Recent studies, however, are not a "myth": they show
that gay parents are no more harmful to a child's upbringing than heterosexual
parents. And the American Psychological Association has determined that
"parenting effectiveness is not related to parental sexual
orientation."
Gays as unfit parents has been the demonizing point of the Christian Right for
years, but with the loss of the marriage debate in so many states, the strategy
had to change: it is a defensive strategy, to be sure, but one based on the
"freedom of religion" meme that worked in the Hobby Lobby case.
Where Are The Children?
The proposed "Inclusion Act" protects faith-based adoption agencies,
but what about those "vulnerable and needy kids"? Does "every
child deserves a mother and a father" trump loving adoptive parents? The
bill would also allow agencies to discriminate against single parents and unwed
mothers. People like Bryan Fischer would certainly not allow children to be
adopted by women who "rut like rabbits." The Dan Quayle/Murphy Brown attitude
still exists among the Christian Right. The single-parent dilemma, in fact, is
the focus of the season finale of
the hit comedy "Two and a Half Men" (with a nod to gay marriage).
So, in a sense, morality trumps child welfare. That a child might fare well in a same-sex or a single-parent household does not matter. Lawmakers may say they have the welfare of children at heart, those poor "vulnerable kids," but when it comes to pressure from the Christian Right, those same children might just be pawns in the culture war game.
Of course, for centuries, children have been pawns in politico-religious games.
Maybe it's time to stop.
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