Biotechnology is transforming attitudes about the role of marriage, as well as the nature of humanity. In 2002, the Washington Post reported on a deaf lesbian couple who recruited a congenitally deaf sperm donor so that they could produce deaf children. The couple planned no role for the father. His role was limited to that of a mere inseminator. Fathers are deemed superfluous by lesbian couples who decide to have children. Prominent notables among such couples include the daughter of the Vice President of the United States.

Homosexual Marriage

The push is on to redefine marriage to extend the bonds of matrimony to include same sex couples. Homosexual parenting is advocated by prestigious organizations such as the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and the American Psychological Association, among others. Studies show, however, that there is a greater incidence of depression, promiscuity, drug and alcohol abuse, and domestic violence among homosexuals than among heterosexual couples. Further, homosexuals have a shorter life expectancy than heterosexuals—no small consideration to take into account when taking on the responsibility of raising children.

Advocates of homosexual parenting discount the roles that the different sexes contribute to the development of children. The notion that it's not important to have a mother and father involved in the development of a child defies common sense and experience. Most single moms struggling to raise kids by themselves will attest to the value a dad brings when it comes to disciplining children. Numerous studies attest to the important (and admittedly, different) roles that moms and dads contribute to the shaping of their boys and girls.

Conclusion

The American family is under siege and confronted with a host of societal and economic pressures that threaten its undoing. Those who aspire to a just society will do well to try to counteract those pressures, to promote policies that strengthen families, and to model healthy families to those around them.