For Immediate Release                                                                                             
July 14, 2008                                                                                  

Contact:  Steve Ralls
(202) 467-8180, ext. 214 / sralls@pflag.org

 

Presidential Candidate John McCain Announces Opposition
to Adoption Rights for Lesbian and Gay Couples
“McCain Would Deny Loving Homes to Children Who Desperately Need Them,” Says PFLAG  

 

Washington, DC – In an interview published in Sunday’s New York Times, Senator John McCain (R-AZ), the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, announced his unequivocal opposition to adoption rights for lesbian and gay couples.  “I think that we've proven that both parents are important in the success of a family so, no, I don't believe in gay adoption,” McCain, who with his wife Cindy is a foster parent, told the paper.

“In a country where more than 125,000 children are waiting for foster parents, Senator McCain would deny loving homes to children who desperately need them simply because of an outdated prejudice about what a family may look like,” said Jody M. Huckaby, executive director of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG).  “We are disappointed and saddened that a public leader who is himself an adoptive father would deny the children in America’s foster care system the opportunity to thrive as part of a welcoming family.  Love makes a family, but short-sighted positions like Senator McCain’s can certainly tear families apart, too.”

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, “A growing body of scientific literature demonstrates that childrenwho grow up with 1 or 2 gay and/or lesbian parents fare as wellin emotional, cognitive, social, and sexual functioning as dochildren whose parents are heterosexual.”  The AAP has also noted that, “Overall, there are more similarities than differences in theparenting styles and attitudes of gay and non-gay” parents. Children raised by same-sex couples “seem todevelop normally in every way,” the group has reported.

“In fact,,” the Academy has said, “growing up with parentswho are lesbian or gay may confer some advantages to children.They have been described as more tolerant of diversity and morenurturing toward younger children than children whose parentsare heterosexual.”

“Senator McCain’s position is out of synch with the research and science and out of step with what is in the best interests of children waiting for a home and a family,” Huckaby said.  “PFLAG knows the pain inflicted upon families due to misinformation about LGBT issues.  We implore Senator McCain to take a serious look at the overwhelming evidence and listen to the stories of the countless children raised by loving lesbian and gay couples.  The evidence is clear:  children should not be denied access to the loving homes of gay couples.”

 

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Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) promotes the health and well-being of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons, their families and friends through: support, to cope with an adverse society; education, to enlighten an ill-informed public; and advocacy, to end discrimination and to secure equal civil rights. PFLAG provides opportunity for dialogue about sexual orientation and gender identity, and acts to create a society that is healthy and respectful of human diversity.