Sometimes I feel the substantive issues surrounding same-sex marriage have been duly hashed out, and there’s really no point in addressing any of them anymore. But I feel like this deserves a response. The local Catholic bishops are telling legislators how afraid they are of gays and lesbians having families and raising kids:
The bishops say that by sanctioning same-sex weddings, the state has taken away the rights of children by “redefining marriage in a way that is indifferent to the absence of mother or father.” The letter asks that lawmakers approve the proposed ban so that Massachusetts voters can decide the issue in November 2008.
“Marriage is a fundamental social institution,” the letter says. “Its definition and meaning are critical concerns for all in society. Because it involves issues of utmost social importance, extending far beyond questions strictly legal, the marriage debate should not be reserved only to lawyers and lawmakers. Every citizen has a stake in the outcome, because every citizen has a stake in the well-being of the family.”
Now, we should not be surprised that the bishops are representing the church’s party line. But on any level other than absolute fealty to church doctrine, there is simply nothing to this complaint — especially including such inflammatory and obscurantist language about taking away “rights of children”.
The American Psychiatric Association says this about same-sex couples as parents:
This seven-member team of psychologists with a combination of both scientific expertise in family and couple relations and professional expertise with lesbian, gay, and bisexual populations summarized the research that discrimination and prejudice based on sexual orientation detrimentally affects the psychological, physical, social and economic well-being of lesbian, gay and bisexual individuals, that same-sex couples are remarkably similar to heterosexual couples, and that parenting effectiveness and the adjustment, development and psychological well-being of children is unrelated to parental sexual orientation.
Given what research tells us about the impact of discrimination and given that the research further provides no justification for discriminating against same-sex couples in marriage or in parenting, the Working Group strongly recommended that APA support states in providing civil marriage to same-sex couples and fully recognizing the parental rights of lesbians and gay men. As a benefit for human welfare, it is important to point out that permitting same-sex couples to marriage may especially benefit people who also experience discrimination based on age, race, ethnicity, disability, gender and gender identity, religion and socioeconomic status, said Cerbone.[my emphasis]
Gay and lesbian parents are just like other parents. I suspect this is just common sense to most folks reading this page. But if I’m going to be obvious, now seems like a good time.
“The bishops say that by sanctioning same-sex weddings, the state has taken away the rights of children by ‘redefining marriage in a way that is indifferent to the absence of mother or father.'”
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It’s more like by CEASING to sanction same-sex weddings the state would be TAKING AWAY the rights of children by redefining marriage in a way that is indifferent to those children’s needs. The bishops should put that in their censers and smoke it.
…our plot some to try and lay the sad and decrepit state of the American family at the feet of heterosexuals under whose stewardship it certainly hasn’t truly been eroding for decades. It seems they now know that having same-sex marriage in MA for the past three years has retro-actively caused the decline of the great American radio family. I know, after I got married and was thrust back in time and forced to impregnate and abandon dozens of women to do my part for the cause I was taken by surprise, but was glad to do it so as not to face the consequences of my refusal. Don’t mess with the gay agenda, or it will mess with you!
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**** Tongue now out check, but seriously is there a better explanation for how marriage equality has caused the last fifty years of nuclear family fission.
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…people would pay attention to supposedly celibate self-appointed pharisees (the Roman Catholic priesthood) when it comes to matters of marriage and family.
Boston Bud had a good observation over at MassResistanceWatch on the craziness of the RCC bishops pushing for a vote on people’s right to civil marriage, yet not allowing their own flock to vote on which parishes should be closed, consolidated, sold, etc. Funny, how the bishops don’t want their “family” voted on any more than I want my real family voted on. And yet, there they are, calling for a vote. Repeat after me: “Forgive me Father, for I am a hypocrite.”
I’d add that for the many gay and lesbian couples raising children together (almost 40% of same-sex couples according to 2000 census data – see http://www.law.ucla…. ), protecting their children is a key reason to seek marriage rights.
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Conservatives who claim they are “protecting” children by opposing equal marriage are in fact harming the hundreds of thousands of children who are being raised by parents who may, without marriage rights, lack access to family health care benefits, inheritance rights, child support, pensions, medical decision-making and all of the other 1000+ rights and responsibilities provided through marriage.