Nuclear Family: Same-Sex Parents & Remarried Families

Guo 1 JingjingGuo(Gloria) Amy Lashmet Linguistics 3C April 18 2018 New Version of the Nuclear Family: Same-Sex Parents & Remarried Families Imagine you walk on the street, locking your eyes with an adorable baby. When you walk forward and want to ask her parents how old is this cute baby, you find the parents behind her are not a regular couple of wife and husband, but are two males holding hands of the baby together. It is not rare for us to see any untypical family combination on the street nowadays. We might meet a single mom with kids, two moms or dads with babies, or a family consisting of children from different races. Nuclear families used to be defined as families with two parents and their own children. But nowadays, the definition of it has become more diverse than before, because people can make their own choice about how to make their families by their personal willingness. Personally, I agree with these changes to nuclear families because I consider that all people have the right to decide who they marry as well as who they make family members. However, there are still some negative aspects regarding these new families, since it is still hard for some people to get rid of their prejudice. Marriage now is much more varied than in the past. People are able to choose their ideal way of marriage. This is probably because the purpose of marriage has changed a lot now compared to the past. Previously, the great majority of people got married only for reproducing instead of love. But now, pursuing true love tends to become many people’s life goals. Also, with the law on same-sex marriages being no longer strict, more and more gay couples can step into marriage legally. On June 26, 2015, the United States Supreme Court ruled in the landmark case of Obergefell v. Hodges that same-sex couple had a constitutional right to be married (Kennedy 336). This significant case led to an overwhelming support from the LGBT communities. They have longed for having the same rights to be married to their lovers legitimately as others, and in 2015, the day had finally come. The new policy of same-sex marriage has not only benefited LGBT groups, but also gave more orphans the opportunity to be adopted and feel the warmth of families. The article “The New Nuclear Family: What Gay Marriage means for the future of parenthood” by Suzy Khimm, mentions : “Most states permit only married couples or unmarried individuals to adopt, and some have laws that give married couples preference in the process. And if prospective parents want to hire a surrogate to carry their child, many states similarly require that they be hitched” (Khimm 338). Therefore, before the milestone case of “Obergefell v. Hodges” passed, all the same-sex couples in the U.S were not allowed to have babies as couples or families. Today, the possibility for same-sex couples to adopt orphans is definitely increased because of the loose restrictions about same-sex marriage. However, a group of people have started getting worried about these new types of families for fear that they may have more problems and challenges than normal families. They hold a skeptical attitude on whether same-sex couples have the abilities to raise children or not. For me, I deem that those th...