Children in Homosexual Marriages
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| American College of Pediatricians (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Family structure is the most important factor in a child’s development. As we saw in point 1, having a mom and a dad is the best structure. Conversely, according to the American College of Pediatricians, the research shows that homosexual couples provide a far less safe and stable environment for children. They note that violence among homosexual partners is two to three times more common than among married heterosexual couples, and homosexual partnerships are significantly more prone to dissolution than heterosexual marriages, with the average homosexual relationship lasting only two to three years. Homosexuals are also more likely than heterosexuals to experience mental illness, substance abuse, suicidal tendencies, and shortened life spans. They conclude, “Given the current body of research, the American College of Pediatricians believes it is inappropriate, potentially hazardous to children, and dangerously irresponsible to change the age-old prohibition on homosexual parenting, whether by adoption, foster care, or by reproductive manipulation. This position is rooted in the best available science.”
Yet even if one could cite cases of homosexuals living long, healthy, monogamous lives and providing well for children, the research shows that such people are the exception rather than the rule, and laws must be based on what usually happens, not exceptions.
For example, we should not stop warning people about the dangers of smoking just because some smokers outlive non-smokers. Nor should we stop warning people about the dangers of homosexual behavior or parenting just because some homosexuals outlive heterosexuals or parent better. (If we’re not going to warn them, at the very least, we ought not to endorse homosexual behavior through government-backed same-sex marriage.)
If laws were based on exceptions, we would have to do away with virtually every law we have. It would require that we do away with all laws against running red lights because sometimes running a red light will not hurt anyone. It would also require that we do away with all laws against theft because a starving man may need to steal a loaf of bread to feed his family. In fact, it would require that we do away with marriage itself because spouses in some marriages abuse one another and their children. But in doing that we’d be throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Natural marriage, as a whole, is great for society. We cannot let its exceptions prevent us from experiencing the overall benefits it produces. Natural marriage must remain our legal norm despite any exceptions to the rule.
