By Gudrun Schultz

SAO PAULO, Brazil, November 24, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – For the first time in Brazil, a homosexual couple has been given legal permission to jointly adopt a child. Two men were granted adoption rights earlier this week for a five-year-old girl, Theodora, who has been living with the men for nearly a year.

BBC News reported on the ruling that took place in the Brazilian state of Sao Paulo. The judge said Junior de Carvalho could add his name to the girl’s birth certificate—his partner, Vasco Pedro da Gama had already adopted Theodora as a single parent.

Although lesbian couples have been granted adoption rights twice in the past, the case marked the first time two men were granted permission to adopt together. . The appellate court ruling this week affirmed the decision of a lower court that had granted adoption rights to the men in July 2005.

The attorney representing the two men said they hoped their case would set a precedent for future homosexual adoption cases. It is not clear, however, if the ruling will apply outside of the state.

Widespread acceptance of homosexual adoption in Spain led concerned pro-family organizations to compile an in-depth report on the negative effects of same-sex parents on children, released in 2005.

The “Report on Infantile Development in Same-Sex Couples”, which examined findings from multiple international studies, concluded that homosexual parenting carries significant risks for children, including an increase in low self-esteem, stress, confusion regarding sexual identity, mental illness, drug use, and promiscuity.

The report also warned that same-sex relationships show much higher rates of separation and break-up than heterosexual relationships, increasing the likelihood that the child will experience familial instability.

The Sao Paulo court’s decision reflects the growing influence of homosexual activist organizations on Brazil’s traditionally strong opposition to homosexual activity. The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission has exerted pressure over the past few years on the Brazilian government, demanding the government support a resolution on “sexual orientation and human rights” at the United Nations Commission on Human Rights.

Brazil has led the push to include “sexual orientation” as an internationally recognized human right.

See BBC coverage:
https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6174438.stm

See related LifeSiteNews coverage:

Experts Worldwide Find Gay Adoption Harmful for Children
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005/may/05053106.html

Brazil to Decide on Pushing Gay Rights Again at United Nations
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2004/nov/04112203.html

Brazil Judge Permits Homosexual Adoption
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005/jul/05071202.html

Controversial Sexual “Rights” Being Pushed at UN Human Rights Council
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/oct/06100608.html