Emphasis on the “claims to…”
CitizenLink reports that a new study in the Journal of Marriage and Family has found that not only are same-sex parents just as fit as heterosexual parents, and not only that, but sometimes lesbian couples even outperform straight parents. (The data has backed this up for a while, actually.)
The headline for their piece is “Experts Debunk Study Claiming Two Moms Better Than Mom And Dad.” Notably missing in the piece, however, are any experts doing any actual debunking. There is simply a baseless assertion from Glenn Stanton:
“They’re just completely overreaching their hand,” he said. “Are we to think that nature has really sent each one of us down a second-rate road of having to be raised by a man and a woman?”
(…)
“The research is very, very clear and it backs up what God has put into process,” Stanton said, “that a man and a woman are the best people to raise that child to healthy adulthood.”
Stanton says the findings appear to reveal an agenda on the part of the researchers and not scientific conclusions.
Right, Glenn. Whatever. Perhaps in the fundamentalist Christian world that passes for an “expert opinion.” As we’ve seen in the Prop 8 trial, when anti-gay “experts” are put under oath, the results are nothing short of hilarious. But note that Glenn doesn’t link to any research, doesn’t cite any studies, or anything. In short, he lazily throws out some meaningless fundamentalist catchphrases and anti-scientific BS and assumes that (maybe because he believes it himself) he’s won the argument. Maybe that flies with the average Focus on the Family wingnut, but in the real, grown-up scientific world?
Sadly, no.
Play again next time, Glenn.
UPDATE: It seems Glenn has issued a (slightly) more detailed response to this study. As it is late, I will not be dealing with it tonight, but I’ll stomp it into the ground sometime tomorrow, I promise.
Radical anti-gay activist Stanton has done nothing but use the same, tired argument that his “religious belief” should trump everyone else’s and common sense. Clearly, passing laws which harm gay American families with the ultimate goal of creating a anti-gay genocidal Uganda-like government in the US, does nothing to protect our nation’s children. In fact, the “ideas” on what qualifies as good parents thrown out by militant, anti-gay advocacy groups are harmful to children, individuals and our society. If being a heterosexual were the cure for all our society’s problems, we would be living in Nirvana now, wouldn’t we? Let anti-equality activists do whatever they want in their own families, but promoting the pseudo-religion that harming families and children is moral or loving is unacceptable and not condoned by Christ.
[...] Focus on the Family is at it again refuting a new study in the Journal of Marriage and Family has found that not only are same-sex parents just as fit as heterosexual parents, and not only that, but sometimes lesbian couples even outperform straight parents. Read more [...]
Oh what do you expect these morons to know about Science?! Look what educational books and DVDs are on offer on the Focus website:
‘Creation’ Mini Series by Answers in Genesis, showing how the universe, life and everything really was created about 6,000 years ago (about 2,000 years after the domestication of the dog) in six 24 hour days:
http://family.christianbook.com/creation-mini-series-pack/pd/309010?item_code=WW&netp_id=414985&event=EBRN&view=details
Typing in the junk science term ‘intelligent design’ (a hypothesis which really has been debunked by every serious scientist) reveals a staggering 99 results. This organization is just ruining children’s minds and spoiling their life chances.
FOF obviously thinks Thou shalt not lie doesnt apply to them….or it’s ok to lie, cheat and scam if it’s for a ‘good cause’. I heard on OutQ that their pathetic study that children were better off with a mother and father in the home was “proven” using single mothers who were basically poverty sticken as the ‘test’ group……duh!
Their mendacity knows no bounds!!!
People who don’t believe in science are generally not good judges of what is and is not good science.
You’re right Gary, that’s the approach always taken by Focus on the “Family”. They take studies that compare single parents to heterosexual couples and falsely claim this proves heterosexual parents are superior to same sex parents.
Glenn Stanton (whose title was or is Director of Social Research and Cultural Affairs at Focus on the Family) does not have a social science degree (he has a Masters of Interdisciplinary Humanities with an emphasis in philosophy).
You’d think Focus on the Family could afford to hire someone with social science credentials for this position.
Then again, James Dobson has a Ph.D. in clinical psychology but somehow manages to repeatedly misrepresent social science research (see http://respectmyresearch.org/) or seems to think that his religious views should trump social science in matters of public policy in the US.