Via Kathryn Jean Lopez, President Obama had the following to say about Father's Day:
Nurturing families come in many forms, and children may be raised by a father and mother, a single father, two fathers, a step father, a grandfather, or caring guardian.
Literally, this is true. But as an endorsement of the value of family diversity, it is not. Alternative family forms can be nurturing. But the idea that these forms are "just as good" as a family headed by a child's mother and father in a low conflict marriage is not true. Social science is highly politicized but, notwithstanding elite resistance to this idea, the empirical evidence is pretty overwhelming.
The consequence of our refusal to acknowledge this is a devaluation of fathers with devastating consequences. The President recognizes the consequences of that in his own life saying that he still feels the weight of his father's absence. My own Dad left my life when I was around six and, even though I had - and, thank God, still have - a wonderful stepfather, it's something that you never get over.
The President, typically, wants to have a national dialogue on fatherhood. Good idea. Let's hope its candid and not circumscribed by political correctness.
3 comments:
The empirical evidence is overwhelming that children raised in intact families do better than children raised in what we used to call broken homes. As far as whether children raised by a mother and a father do better than children raised by stable same-sex partners, the most that can be said is that the jury is still out. The link you cite cites literature that says the latter do as well as the former, and then it cites three sources that criticize the methodology of that literature. The critics have their own biases.
The empirical evidence is overwhelming that children raised in intact families do better than children raised in what we used to call broken homes. As far as whether children raised by a mother and a father do better than children raised by stable same-sex partners, the most that can be said is that the jury is still out. The link you cite cites literature that says the latter do as well as the former, and then it cites three sources that criticize the methodology of that literature. The critics have their own biases.
What in the world are you talking about, Rick? Did you even read the president's proclamation, or did you just syphon that single quote from NRO and read your own bias against the president into it?
Seriously, nowhere in Obama's proclamation does it say the phrase "just as good," or even remotely suggest that point. Do you really think that line, which is clearly contextualized to not leave out (as opposed to champion) fathers in non-traditional homes, is going to encourage the break up of "low conflict" marriages via a "devaluation of fathers"?
Honestly, do you feel silly, yet?
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