November 03, 2006 01:42 AM UTC

Suffer the Children? - Understanding the Repercussions for Children with Colorado Amendment 43

• 0 Comments
• by: lysanzia

-by Lys Anzia / Nov. 1, 2006

Same-gender couples are now raising children in at least 96% of all US counties.

So says a 2006 American Association of Pediatrics report.

The AAP along with a host of open churches across the U.S. wants to put their no vote officially on the record for Colorado Amendment 43.

This year the AAP released a respected report for professional child advocates called, “The Effects of Marriage, Civil Union, and Domestic Partnership Laws on the Health and Well-being of Children.” With it came endorsements for gays and lesbian families that aims to give an accurate assessment on the specific benefits and problems involved in gay parenting.

Debates on same-sex marriage are boiling now beyond the pot as Colorado is counting down the days until the Nov. 7 election. Politicians and right-wing religionists alike are staking a strong hold on election outcomes.

Standing on the side of tolerance and social justice is the Colorado Council of Churches which includes the National Baptist Convention, Episcopal Church, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Presbyterian Church, United Church of Christ, United Methodist Church along with the Central Conference of American Rabbis who support gay families and same-sex marriage by saying no to Colorado’s Amendment 43.

“The Effects of (Same-sex) Marriage” report by the American Association of Pediatrics reminds us, “The lack of societal tolerance, acceptance, and support that gay and lesbian individuals, couples, and their children experience can and does affect their psychosocial and physical health and safety.”

So why do right-wing Christians want to cause “psychosocial and physical health and safety harm” to the parents and children of gay and lesbian parents?

Ask Dr. James Dobson, Doctor of Pediatrics.

Dobson, leader of the right-wing Christian group Focus on the Family, strongly disagrees with the current open stand of the AAP toward same-sex parents and their children. He  not only disagrees he wants the world to disagree along with him.

“Does anybody here know SpongeBob?” said Dobson in Jan. 2005 as he described a children’s film made by kid TV producer Nile Rogers.

Dobson described the film as a “pro-homosexual video” at a black-tie Capitol Hill party celebrating the President’s election victory in the 2004 race. TV producer Rogers jumped to the defense saying that some confusion may have happened because the name of the film was similar to another group “We Are Family” which supports gay youth.

It seems semantics can get in the way sometimes.

“Kids should not be taught that homosexuality is just another lifestyle, or that it is morally equivalent to heterosexuality. Scripture teaches that all overt sexual activity outside the bonds of marriage is sinful and harmful,” says Dobson.

Speaking over and over again against same-sexed parents and their children, Dobson has set up one of the largest media networks in America. Dobson is no stranger to media using multitudes of in-print publications, radio programming that reaches over 2,000 stations worldwide and Focus on the Family’s numerous websites.

“In 2004, it was very clear that the religious right and GOP used this as a tactic to get out the vote in key swing states,” she said. “We have two tight congressional races, a tight gubernatorial race and they’re flying the gay marriage flag in a state where gay marriage is already banned, what’s the point?” says campaign manager, Lisa Moreno, for the Colorado Say No to 43 campaign.

Moreno is having staffers and volunteers go door to door in key locations to spread the word on the issue now.

In drastic contrast to Dobson’s often strange and macabre ideas about the health and condition of children of gay and lesbian parents, the detailed “Effects of Marriage” report by the American Assoc. of Pediatrics states clearly that parents and children of same-sex families are surprisingly actually a “benefit to society.”

One AAP study goes on to point to the fact that, “Children of lesbian parents saw themselves as more lovable and were seen by parents and teachers as more affectionate, responsive, and protective of younger children, compared with children of heterosexual parents.”

So where did Mr. Dobson go wrong with his gay family assessments? And why? Is it a rallying point to keep members? Or does he actually believe what he is saying?

According to AAP reports the Association of Pediatrics currently recommends that all pediatricians “become familiar with professional literature regarding gay and lesbian parents and their children; support the right of every child and family to the financial, psychological and legal security that results from having both parents legally recognized.”

Recently on Oct 20 in a CNN commentary, Dobson wrote specifically about the push to stop gay families. “So where does the issue go from here? Time will tell.”

To which James from Arlington,Virginia answers, “Whose marriage needs protecting from homosexuals? Not mine, certainly.”

“We are in a whole new world, and the church better catch up,” says Rev. Karen Oliveto, pastor of the Bethany United Methodist Church in San Francisco.

_____________________________________

Sources for this article are About.com, Focus on the Family – Family.org, BBC – Special Reports on Religion and Ethics, The American Association of Pediatrics, CNN, Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, YouTube and MSNBC

________________________________________________________