Married adults are raising 65 percent of America’s children. The other 35 are living in a variety of situations, including with single or cohabitating parents, grandparents, foster parents or adoptive parents.
In efforts to support the nearly 2 million children who are being raised by gay or lesbian parents (single and coupled), The American Academy of Pediatrics issued a new policy statement.
AAP Policy Highlights
AAP supports access for all children to:
- civil marriage rights for their parents, including gay and lesbian parents.
- willing and capable foster and adoptive parents – regardless of those parents’ sexual orientation.
- Data shows normal development in children raised by same-sex parents
- Marriage of parents is in best interest of their children
Children in US:
- 2 million children raised by gay or lesbian parent
- 115,000 children raised by same-sex couples
- These children live in essentially every county in US
- Foster care: 400,000 children in foster care, 130,000 adopted by unrelated adults
Marriage in US affects children
- States differ regarding same-gender unions
- Defense of Marriage Act deprives parents of same gender Social Security benefit, food stamps, employment benefits, etc
- AAP states the position that the Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional and should be repealed.
- Washington is one of nine states allowing legal marriage for same-sex couples
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