I recently came across a letter written by a woman who was raised by lesbian parents. In this letter, her thoughts are directed to a Supreme Court justice, and she goes onto explain to him that redefining marriage in society will ultimately fail to protect the rights of a very important population in our society:
Children.
You can read her letter here. And I recommend that you do.
While it is absolutely justified that gay couples should receive equal treatment in regards to taxes, housing, and employment opportunities, changing the definition of marriage in society should not be treated as an adult only issue.
Because it is not an adult only issue.
And isn’t it the government’s duty to protect everyone, including the most vulnerable among us? Shouldn’t the government strive to promote equality for every citizen?
Are children not counted as citizens, too?
The largest scientific study so far on the effects of same-sex parenting outcomes was just published this month, in February 2015. The results? Children fare best developmentally when raised by a mom and a dad. Of course, this ideal is often not available in many homes for various reasons. However, one interesting point of this study was that even among homes where a single parent was the caregiver or stepparents were present, those families without both the biological mom and dad, still showed better results than the children of same-sex parents.
So if this whole issue is truly a fight for equality, what about the children who have no choice but to be involved? Don’t they deserve equal rights, too?
While there are no easy answers for this debate and so many tender feelings on all sides, let’s not sweep the children aside just because they are children. Because in this conquest for fairness, that isn’t fair at all.