McCain Cites Values As Reason Against Gay Adoption
Monday July 28, 2008
Given his position on other gay issues, I was not surprised when Republican presidential candidate John McCain affirmed his stance on gay adoption:
"I think that we’ve proven that both parents are important in the success of a family," McCain was quoted in The New York Times, About.com's parent company. "So, no, I don’t believe in gay adoption."
By "both parents," McCain means a man and a woman, not two partners of the same sex, which he clarified over the weekend in an exclusive This Week interview with George Stephanopoulos.
"My position is: It’s not the reason why I’m running for president of the United States; I’m running for president of the United States because I want to help with family values," McCain told Stephanopoulos. So far: no harm, no foul. I like like helping families.
But McCain, who himself has an adopted daughter, continued, "I think that family values are important, when we have two-parent—families that are of parents that are the traditional family." Ah, here in lies the gay bomb. Adoption is fine, according to McCain, but the model family for adoption should be his own family, headed by one man and one woman.
McCain continued, "Many of these decisions are made by the states, as we all know." The political smokescreen arrived. McCain is a proponent of state level law making, however he has no issue with defining (I mean, suggesting) on a federal level what the the parameters of those state laws should be. Reminds me of the boss I once had that boasted of employee empowerment, only to micro-manage our decisions with strong suggestions and clear positions on what our path to the end product should be. That way the boss can take credit should the project go well and deny responsibility should it swing the other way. A brilliant corporate move, which happens to work in politics as well.
What's stopping McCain, should he be elected, from signing a federal ban on adoption? Or, what's preventing him from expediting the Federal Marriage Amendment should it be reborn? His definition of the "traditional family" is what makes it more likely that he will not only encourage, but support any state level anti-gay legislation. The only thing traditional about McCain's stance is the political smokescreen meant to convince voters that he is not responsible for any actions the American people take on maintaining his set of values, a system that under McCain would rather leave a child parentless than have them raised in a loving LGBT-headed household.
Breaking The Gay Adoption Myth:
- According to the American Psychological Association Policy Statement on Sexual Orientation, Parents, & Children, "There is no reliable evidence that homosexual orientation per se impairs psychological functioning. Second, beliefs that lesbian and gay adults are not fit parents have no empirical foundation."
- Also, according to the American Psychological Association, "Research suggests that sexual identities (including gender identity, gender-role behavior, and sexual orientation) develop in much the same ways among children of lesbian mothers as they do among children of heterosexual parents." (read more)
- An estimated two million LGBT people are interested in adopting and between 8 and 10 million children are being raised in a gay and lesbian households, according to About.com's Guide to Adoption Carrie Craft. (read more)
- Same-sex couple adoption laws vary from state to state. Here are the different types of adoption and a state-by-state index of adoption laws.
- Some adoption agencies are more gay-friendly than others. It is important to find an agency that welcomes same-sex parents. Read more about finding a gay-affirmative adoption agency, including costs and what to look out for.
Comments
We live in a world of old fashioned ideas adopted sometimes by a ‘old’ generation of people that through not always fault of their own have pushed forward an agenda of hate and intolerance; frankly because its easy, and doesn’t force them to think outside their safe box.
It’s sad to think , that 2008 years after Jesus walked this Earth, that there are still those amoung us who refuse to abide within those teachings ( and similar teachings from other religions ) , and instead get off on trying to oppress their neighbors; they would do well to re-read their bible ( insert holy book(s) ).
Just as from Jurasic Park; ‘ Just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you should’, and you can apply that to a thinking process of intolerance, because while it may be something obtained from their parents, we are rational thinking adults now and should be able to come to the conclusion that God loves us all, their is evidence of similar behavior in nature and psychologically proven that such people aren’t baby killers
( I mean come on…).
Judge not lest ye be judged.
Love your Neighbor as yourself.
Love god with all your heart, mind and soul.
What reason would you offer up as to why McCain ( and all others that think like him ) has forgotten those important guidelines in conjunction with obvious proofs offered from academia. Has his compassion cup runneth dry ?
We are supposed to be sharing this planet, all the while protecting our brethren and the animal kingdom that inhabit it, and frankly we’re failing miserably on all counts.
What have you done lately to help brige the gap in this struggle ?
I suppose I understand with McCain, (although I realize the election has ended, w/the winner Obama!:) )I disagree. As usual, it is the same as racisim. That is like saying just because the father is black, they will not be a good enough father. And who really says we NEED to have a father AND mother? Who says a mother and mother or father and father cannot be good or even better parents to the children? You? The world? And how do you truly know what God wants or thinks? The whole issue simply gets more and more complicated as it is discussed.
I cannot wait for the day when we do not waste our time on issues such as this, and can focus on the bigger things.
It shouldnt matter if your children have different sex parents. It doesnt matter. A child can benefit from having to mothers or two fathers more than having Just a mother/father. Children raised by gays dont suffer any harm, and they are real people too. I know a family who has two moms. Because the mom was abused by a MALE and stuck to women, and they are really happy kids. I do not agree with McCain. Perhaps this is why he didnt win.