Blog 5:On Gay Marriage, Europe Strains to Square 27 Interests

Back in Finland, Elisa and her partner legally adopted 2 daughters. Unfortunally, Italy doesn't allow a child to have two mothers. Same-sex couples in Italy are not allowed to marry, to register partnerships, to adopt a child or benefit from assisted reproduction. This was a problem when 1 year old Krisi Bestetti tripped and cut her lip at her grandparents’ house in Italy, her mother Elisa Bestetti immediately rushed her to the hospital in panic. When Elisa arrived at the hospital she was afraid that the doctors were not going to see Krisi because she didn't think they would accept Krisi as Elisa's daughter. Elisa Bestetti is Italian, but towheaded Kirsi is Finnish like her birth mother, Emmi Pihlajaniemi. “It’s a bit like baking a cake and then not wanting anybody to eat it,” said Michael Cashman, a gay-rights advocate and longtime member of the European Parliament from Britain. “But if you believe in freedom of movement — ‘Europe without borders’ — this is what we have to address: the inequalities that people face purely because of someone’s opinion. (Paul Geitner NY Times)”. Luckily, the doctor's treated Krisi and the cut wasn't that deep to leave a scar. Even though Krisi is okay, Elisa still worries about what happens outside of Italy. In the Finnish state, Elisa is Krisi's parent but in Italy she is nothing. This is a problem because so many gay couples are trying to adopt in other countries that will not accept is. In the U.S, President Obama, is open to same sex marriage and has passed the law for it in many different states. This opens up a lot more gay couples to get married and feel free to live their lives. They can adopt as well as be married. In some other countries, they are not allowed to have this freedom which is unfair. There are thousands of children up for adoption all over the world that need a solid family home. The governments in some countries look at it as something ''wrong'' to the child. They believe that if a child is raised in a gay home, they would be influenced by negativity, be rude, and aggressive. When stats show that, more children who are raised in a same sex home, are nicer, less aggressive, smart, and open minded.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/26/world/europe/on-gay-marriage-europe-strains-to-reconcile-27-interests.html?pagewanted=all