The director of the Defense of Marriage Coalition, a Measure 36 supporter, was quoted as saying: “The issue for us is that kids do best … in a household with both their mother and their father.” (ODE: “Amending Marriage a Constitutional Controversy,” Oct. 28.) In the past few months, this coalition has used this argument to support its position against same-sex marriage. It’s too bad it has no evidence to back its claims.
It merely points out that studies have shown that children do best in houses with both their birth parents. If you look at the sources cited, you would see that the studies it acquired this data from have absolutely nothing to do with gays or lesbians. The studies compare households with one parent to households with two. The experimenters are even outraged about the inaccurate use of their results.
Child psychologist Dr. Kyle Pruett, who was listed as a supporter of Measure 36, is actually a supporter of gay marriage and child rearing. He believes, professionally, that children do best with two parents even if they are of the same gender. There is no credible data to prove otherwise. In fact, the American Psychological Association supports gay marriage and parenthood. It seems to me that the Defense of Marriage Coalition doesn’t care much for the truth, or for children.
Brad Cabe
Undergraduate