Thanks, Barry, for your comments -- I agree wholeheartedly, but wanted to add something.... > The AAP policy concerns adoption by a second parent in a homosexual > relationship where the first parent is already is the legal custodian. This > usually comes about by the first parent having the child within a traditional > heterosexual marriage, and then the marriage dissolves or whatever. It > doesn't usually come about by having a lesbian or gay couple adopting de novo. There's another possibility (which is rather common around here) that this AAP policy applies to, which I haven't seen raised in this discussion. I know of many lesbian women who have decided - in the context of a loving, committed, relationship - to become pregnant via artificial insemination or IVF. In such instances, only the woman who gives birth to the infant is considered a "legal parent", although both women are involved in raising the child from birth. Allowing the second parent to adopt the child has multiple benefits, many of which are presented in AAP policy statement. Michelle -- Michelle Garrison, MPH <>