Summary of Laws By Jurisdiction
| Country | LGBT individual may petition to adopt | Same-sex couple may jointly petition | Same-sex partner may petition to adopt partner's child | Same-sex couples are allowed to foster or stepchild foster |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austria | No | No | No | No |
| Belgium | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Denmark | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Estonia | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Finland | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| France | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Germany | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Iceland | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Ireland | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Italy | No | No | No | No (but singles can exceptionally foster) |
| Latvia | Yes | No | No | No? |
| Lithuania | No (only in exceptional circumstances) | No | No | No |
| Netherlands | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Norway | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Poland | Yes | No | No | No |
| Portugal | Yes | No | No | No (but singles can foster) |
| Slovenia | Yes | No | No | No (but singles can foster) |
| Spain | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Sweden | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| United Kingdom | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Same-sex couple joint petition | LGBT individual adoption | Same-sex stepparent adoption | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Brazil | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Chile | No | No | No |
| Colombia | No | Yes | No |
| Paraguay | No | No | No |
| Surinam | No | No | No |
| French Guyana | No | Yes | Yes |
| Guyana | No (Gay sex illegal) | No (Gay sex illegal) | No (Gay sex illegal) |
| Belize | No (Gay sex illegal) | No (Gay sex illegal) | No (Gay sex illegal) |
| Peru | No | No | No |
| Cuba | No | No | No |
| Puerto Rico | No | Yes | No |
| Bolivia | No | No | No |
| Ecuador | No (constitutional ban) | No (constitutional ban) | No (constitutional ban) |
| Honduras | No (constitutional ban) | No (constitutional ban) | No (constitutional ban) |
| El Salvador | No | No | No |
| Guatemala | No | No | No |
| Venezuela | No | No | No |
| Dominican Republic | No | No | No |
| Nicaragua | No | No | No |
| Costa Rica | No | Yes | No |
| Mexico | Yes (only Mexico City and Coahuila) | Yes | Yes (only Mexico City and Coahuila) |
| Uruguay | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Same-sex couple joint petition | LGBT individual adoption | Same-sex stepparent adoption | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ACT | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| New South Wales | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Northern Territory | No | Only in exceptional circumstances | No |
| Queensland | No | Yes | No |
| South Australia | No | No | No |
| Tasmania | No (under review since 2003) | Yes | Yes |
| Victoria | No (under review since 2007) | Yes | Yes |
| Western Australia | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Notes:
- Even a de facto opposite sex couple can not jointly adopt a child under the law of the Northern Territory.
- No individual or single people are allowed to adopt a child, only a married or de facto opposite sex couples under the law of South Australia.
Read more about this topic: LGBT Adoption
Famous quotes containing the words summary, laws and/or jurisdiction:
“Product of a myriad various minds and contending tongues, compact of obscure and minute association, a language has its own abundant and often recondite laws, in the habitual and summary recognition of which scholarship consists.”
—Walter Pater (1839–1894)
“We are told to maintain constitutions because they are constitutions, and what is laid down in those constitutions?... Certain great fundamental ideas of right are common to the world, and ... all laws of man’s making which trample on these ideas, are null and void—wrong to obey, right to disobey. The Constitution of the United States recognizes human slavery; and makes the souls of men articles of purchase and of sale.”
—Anna Elizabeth Dickinson (1842–1932)
“The putting into force of laws which shall secure the conservation of our resources, as far as they may be within the jurisdiction of the Federal Government, including the more important work of saving and restoring our forests and the great improvement of waterways, are all proper government functions which must involve large expenditure if properly performed.”
—William Howard Taft (1857–1930)