ropebreezy
Joined: 27 Aug 2009
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 Posted: Mon Jun 07, 2010 9:16 pm Post subject: Study supports same-sex parenting |
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(CNN) -- A nearly 25-year study concluded that children raised in lesbian households were psychologically well-adjusted and had fewer behavioral problems than their peers.
The study, published Monday in the journal Pediatrics, followed 78 lesbian couples who conceived through sperm donations and assessed their children's well-being through a series of questionnaires and interviews. |
Full article here.
This isn't the first study to support same-sex parenting, but it is one of the more comprehensive ones that takes a look at children raised from infants to adulthood.
The article discusses the possibility of bias, as the study was funded by gay-advocacy groups. While probably true to some extent, I have a problem with conservative groups completely dismissing these studies on purely these grounds. Just because it was funded by supporters of gay rights does not automatically void the study. You must question the study upon its own merits before making any such accusations.
But on to the greater point at hand. I am a big advocate for same-sex parenting, as I see it as a right for anyone: gay, straight, bisexual, transgender, whatever, to raise their own children. I personally have two close friends that were both raised by same-sex parents, and, unsurprisingly, they are great, stand-up people. Anecdotal evidence aside though, I feel raising your children is a fundamental human right that, unless you are psychologically or physically abusing your children, cannot be taken away from you. This right seems to be upheld in America except in some instances where gay couples are denied the right to adopt, or at least, to some extent, discriminated against.
As the culture war in America rages on, studies like these will continue to be published, with conservative groups and other like minded individuals muddying the waters with more second-guessing and traditionalist talking points. Talking points such as "A child needs to be raised by a mother and a father" without any critical follow-up on to what that exactly means in the context of child-raising or how that plays into the concepts of gender and sex (they're two different things!). Talking points such as "Well we don't really know the effects of same-sex parenting, so we should be cautious about doing this" when, as this study clearly shows, we do have at least a pretty good idea of what same-sex parenting does to children: absolutely nothing in particular compared to opposite-sex parenting.
The bottom line is, unless the opposition can definitely show that same-sex parenting is inherently harmful, that is to say, constitutes psychological or physical abuse (grounds for which social services can take away your children), then there is absolutely no legitimate reason to keep people from raising their own children. I feel as time progresses more and more people are going to recognize this very real ultimatum and, regardless of their personal views of same-sex parenting or gay rights in general, do the right thing and support people's fundamental right to raise their children. |
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