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.