Same-sex couples in the United Kingdom (not including Scotland) have had the right to adopt since 2002, following the Adoption and Children Act 2002.

Legalisation

In the Adoption and Children Act 2002, Parliament provided that an application to adopt a child in England and Wales could be made by either a single person or a couple. The previous condition that the couple be married was dropped, thus allowing a same-sex couple to apply. The Lords rejected the proposal on one occasion before it was passed. Supporters of the move in Parliament stressed that adoption was not a "gay right", but one of providing as many children as possible with a stable family environment, rather than seeing them kept in care. Opponents raised doubts over the stability of relationships outside marriage, and how instability would impact on the welfare of adopted children. Similar legislation was adopted in Scotland, which came into effect on 28 September 2009.

Disputes

The introduction of the

Sexual Orientation Regulations The Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2007 was secondary legislation in the United Kingdom, outlawing discrimination in the provision of goods, facilities, services, education and public functions on the grounds of sexual orientation. ...

on 30 April 2007 was controversial and a dispute arose between the Government and the

Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales The Catholic Church in England and Wales ( la, Ecclesia Catholica in Anglia et Cambria; cy, Yr Eglwys Gatholig yng Nghymru a Lloegr) is part of the worldwide Catholic Church in full communion with the Holy See. Its origins date from the 6th ce ...

over exemptions for Catholic adoption agencies. Archbishop

Vincent Nichols Vincent Gerard Nichols (born 8 November 1945) is an English cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church, Archbishop of Westminster and President of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales. He previously served as Archbishop of Birmin ...

of Birmingham declared his opposition to the act, saying that the legislation contradicted the Catholic Church's "moral values". He supported efforts to have Catholic adoption agencies exempted from sexual orientation regulations, which were ultimately successful in a judgement given on 17 March 2010.

Statistics

In 2016, 9.6% of all adoptions in England involved same-sex couples. This was an increase from 8.4% the previous year. In 2018, about 450 of the 3,820 adoptions (about 12%) in England involved same-sex couples.

References

{{LGBT topics in the United Kingdom LGBT adoption in Europe LGBT rights in the United Kingdom Adoption in the United Kingdom