The Rainbow Families Association Sateenkaariperheet confirms that Finland’s first two same-sex adoptions have taken place.
It comes three years after the Marriage Act was reformed to allow marriage equality and same-sex adoptions, and a female couple and a male couple have both adopted infants in the capital city region.
“In domestic adoptions, the decision on which family the child will be placed in is made in the adoption working group” explains social worker Aulikki Haimi-Kaikkonen.
“For each child, carefully consideration is given to which family best meets the child’s needs. The decision also takes into account, where possible, the wishes of the biological parents as to the type of family in which the child will be placed. This may have an impact on applicants’ waiting times” she adds.
The counselling period which is part of the adoption process, and which looks at applicants’ readiness to be parents, can take several years. The Rainbow Families Association says they weren’t expecting the first same-sex adoptions to happen before now.
“Adoption is especially important from the perspective of male couples’ opportunities, a new way to parenthood” says Rainbow Families Association Executive Director Juha Jämsä.
“Adoption is unlikely to be the most common way for male couples to have children. However it is an important additional opportunity for men, whose opportunities to form a family with children as a whole have been very limited.”
According to the City of Helsinki there are several same-sex couples both male and female, in adoption counseling and waiting for access to counseling. They are looking for both domestic adoption and international adoptions.
