Research debate
White said that while he supports the Church's position on same-sex adoptions, the scientific research -- in particular a 2004 report by the American Psychological Association -- does not prove that there are negative implications for children raised by homosexual couples.
Others have labeled such findings as questionable, pointing to more broad research on same-sex relationships and reports from children that have been raised in those environments. George Rekers, professor emeritus of neuropsychiatry and behavioral science at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine, has compiled extensive research on the subject. He said that studies claiming children of homosexual parents are equally well-adjusted when compared with those raised by heterosexual couples are lacking.
"All of that research is flawed because it has a small sample size," Rekers told OSV. "If you have a small enough sample you're going to find no difference because you don't have enough statistical power."
In reviewing the data compiled by numerous studies on the subject, Rekers, who testified in the Florida case in defense of the state's ban on same-sex couple adoptions, has identified three primary arguments supported by the research: homosexual partnerships are significantly less stable than heterosexual relationships; children raised in a home with same-sex parents are exposed to more stress, embarrassment and potential harassment from peers; and being parented by a same-sex couple deprives the child of the necessary developmental contributions of both a mother and father.
"Foster and adoption-eligible children need to be placed in environments that are likely to be as free as possible from known sources of emotional and physical harm," Rekers said. "The available research is remarkable in consistently documenting that individuals participating in homosexual behavior cause significantly and substantially higher rates of harm to children living in their household."
Rekers also noted that several books have been written that include interviews with children raised by homosexual parents, and in the vast majority of cases, those children identify problems or concerns that stem from having two parents of the same sex.
Moral questions
Another primary concern from the perspective of the Church is that children of same-sex couples will be brought up in an environment that gives them a very different moral perspective than that of children raised by heterosexual parents.
"If the child is younger and is adopted by a same-sex couple, it is much more likely that the child will accept the same-sex couple's perspective on marriage and relationships," Guarendi said. "And if the child is older, they are bringing their own perceptions or their own formed morals and I don't know how well they will adapt to that arrangement."
Even though White has doubts about the research concerning the welfare of children raised by same-sex couples, he said the Church has cause for concern when it comes to moral issues.
"I would expect that with things like nutrition and dental care, kids raised by a gay couple are faring about as well as kids raised by a heterosexual couple because sexual orientation does not really have an impact on those things," he said. "Now if we extend that to how accepting they may be of God's plan for their sexuality, or how likely they might be to engage in other practices that would not be a part of God's plan when they are older, we may get different results.