PEDIATRICS Vol. 109 No. 6 June 2002, pp. 1193-1194
Coparent or Second-Parent Adoption by Same-Sex Parents
To the Editor.—The AAP mission is summarized by the declaration "Dedicated to the health of all children." But is the recent AAP statement entitled "Coparent or Second-Parent Adoption by Same-Sex Parents," which advocates for the adoption of children by homosexual couples, really advocating for children or homosexual activism? The AAP position seems based less on science than on homosexual advocacy. After opening with the statement that "accurate statistics regarding the number of parents who are gay or lesbian are impossible to obtain," the authors then go on to state that there is a "considerable body of professional literature" showing no differences in children raised by lesbigay parents versus heterosexual. How can we be so sure if we don’t even know how many children are being raised by homosexual couples? A mere 9 references are cited to support the statement and yet a review of this literature leads to conclusions far less certain than Perrin et al would have us believe. A recent review of this literature by Stacey and Biblarz,1 who readily acknowledge their bias toward open promotion of homosexuality and advocacy for lesbigay parental rights, admit that it is not "intellectually honest" to state that "no differences" exist in child or parenting outcomes for 2 reasons: 1) Because only a handful of children and families have been evaluated, the statistical power of these studies was far too weak and many important outcomes may have been missed. 2) Despite the small number of studies and children involved, there actually have been some statistically significant differences. The most consistent is that children raised in lesbigay households are more likely to be sexually promiscuous and to be homosexual themselves. Whether or not one feels that this is "good" or "bad," it does give one pause to consider whether the AAP as an advocate of children should embark on such a radical social experiment given the dearth of evidence to support its claims and the enormous social consequences. We agonize and spend millions of dollars studying thousands of children to make even the most minor adjustment in the immunization schedule. Should we not do at least the same preparation before embarking on the blanket advocacy of homosexual coparenting and adoption?
Stephen C. Riggs, MD, FAAP
Department of Pediatrics
Covenant Medical Center
Waterloo, IA 50701
REFERENCE
In Reply.—
We are pediatricians. Our expertise is in child health. It is not my job, nor the job of my fellow pediatricians, to pass moral judgment. Our job is to make evidence-based decisions about what is best for the health and well-being of our nation’s children. That is why the Committee on Psychosocial Aspects of Child and Family Health of the AAP released its new policy statement, "Coparent or Second-Parent Adoption by Same-Sex Parents."
The release of this policy statement, along with a technical report illustrating the scientific reasons beyond our stance, received considerable public attention. As is common in emotional issues such as this, many misinterpreted the true intent of the statement. Contrary to misconceptions, this statement was not designed to either endorse or condemn homosexuality. Indeed, its purpose was to focus solely on what is best for the increasing number of children who are being raised by same-sex couples.
Here is the abstract that begins the policy statement:
Children who are born to or adopted by 1 member of a same-sex couple deserve the security of 2 legally recognized parents. Therefore, the American Academy of Pediatrics supports legislative and legal efforts to provide the possibility of adoption of the child by the second parent or coparent in these families.
Our recommendation seeks to guarantee the children of same-sex parents the same rights and protections that other children have. There are many types of nontraditional families in American culture; this is just another. All children deserve the right to health insurance benefits from both parents, survivor benefits if a parent dies, and legal rights if the parents break up. This will make custody arrangements, visiting rights, and child support easier on the family and the child.
The Committee on Psychosocial Aspects of Child and Family Health tackled this topic because homosexual families with children have increased and all of us now see firsthand how these issues (especially regarding health insurance) affect our child patients with gay parents. Most states make custody decisions regarding same-sex coparents on a case-by-case basis.
Only California, Connecticut, and Vermont have enacted laws that specifically allowed gay men and lesbians to adopt their partners’ children. Florida specifically prohibits adoption by even one gay parent. Utah bans lesbian and gay couples and unmarried heterosexual couples from state-sponsored adoptions.
Our technical report reviewed the growing body of scientific literature regarding children who grow up with gay or lesbian parents. Only studies published in peer-reviewed journals were considered. And while some criticize the inclusion of journals from the psychology, sociology and social work literature that specifically address issues regarding homosexuality, all the journals cited are commonly found in conventional medical school or university libraries.
The technical report recommends caution in interpreting these data, as the majority of these studies are of short duration and small numbers. But these studies dispute and disprove the commonly held prejudice that homosexual parents are poor parents. Rather, the literature suggests that children who grow up with gay or lesbian parents fare just as well in emotional, cognitive, social, and sexual functioning as children whose parents are heterosexual.
That being said, the AAP statement does not address gay adoption in general. It addresses the legislative status of children who have same-sex parents. This policy statement is not about lifestyle; it is about health insurance. This statement is not about homosexuality; it is about kids. It is our mission to promote the health and safety of our nations’ children, and we feel strongly that no child should be penalized due to controversial or uncommon family circumstances.
Joseph F. Hagan, Jr, MD, FAAP, Chair
AAP Committee on Psychosocial Aspects of Child and Family Health
PEDIATRICS (ISSN 1098-4275). ©2002 by the American Academy of Pediatrics
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