Can two parents of the same sex raise children?

1. 77

   jlparkposted 11 years ago

   Can two parents of the same sex raise children?
   
   I ask this AFTER writing my hub on a similar topic (Teenagers of Same-Sex Parents Developing Normally), but I'm looking to write another on the views of people and those who are SS parents.
   
   So, can SS parents raise children? Why? Why Not? What are your opinions?
   
   Spirited Discussion will be acceptable, abuse will not - you are entitled to your opinion, but so is everyone else. (Also - incorrect statements eg Paedophillia etc will be called out - you are to talk about why you think they can/can't but not accuse a group of people of criminal activities)
   GO!

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2. 61

   baja2013posted 11 years ago

   I don't think so.
   Why? Because it's not natural. Child need mother not only for milk but for warm hug, heart vibration, mothers' emotion in general. And also need father, someone who is guide and friend authorithy. Don't believe SS parents are good combination for a child, and don't believe SS parent could give real parental love and care to their child. They could be a good friends with kid, but that's not the same. Extremely deviation in personality could occur later in any phase of childs' life.

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   1. 77

      jlparkposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Baja - thank you for your comments.  You make several statements as 'fact' which require just a little more information - would you care to elaborate on your statements further? Just so we understand where you are coming from without misunderstanding

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      baja2013posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Please read my last sentence. Maybe would better understand my point.

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      jlparkposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      That is what I meant - Baja. You make statements of fact - can you please provide more information - for example - where this fact comes from? I ask this of most people where they've said something I need clarification on for my hub.

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      baja2013posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Maybe some hub appear on this subject, internet is full of different types of studies on this issue.

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      jlparkposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      So you don't know where you got such facts from? The reason I ask is that in order to make such a statement you would need proof behind it. Studies I've read say the opposite so seeing yr source would give me both sides on the issue.

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      Marseiposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2013/03/2 … -docs-say/

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      jlparkposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Marsei - thanks though I am not sure that its the one Baja read! Thanks!

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      Marseiposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I would like to be pointed to an article that states that the children of same sex parents are more likely than the children of heterosexual couples to have extreme deviation in personality.  I'm waiting as it's stated as fact, not opinion.

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   9. 0

      jonnycomelatelyposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      http://blogs.chicagotribune.com/news_co … 3/roe.html
      Some very sensible questions asked in this article....

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   10. 77

       jlparkposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       Marsei - very good points.
       Jonny - interesting article.

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3. 0

   jonnycomelatelyposted 11 years ago

   Baja, great respect to you for having your view on this subject.  However, several of those worries do not prove true in practice.   
   These are my views:   First, I question what is "natural."   If one accepts, for the sake of argument, that there was a design to our world and our biology, anything sexual is intended to invite intimacy and union.   In order to be attractive and desired, the sexual act was "made" enjoyable and sensual.  Otherwise which species would indulge?
   Secondly, a child's sexuality and orientation does not depend upon the sexual activity or habits of it's parents.   Many parents never teach their children anything about sex, yet the child learns it somehow.   This applies to heterosexuality as well.  Having two loving individuals as parents, regardless of their gender, does not in practice "make" a young person homosexual.
   Thirdly and finally, Baja you use the phrase "Don't believe SS parents are good combination."   There are uncountable numbers of same-gender parents looking after children.   These parents make the choice to nurture their children into adulthood.   Most are very successful in that objective.   The children do not turn out gay.   They do not suffer extreme deviation later in life.   
   Think of all the children who have been abandoned by their biological parents and families; They would be blessed to be taken into the care of two adults who are in a loving relationship.

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   1. 77

      jlparkposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Jonny - thank you for your respectful answer/comment to Baja.

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      baja2013posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I would like to keep it simple. If I  need to explain "Natural" I would say that our reproduction organs are not ment for SS use, so this implicate parents are only different sex combination. That's just a physical view, not to mention emotional one

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   3. 77

      jlparkposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Baja - just a thought - are children concerned about how their parents have sex? From what I recall no one likes to think their parents do anything of the sort!
      I ask this respectfully though, would like to see the answer

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   DexisViewposted 11 years ago

   I think that in today's world that any child who feels loved is blessed.  Do you have to be a mom and a dad?  I don't believe so.  You hear so many stories of the dad that was never there or the mom that was abusive.  Those are just examples there are so many more.  The point being wouldn't you rather see a child raised in a home with love rather than obligation.  A child knows when they are loved.  Being raised with love and acceptance should be taken in whatever form that may come in.
   Open communication is key if 2 parents are of the same sex.  Although it is more common now, it still makes a child different.  If it is openly talked about so the child always has a sounding board (and again this applies to many other areas of the childs life as well), that child will be grown up and learn to #1 accept love from others and #2 respect differences.

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   1. 77

      jlparkposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you for your thoughtful answer.
      Communication is a key regardless of gender of parents. If you don't talk, it doesn't work. Are there any studies that you have read that agree with you?

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   Marseiposted 11 years ago

   I was raised by two rather distant and preoccupied parents, not warm fuzzy folks.  Having two loving, affectionate parents one can depend on and feel love from seems like a wonderful alternative to me, regardless of their gender.  Love and consistency, in my view, are so much more important than what's "natural."   
   I think many would be shocked beyond belief by some of the things that go on in "natural" families.   In some of the work I've done, I've heard accounts that would shock the most jaded person.  We derive comfort in things staying the way they have always been.   This organism called "society" requires that we give up that comfort to accommodate others occasionally.
   
   In my opinion, love is the clincher, not gender.  Love is, after all, the "greatest of these."   I think we'll all be held accountable one day to a higher power, whether it's our own higher selves or the "spirit in the sky."  I don't think the question will be:  Who did you have sex with?  I think it will be:  How much and how well did you love others?   How much time did you spend fretting about the mote in your neighbor's eye and ignoring the boulder in your own? 
   
   It's a good question you've asked and I think the answers so far are well-thought out and intelligent.

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   1. 77

      jlparkposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you for your answer.
      Because you've explained it thoroughly, if there are any studies that you have noted - can you provide? If not, thanks for the thought you've put into this also.

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      Marseiposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      No studies.  I worked with people with AIDS in the '80s.  It was an enlightening experience.

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   lburmasterposted 11 years ago

   Yes, they can. However, there are a few things they will have to face. One study claims children raised by same sex couples are more likely to be depressed, suicidal, lack of morals, etc. However, they are exceedingly diverse and friendly.

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      jlparkposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Ibur - can you provide this study so we can see it? I'd really like to read the study you mention so I can write this hub. Thanks for your answer.

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      lburmasterposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      It's from Baylor University in Texas. A lot of people weren't happy with the study so another college is doing the same study but larger to see if there are similar results.

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      jlparkposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Cool - thanks. Ill check it out.

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   Vlorsutesposted 11 years ago

   With the tests, surveys, and research done, I don't feel that children raised in a same sex household are any better or worse than those raised in a "traditional" household. What it comes down to is the parents themselves, not just the orientation of the parents. If the parents have good morals, are good role models that help teach the child and help them grow to be responsible people, then it shouldn't matter if the parents are both men or both women.
   
   We have no qualms in society if a single parent is able to raise and nurture a child properly and give them a healthy environment to grow up in, so why should we have qualms about a homosexual couple raising a child?
   
   I think we as a whole need to look less at just the orientation of the parents when trying to determine which kind of household is better for a child, and at the kind of individual the parent he or she is when sexual orientation is taken from the picture.

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   1. 77

      jlparkposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Vlorsutes - thank you for your thorough answer. Most of the studies I have found agree with you.  And whilst personal opinion of people may differ, it is when it is put down in quantifiable terms that it matters.  Thank you for this

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      Marseiposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I like the point you make about a single parent.  It's a simple one but one that I hadn't considered.  If we're okay with one woman or man, why not two, indeed.  jlpark's question certainly got us all thinking!

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