Civil organizations urge Mexican government to hold debate on adoption

Mexico City, Mexico, Oct 21, 2010 / 10:23 am

Various organizations in Mexico are urging President Felipe Calderon to call for a national debate on adoption by same-sex couples.

Common Sense, an association consisting of 50 organizations, called on officials “to convene a national forum in order to discuss the basis for Mexico’s new adoption law and how the will of the majority of Mexicans who reject same-sex adoption will be respected.”

Enrique Perez Ocejo, a spokesman for Common Sense, said the Supreme Court’s ruling allowing adoption by same-sex couples was a step backwards for democracy in the country. He noted that the wishes of a small minority trumped the will of the majority of Mexicans who do not want children be used for “social experiments.”

“The country’s Supreme Court refused to prioritize the well being of children up for adoption by not taking into account the risk factors for these children,” he warned.

Ocejo pointed to a study by Charlotte Patterson, sponsored of the American Psychological Association, which showed that a boy or girl raised or adopted in a same-sex household can manifest identity problems, psycho-emotional development issues, as well as difficulties with cognitive and motor skills.

“It’s just common sense that the father be a man and the mother a woman,” he said.