Lake Charles, LA — A recent public opinion survey revealed that a strong majority of conservative- and moderate-likely voters agree that children are better off with one mom and one dad.
The poll surveyed 1,200 likely voters and was released by the Greater Than coalition. Greater Than refers to the idea that “the rights of children are Greater Than the desires of adults.” This national alliance of organizations and individuals dedicated to protecting children’s rights includes The Ruth Institute, led by Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse, Ph.D.
“These results don’t surprise me one bit,” Morse said. “Those who follow traditional Christian sexual ethics realize that the essential public purpose of marriage is to attach mothers and fathers to their children and to one another. Marriage defined this way protects children’s natural rights and legitimate interests.”
“The Sexual Revolution turned the rights of children on its head, making adult desires paramount to all else. Look where that has gotten us. Children just have to accept whatever the adults choose to give them and keep their mouths shut.”
“Eleven years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court put another nail in the coffin of children’s rights when it passed its Obergefell v. Hodges ruling that legalized same-sex marriage. However, this new survey by The Decision Co. found that 82% of those polled agree no child should be deliberately denied a mother or a father,” Morse said. “But, of course, gay marriage, when children are involved, intrinsically does just that.”
The Ruth Institute has its own research studies. Senior Research Associate Fr. Paul Sullins, Ph.D., found that childhood outcomes for those raised by single-sex parents are worse than all other familial types.
“Large nationally representative population studies consistently find higher rates of emotional problems among children raised by same-sex parents compared to those raised by married biological mother–father families,” Sullins found in his study, “Emotional Problems among Children with Same-sex Parents: Difference by Definition.”
“These include increased anxiety, emotional distress, and need for psychological services, even after controlling for income, education, and demographic factors,” Sullins said.
“Further, when marriage, stability, number of parents, and biological relatedness are analyzed together, joint biological parentage emerges as the strongest predictor of positive child outcomes,” Sullins noted in “The Case for Mom and Dad.”
The public opinion poll commissioned by the Greater Than coalition found these results:
- 96% of these voters say it is important for a child to be raised with both an involved mother and an involved father.
- 82% of those surveyed agree that no child should be deliberately denied a mother or a father.
- 78% agree that when a child’s needs conflict with an adult’s desires, the child’s needs should come first.
- 66% reject the claim that being raised by same-sex parents is no different for a child than being raised by an adoptive mother and father.
- 63% of those surveyed agree that children are harmed when they lose their mother or father to be raised in a same-sex household.
“To any clear-headed individual, none of this is news,” Morse said. “Most people are willing to admit that men and women are different. Moms are predominantly nurturers. Fathers are predominantly protectors. Each brings something different to the raising and teaching of children. And each parent provides half of the child’s genetic identity and cultural heritage. If children don’t have rights to their parents, nobody has a right to anything.”
