07508JohnMCCain

www.ambiente.us JULY / JULIO 2008

PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE JOHN McCAIN ANNOUNCES OPPOSITION
TO ADOPTION RIGHTS FOR LESBIAN AND GAY COUPLES
“MCCAIN WOULD DENY LOVING HOMES TO CHILDREN WHO DESPERATELY NEED
THEM,” SAYS PFLAG

WASHINGTON, DC – In an interview published in Sunday’s New
York Times, Senator John McCain (R-AZ), the presumptive
Republican presidential nominee, announced his unequivocal
opposition to adoption rights for lesbian and gay couples. “I think
that we've proven that both parents are important in the success
of a family so, no, I don't believe in gay adoption,” McCain, who
with his wife Cindy is a foster parent, told the paper.

“In a country where more than 125,000 children are waiting for
foster parents, Senator McCain would deny loving homes to
children who desperately need them simply because of an
outdated prejudice about what a family may look like,” said Jody
M. Huckaby, executive director of Parents, Families and Friends
of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG). “We are disappointed and
saddened that a public leader who is himself an adoptive father
would deny the children in America’s foster care system the
opportunity to thrive as part of a welcoming family. Love makes
a family, but short-sighted positions like Senator McCain’s can
certainly tear families apart, too.”

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, “A growing body of scientific literature demonstrates that
children who grow up with 1 or 2 gay and/or lesbian parents fare as well in emotional, cognitive, social,
and sexual functioning as do children whose parents are heterosexual.” The AAP has also noted that,
“Overall, there are more similarities than differences in the parenting styles and attitudes of gay and non-
gay” parents. Children raised by same-sex couples “seem to develop normally in every way,” the group
has reported.

“In fact,,” the Academy has said, “growing up with parents who are lesbian or gay may confer some
advantages to children. They have been described as more tolerant of diversity and more nurturing toward
younger children than children whose parents are heterosexual.”

“Senator McCain’s position is out of synch with the research and science and out of step with what is in
the best interests of children waiting for a home and a family,” Huckaby said. “PFLAG knows the pain
inflicted upon families due to misinformation about LGBT issues. We implore Senator McCain to take a
serious look at the overwhelming evidence and listen to the stories of the countless children raised by
loving lesbian and gay couples. The evidence is clear: children should not be denied access to the loving
homes of gay couples.”

# # #
Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) promotes the health and well-being of gay,
lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons, their families and friends through: support, to cope with an
adverse society; education, to enlighten an ill-informed public; and advocacy, to end discrimination and to
secure equal civil rights. PFLAG provides opportunity for dialogue about sexual orientation and gender
identity, and acts to create a society that is healthy and respectful of human diversity.

Copyright © pflag.org & AMBIENTE MAGAZINE. Do not reproduce without citing this source.