exchange can b e formed without separating goods from services and only focus on the central role in the exchange. The different definitions given by the various authors in defining the goods and services separately have been discussed in the case on the basis of their tangibility and intangibility features in most cases. The end result that these definitions can be misleading because both goods and services are nested into each other and they don’t come up to be valid when dealing with the manufacturing and the marketing perspective.

Learning to Read and Write Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Learning to Read and Write - Essay Example This   paper outlines that at the initial stages, Mrs. Hugh taught Douglass how to read but she stopped once she took the same perception like her husband towards slavery. Despite at the initial stages encouraging Douglass to learn, she became one of the chief opposer of the idea and worked towards halting the process through any available means. Douglass would carry a book along with him and request the white children to help him read the book once he met them on the way as he run his daily errands. â€Å"The Columbian Orator,† a book Douglass acquired during the age of twelve years proved to be of great interest to him as he learnt a dialogue between a slave and his ,master where the slave managed to negotiate the terms of his working conditions having tried to escape for three times. From this paper it is clear that the book equally helps Douglass to learn about the travesty of slavery as well as loathing the master holds towards his slaves. Douglass is worried upon realizing the burden he carries after knowing how to read where while thinking about death as well as an abolitionist movement, he makes a decision to escape from the life of slavery but again believes he is too young for such. Consequently, Douglass figures another obstacle to his escape as he realizes that he had no writing skills that he feels he needs to learn in order to run away once he possesses the two concepts. Douglass takes some more years at his master’s place and continues with his goal towards learning how to write. After a number of years with the help of the white children, â€Å"finally succeeds in learning and writing.†   The journey towards Douglass achievement of learning and writing is therefore challenging and full of obstacles but he eventually achieves his goals despite taking a number of years where his eyes opens a lot.

Negative Message Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Negative Message - Assignment Example You can, for example, log off the machine and let it rest for a while to avoid such overheating. Further, identifying a complication in one of your computers does not meet terms of return policies for all computers purchased with us. If the computer with the complication met our return policy terms then we would act on the specific computer only. In addition, our return policy provides for replacement of computers that fail to work within six months of purchase but overheating does not amount to failure to work and refund is not part of our return policy. I therefore wish to note that the realized overheating, together with our return policy, does not justify your claim. We shall therefore not be able to accept the computers or offer refund. The company however affirms its efforts to ensure quality products and to take responsibility for products that fail to function. Thanks for understanding and we look forward to further business encounters with

FARs and Aircraft Dispatch Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

FARs and Aircraft Dispatch - Research Paper Example Though they are known by many different names, including flight dispatcher, airline dispatcher, flight superintendent, or even flight controller, the job description essentially remains the same: ensure compliance with all applicable regulations and the pursuit of the highest possible levels of safety (â€Å"Airline dispatcher federation†, 2011). The job of an aircraft dispatcher is covered in the Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs) in several areas, namely FAR Part 121 and FAR Part 65, both under Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) (â€Å"Code of federal†, 2010). FAR Part 121 covers Operating Requirements: Domestic, Flag, and Supplemental Operations, while FAR Part 65 covers Certification and Eligibility Requirements (â€Å"Code of federal†, 2010). Simply put, these sections of the Federal Aviation Regulations ensure that an airline dispatcher has the proper training and certification to do their job, as well as adhering to duty-time requirements w hile on the job, to prevent overtiredness and accidents. These regulations also cover the overall requirement of having enough dispatchers in the dispatch centers to handle all of the flights, so that no one dispatcher feels overwhelmed and unable to do their job. FAR Part 65, Subpart C, completely covers the eligibility and certificate requirements that any person wishing to become an aircraft dispatcher must complete. The requirements include criteria such as an age requirement of 23 years, the ability to speak and understand English, and passing both knowledge and practical tests. These tests must be completed after a certification course that consists of 200 hours of training, though previous experience may be submitted to cover part or all of the hours (â€Å"Code of federal†, 1998). It also plainly states that no person may serve in the capacity of airline dispatcher without said completion certificate, and must present that certificate upon the request of numerous pers onnel (â€Å"Code of federal†, 1998). These regulations enable the airlines to work in conjunction with certified, capable individuals, helping the aircraft dispatcher to do their job by ensuring that they have the proper training and certification to complete it adequately. The safety of numerous passengers flying on the airlines that are the responsibility of the dispatcher are not to be taken lightly, and indeed, the dispatchers pledge to uphold safety as much as the pilots. Therefore, having these training and eligibility requirements help to ensure that the job and what it entails is taken seriously. FAR Part 121, Subpart M: Airmen and Crewmember Requirements, also applies to aircraft dispatchers. FAR  §121.395, in fact, covers dispatch centers, stating that enough qualified dispatchers must be working to ensure proper operational control of aircraft (â€Å"Code of federal†, 2010). Without this regulation, a flight load could easily slip into the chaos of an und erstaffed and overworked dispatch center, causing costly losses of life and aircraft. Given the fact that downsizing has become popular, it is a relief to know that dispatchers are aided by this regulation, as enough of them must be working to reasonably handle a typical daily flight load for an airline. FAR Part 121 does not stop there in covering airline dispatchers. In Subpart P: Aircraft Dispatcher Qualifications and Duty Time,