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GLMA Hails Groundbreaking Report Finding That Children Benefit When Their Same Sex Parents' Relationships Are Legally Recognized Report appears in July issue of Pediatrics, the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics

SAN FRANCISCO--(July 5, 2006)--The Gay and Lesbian Medical Association today hailed the publication of findings that legal recognition for same sex partners benefits their children.

The 16-page report, which includes an exhaustive review of the growing body of medical literature on same-gender parenting, concludes that "Children of same-gender parents often experience economic, legal, and familial insecurity as a result of the absence of legal recognition of their bonds to nonbiological parents" and that "legal recognition of a [same-gender] spouse can increase the ability of adult couples to provide and care for one another and fosters a nurturing and secure environment for their children."

The 2000 Census found that same-gender couples are raising children in 96 percent of all US counties.

The report, entitled "The Effects of Marriage, Civil Union and Domestic Partnership Laws on the Health and Well-Being of Children," appears in the July 2006 issue of Pediatrics, the scholarly journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics. The AAP, with 55,000 members, is the largest and most influential professional organization for pediatricians in the United States. The report was commissioned by the AAP's Board of Directors, which specifically approved its broad dissemination.

Ellen C. Perrin, MD, Director of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics and The Center for Children with Special Needs at The Floating Hospital for Children Tufts-New England Medical Center and one of the authors of the report, stated, "The scientific data overwhelmingly demonstrate that there is no relationship between parents' sexual orientation and any measure of children's emotional, psychosocial, and behavioral adjustment. We conclude that civil marriage is beneficial to children, regardless of the gender of the parents, because it strengthens families and helps foster financial and legal security, psychosocial stability, and an augmented sense of societal acceptance and support."

GLMA's Executive Director, Joel Ginsberg, stated, "This report confirms what all parents know: that it's love that makes a family. State and federal legislators who say they're trying to 'protect' children by sponsoring constitutional amendments to ban same-sex marriage are not just wrong, they are actively harming the health and well-being of all our children."

Source: Gay and Lesbian Medical Association

LGBT Health News, Report on Children of Same Sex Parents reprinted with permission from
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