For Whose Sake?

In an ABC interview with Diane Sawyer, talk-show hostess Rosie O'Donnell -- who has three adopted children -- announced what was already an open secret: that she is a lesbian. Nevertheless, Rosie insisted, "I know I'm a really good mother, and I have every right to parent [these children.]" Anyone who thinks otherwise is wrong. ABC apparently agreed: On a program that lasted two hours, no one challenged or contradicted Rosie, but the truth is -- unmentioned on ABC -- that children do not fare as well in homes headed by gays. According to several independent studies by respected authorities, children raised by homosexuals are more likely to become promiscuous and engage in substance abuse. They are at higher risk of losing a parent to AIDS and more likely to commit suicide. By contrast, children raised in homes with married, heterosexual parents enjoy greater health -- both physically and emotionally. They do better in school, commit fewer crimes, and are less likely to live in poverty. As Glenn Stanton writes in CitizenLink, children raised in such homes "do far better in every measure than children who grow up in any other family situation. Rarely is the social science literature as conclusive as it is on this point." Then there's the question of whether kids raised by gays are more likely to become gay themselves. Rosie says, no, but the research says otherwise. One study showed that gay parents "may be four times more likely to produce homosexual children." One teenager who was interviewed said that when she had conflicts with her boyfriend, her lesbian mother "would tell me to try girls." In fact, sixty-four percent of kids reared by lesbian mothers consider same-sex relationships compared with only seventeen percent in heterosexual families. The more we study the topic, the more empirical research supports the wisdom of traditional teaching about married, heterosexual parenting. Rosie O'Donnell's assertion -- "I have every right to parent [these children]" -- exposes what this debate is really about. It's not about what's good for kids. It's about the demands of gays for their so-called rights. O'Donnell is leading an effort to overturn state laws against gay adoption. Before states make any drastic decisions, they need to listen to the real experts: kids raised in gay homes. Kids like Jakii Edwards, who told CitizenLink that while the intentions of gays may be good, "it does hurt the children to come up in gay homes. When a child [sees] mom kissing mom and dad kissing daddy, it leaves the child . . . with gender identity issues. We question whether we have to be gay like mommy [or daddy] is gay. "It causes a lot of turmoil, " Jakii says, and she adds nearly everyone she knows who was raised by a gay parent "has major anger issues." Jakii is a reminder that if we really care about the needs of children, we'll do everything in our power to promote healthy, two-parent, heterosexual families. After all, what made June Cleaver, Donna Reed, and Carol Brady great moms was not the fact that they wore aprons and pearls. It was that they married their children's fathers.   Sources: Glenn T. Stanton, "Examining the Research on Homosexual Parenting," CitizenLink. Pete Winn, "Rosie's War," CitizenLink, 13 March 2002. "Focus on the Family Gives the Facts on Gay Adoption," press release, 19 March 2002. BreakPoint commentary, "Outing the Truth: Do Gays Make Good Parents?", 30 March 1994. Cal Thomas, "ABC's Rosie Scenario," TownHall.com, 19 March 2002. "Rosie's Story," ABCNews.com, 14 March 2002. For further reading: Chuck Colson and Nancy Pearcey, The Christian in Today's Culture(Tyndale House Publishers, 1999). Glenn T. Stanton, "Why Children Need a Male and Female Parent," CitizenLink.

04/2/02