No, and I believe a mother and father family structure is best for the child

People should be allowed to adopt regardless of their sexual orientation and there are tons of healthy, happy families where both parents are of the same gender.

So does that make families where mothered are absent/passed away invalid? It’s a gendered argument which crumbled in the modern world.

If a mother and father family structure is what's best for the child then you might as well ban single parents. There are far too many children waiting to be adopted and that never get adopted and you'd rather them have no parents than two of the same sex?

There is no scientific evidence to support this statement it’s as simple as that, personal beliefs can be held in private but laws must except the existence of a diverse population with different beliefs of whom your own personal beliefs should not effect

It’s just completely ignorant and untrue, countless straight mother-father families across the country are completely dysfunctional with children ending up in care/homeless due to abuse, neglect, or other circumstances. Why deny those children a loving home? Anyone can be a parent. Should we persecute single mothers or single fathers as well for being without a counterpart?

The family unit based on marriage is the best place for the child under the constitution, which recognises same sex couples. The welfare of the child is of paramount concern and as long as this is preserved the sex of the parents is irrelevant

The old 'traditional' description of a family is no longer the norm.regardless of sex, if a person or couple is found to be suitable as adoptive parents, their serial orientation is irrelevant to how they will love and care for a child.

How much will it really affect the upbringing of the child? Once raised in a happy and healthy home environment they will have a good upbringing, I don’t think the gender of the parents will matter

two parents of the same sex who can provide a loving, caring and safe environment for a child is more beneficial to society than disruptive and toxic mother/father families. Mother/father families does not guarantee needs and wants of a child are being met.

This position is not based on any sort of evidence and is relying on an appeal to centuries of societal and religious conditioning. For centuries children were raised by whole communities, it was never solely relying on two people i.e. school-age children learn in school and from their peers.

No one family set up is better than the next. The child comes first. If there is a situation where grandparents are required side by side with a single mother or father and this is the best set up to bring up a child with the most love and care required then so be it.
The composition of the the family unit is not the most important, it is the child or children that are central. If they have a roof over their head, enough food on the table and the love and attention of a family no matter the composition, this is most important.

The idea of a perfect familial hierarchy is a societal construction, a child can be just as well rounded and raised by 2 mums or 2 dads. This is ridiculous that we should even need to debate this, adoption should be universally available as long as the parent(s) have a stable job, savings, and a financial plan for the future.

It is a lie, If a family is providing a loving and establishing a healthy relationship with the child with the necessary essential needs, they should 100% be allowed to adopt especially if they exceed the expectations of adoption requirements.

Any couple regardless of sexual orientation or gender should have the same rights once they can provide a safe, stable and loving home for a child.

I think lqbtq should be able to adopt but they have to pass the same background checks and tests as straight couples.

Studies have time and time again failed to prove this unfounded claim, and generally those who claim this use religion as their basis, which regardless of belief should be independent from politics.

The world is changing gender roles are being broken everyday because of this a mother father parent structure doesn't actually change how the child is effected in growing

There are LGBT couples that would love and support a child much as much if not more than a straight couple.

I'd rather have a child be in a loving home that happens to be consisting of LGBT people than forced into an unstable home just because of tradition

Then you adopt all the children? If they're being left in orphanages they're not getting that anyway. A loving home is best for a kid.

If both genders are equal, then why can two fathers or two mothers, not do the same job as one mother and one father?

Every child deserves to have parents regardless of the parents genders and everyone has the right to have a child if they so wish. As long as the child is loved, fed, cared for and healthy it should not matter what gender they’re parents are

Many mothers and fathers don't adequately care for their children or even want children. People who want children and would love children should have them

I think it’s wrong. Children who are loved will thrive, it does not matter who they are being loved and cared for by.

What genuine argument do you have that says a child is less fortunate being raised by a man and a man or a woman and a woman. Many children grow up in unloving, broken situations where commonly their parents are male and female. There are also many single parents who raise children and the same argument is not imposed on them, whereas two people are asking to love a child and bring one into the world, there is nothing wrong with it.

While children do benefit from a strong male role model they can get that from uncles or male teachers or other males in their lives

Plenty of abuse including physical mental and sexual occurs withing the nuclear family unit and is just as likely to occur there as it is in a LGBT family unit.

A child should be brought up in a loving home, irrespective of the gender of it's parents. The fact that an LGBT couple wish to have a child is no different to a "traditional couple".

Many mother and father family structures have their benefits aswell as negative impacts it all depends on the people not their gender.

Who's to say it is the best structure? Love is a universal concept. If queer parents can offer that love to a child, then why not?

It’s just completely ignorant and untrue, countless straight mother-father families across the country are completely dysfunctional with children ending up in care/homeless due to abuse, neglect, or other circumstances. Why deny those children a loving home? Anyone can be a parent. Should we persecute single mothers or single fathers as well for being without a counterpart?

That completely disregards the single parents in this country suggesting that all children need two parents to thrive which is not the case

Scientific studies in sociology have shown no significant evidence in child development between those raised with same-sex parents vs. different sex parents.

Should men then be forced to stay in a partnership with the woman they impregnated and attempted to leave a single mother?

If a mother and father family structure is the best for the child then why aren't absentee fathers who abandon all the responsibilities on the single mother persecuted in the same ways as an LGBT couple who wants to adopt and do right by a child? There's a quote I love "not all parents deserve a child, but every child deserves a parent". Why are we fighting for the rights of a deadbeat who chose to leave but not fighting for the rights of a couple who only want to have a child to love and protect?

If you’re uncomfortable with LGBT adoption, then adopt those kids you say you care about. Otherwise shut up and step out of the way.

I don’t believe that because there are still equally loving parents who can provide a stable upbringing for these children

Two fathers / two mothers with so much love to give to a child who needs it is wasted with your point of view.

People should be allowed to adopt regardless of their sexual orientation and there are tons of healthy, happy families where both parents are of the same gender.

Although a well rounded 'mother' and 'father' figure family structure has been the basis for nearly all of the Irish population thought all of history. With the right education for parents on how to properly raise a child, there is no need for these outdated standards now. Two well-informed adults should be assessed on their capabilities to develop a child's personality to be as rounded as other children, not be assessed on whether or not they fall into the expected categories.

Once the parents can provide a suitable and nurturing family structure for the child then their rights should be equal when it comes to adoption

Parental love can come from any gender and is not dependent on the parents being of different genders

Mother and father structures aren't even particularly successful in society. Would you say a child raised by their grandmother was raised wring because there wasn't a grandfather in the picture? Why should LGBT adoption be denied when they would like to love and raise a child who needs them?

i think as long as a child is healthy and has good morals the gender of the parents should not interfere with its wellbeing

There are plenty of bad mothers and fathers who fail their children. Character determines the success of the child, gender roles are irrelevant.

I think the gender to two living parents is irrelevant as long as they are devoted to their children.

I believe that the gender of two parents should not matter as long as they are able to provide a safe and healthy environment for a child to live a good life

As long a child has a loving and happy family support system it should not matter what gender they are.

Every human being is having a life experience, and that should involve raising children if they so wish. Mother and father structures do not have a monopoly on love and care.

What about children who grew up without a mother or without a father? Why does it matter the gender of the people raising the child as long as they love and support the child. If you accept that a father is a suitable parent what’s the big deal with 2 fathers (and vice versa for mothers)

I believe as long as the child is supported and cared for it does not matter about the parental structure

Multiple studies into the wellbeing of children raised by same gender families have proven that there is virtually no difference between those children and children raised in a mother-father structure. Children don't need a "traditional" heterosexual family structure, but rather caregivers who will meet their needs and prove the warmth and love that encourages healthy child development.

A parents love and ability to support a child is not determined by their age, gender, race, sexuality etc. These are not the things we should be concerned about in adoption. All children deserve a home and to be loved and LGBT parents who are choosing to adopt would love the child a lot more that people who create a child and neglect it.

Traditional family structures vary depending on the parents, no one structure guarantees a good environment for a child. Therefore all family options should be available for consideration for adopted children.

a child deserves a loving home no matter who loves them. gay people are just as capable to raise children as straight people are.

There are many cases of children raised in a dysfunctional, and sometimes abusive or neglectful, household by a mother and father. Parenting should not defined by social constructs of gender.

Being raised by 2 fathers or 2 mothers has had no effect on the child. They're still loved by both parents

That it's wrong and an outdated view on today's modern time and has been proven that same sex or inter sex couples are capable to raise happy and a healthy family

This is an outdated and heteronormative viewpoint. Gay couples have always existed and are not proven to be worse at parenting a child than a tradition male/female parenting structure

Strongly disagree, I think a same sex couple can raise a child just as well as a heterosexual couple

It doesn't matter the gender of the person who meets the childs basic needs, once they feel loved and supported and safe

I'd rather have a child be in a loving home that happens to be consisting of LGBT people than forced into an unstable home just because of tradition

Being a mother and father doesn't automatically make a good family it depends on the individuals and their parenting abilities which doesn't have anything to do with their gender

If a child has parents who love them it doesn’t matter whether that is two men two women or a women and a man

I believe the only thing a child needs is to be brought up in a loving open minded home with parents that love them. Just because there is no female/male parent, that doesnt mean that there will be no maternal or paternal influence. All we should be concerned about is if the child is loved

Once the child is provided with their physiological needs, belonging and loving needs I do not see what it matters if they have a lesbian couple or gay couple as their parents

it can restrict the child to a narrow idea of 'the perfect family' growing up in an open minded home, seeing a different type of relationship may benefit them

As long as the child is in a loving family, feeling wanted, is all that matters, no matter the sex of the parents

This is a outdated, homophobic and frankly idiotic argument. We live in a society today that should be completely accepting of all families, no matter how big or small, or what genders the parents are. To say that the mother and father family structure is best for a child is just outright untrue as any child is happy when they have the love of a family and feel comfortable and safe. Homophobia should have no space in Irish society today, especially not in adoption where a child is concerned.

So many children are brought up in single parent / divorced households. The traditional, gendered, idea of a family is not the only valid family in todays world. two men or women should have the same rights as a man and woman, regardless of gender.

Everyone should have the right to raise a child with someone they love. Children do not care about the gender of their parents more than the support they recieve

I'd rather have a child be in a loving home that happens to be consisting of LGBT people than forced into an unstable home just because of tradition

The structure of the family takes different forms, not every family consist of a mother and father for example, one parent families or extended families, including grandparents or aunts and uncles. A child needs a stable loving family which is not restricted to the mother and father. that can be received from all kinds of people. so long as a child is raised in a stable, loving nurturing environment who they always buhould not be an issue.

old fashioned religious view that has not kept up with modern times, as long as the child is in a loving family the gender of the parents does not matter

Usually for adoption there’s more screenings etc to make sure that the child would be going to a good home, if the child would be loved and brought up well, why does it matter if they have 2 dads or 2 mams

Two mothers or two fathers is better than an abusive parent, or an absent parent, or an orphanage or foster care.

There are family’s all over Ireland who live without a male or female parental figure and it has no effect on how they grow up or the value of there childhood

Some parents, regardless of gender, couldn't raise a cat let alone a child. What is best for the child is a loving, caring and safe environment. Gender doesn't come into it.

Love is love, there is no reason why a same sex couple would love and look after a child any worse than a heterosexual couple

A child can be very very unhappy/ abused / neglected in a home with both a mother and father. As long as the parents are loving , caring and willing to bring the child up in a happy home I don’t believe gender of the parents should matter

Each couple deserves to love and care for their own child and a child deserves to be loved, whether from a traditional family or not

Children deserve to be loved. They need a home where they can receive support, love and care. This can be through adoption, legal guardians, foster care. Why can’t 2 men/ women give this to a child?

I am from a single mother household and I am highly educated, I feel successful and I am happy. So that argument doesn’t make sense to me. A child should have a loving parent or parents and LGBT people can provide that to children in the same way as any other family.

Let's compare statistical analysis on abuse suffered in 'traditional' family structures versus those of LGBT parents.

I believe anyone can provide a good life for a child weather it’s two mothers or fathers once the child is safe loved and well cared for shouldn’t matter who it is

If a same sex couple meets the same requirements as a heterosexual couple then why shouldn't they be able to become parents ?

There are many traditional male female couples who are terrible parents. Gender doesn’t define your worth as a parent

That a child with same sex parents wil be given the exact same standard of living sometimes better and will be loved just as equally

Adopted kids want a loving family, whether that consists of a women and man or two women or two men, it is better for a child to grow up being loved that in a foster system feeling unloved.

There is absolutely no evidence to indicate a mother and father are needed to raise a happy healthy child. No matter the gender of these parents, a good parent is a good parent it’s all down to the individual not based on their genetics.

All love is love
There are so many examples of mother and father families who are abusing there children, can’t afford to look after there children, do not want the children they have, abuse the gift of being a parent ect ect

Being a mother and father structure does not equal a good parent/family structure

Anyone who is willing to safety and lovingly look after a child and raise a child, deserves to be a parent

everyone deserves to have loving parents and gender doesnt matter, its the morals and good qualities of a person regardless of sexuality

loving homes are better for children developmentally than remaining in an underfunded and overworked system

As long as the parents love the child that’s all that matters. Why do you care anyways it ain’t your child you’re not going to adopt them. They are apart of your life so like live and let live.

A non traditional family structure can be as effective if not more effective than the traditional family

The gender of parents does not have any influence on the parenting approach, style, or outcomes and it does not disadvantage a child’s upbringing

A family is a family no matter who’s in it, as long as the child is cared for, safe and loved, nothing else matters.

No one chooses their sexual orientation. no one should be discriminated against based on sexual orientation. heterosexual couples do not automatically produce the best environment for a child. as long as parents love and support a child there is no reason to take parents sexual orientation into account.

Gender should not play a role in determining suitable parents, it should be determined based off the parents ability to care for the child