Jacksonville Divorce Attorney Blog

Jacksonville Florida gay and lesbian couples are ready to adopt. Now that the Florida law banning gay and lesbian individuals from adopting has been lifted, many same-sex Florida couples are making their dreams of a family, a reality.

Florida “second-parent” adoption procedures allow the biological parent’s same-sex partner to adopt a child without terminating the rights of the biological or adoptive parent.

Children being raised in Jacksonville by same-sex parents are at a disadvantage if they only have a legal relationship with one of those parents. The legal parent may not have benefits or health insurance coverage for their child, but the non-legal parent does. Social security death benefits will not be provided to a child that does not have a legal relationship with the parent who dies.

A recent Florida ruling has made it possible for St. Augustine lesbian and gay men to finally become legally recognized parents. A Florida Court of Appeals has ruled that the Florida law banning gay men and lesbians from adopting in the state of Florida is unconstitutional. According to recent data, a quarter million American children are living with same-sex parents. The Florida court of appeals relied on mainstream health and child welfare organizations that have issued policies opposing restrictions on parenting by lesbians and gay men.

The Child Welfare League of America (CWLA) eloquently stated that:

“Based on more than three decades of social science research and our 85 years of service to millions of families, CWLA believes that any attempt to preclude or prevent gay, lesbian and bisexual individuals or couples from parenting, based solely on their sexual orientation, is not in the best interest of children.”