Justice Department study: gay moms equally-good parents

[Catchme]

OTTAWA - Parenting by same-sex families is just as good - if not slightly advantageous - for children when compared to heterosexual families, a Justice Department study has concluded.

Commissioned by the then-Liberal federal government in 2003 at the height of the same-sex marriage debate, the academic study was not released until recently when its main author, Professor Paul Hastings at Concordia University, obtained it by making a request using the Access to Information Act.

Hastings, with the assistance of research students, reached the study's conclusion after reviewing existing research relating to the impact on children of being raised in different family types.

The report says the strongest conclusion that can be drawn from empirical literature is that the vast majority of studies show that children living with two mothers and children living with a mother and father have the same levels and qualities of social competence.

"A few studies suggest that children with two lesbian mothers may have marginally better social competence than children in 'traditional nuclear' families, even fewer studies show the opposite, and most studies fail to find any differences," says the 74-page study.

The paper references about 240 studies on parenting and children's development.

http://www.canada.com/topics/bodyandhealth...1a1&k=24128&p=1

Nice of them to try to hide information, that we the tax payer paid for, to have ourselves better informed with the truth, eh?!

[Charles Anthony]

Nice of the Liberals to have spent tax-payers' money on a moot point.

[noahbody]

quote]

http://www.canada.com/topics/bodyandhealth...1a1&k=24128&p=1

Nice of them to try to hide information, that we the tax payer paid for, to have ourselves better informed with the truth, eh?!

Nice of the previous government to spend taxpayers' money on such a frivilous study.

[sharkman]

Well, I'm glad that whole dilemma has now been solved. Somebody should phone Harper, oh wait, just what exactly is this 'social competence'? Is that the only measuring stick they used to come to their conclusion? Aren't there at least a few areas that should be compared before you come to conclusions on children?

And what about this lack of any findings whatsoever on kids with gay dad(s)? It doesn't quite sound like a ringing endorsement after all. It seems they didn't do any of their own research at all, but merely looked at some studies. But the Rosie O family photo sure looks nice.

[M.Dancer]

?

And what about this lack of any findings whatsoever on kids with gay dad(s)?

prpbably because dads, straight or gay get custudy of kids a lot less than women do.

I've known 3 gay moms. They were all pretty run of the mill, got to get home and make dins....hope to rent a cottage this summer type people.

[BubberMiley]

Aren't there at least a few areas that should be compared before you come to conclusions on children?

Social competence is a pretty wide net that captures pretty much every quality that matters, as far as I can see. What other areas were you thinking of?

[noahbody]

Well, I'm glad that whole dilemma has now been solved. Somebody should phone Harper, oh wait, just what exactly is this 'social competence'? Is that the only measuring stick they used to come to their conclusion? Aren't there at least a few areas that should be compared before you come to conclusions on children?

And what about this lack of any findings whatsoever on kids with gay dad(s)? It doesn't quite sound like a ringing endorsement after all. It seems they did't do any of their own research at all, but merely looked at some studies. But the Rosie O family photo sure looks nice.

You mean Rosie O isn't a man?!!

[sharkman]

Aren't there at least a few areas that should be compared before you come to conclusions on children?

Social competence is a pretty wide net that captures pretty much every quality that matters, as far as I can see. What other areas were you thinking of?

That's what I'm concerned about. This 'study' is only 74 pages, and yet uses wide sweeping terms to encompass it's findings. Yet it's only 74 pages, and they didn't do any of their own research. Another report I read said this study cost $25,000. That is simply not enough money to do anything more than a white wash.

Obviously they didn't read any of the many studies out there that show a direct relation between the father being in the home and an absence of crime, improved academic performance, and reduced pregnancy rates.

[betsy]

Can you really reach a credible and accurate CONCLUSION after only 4 years of research?

They're selling this lifestyle. And they're just simply trying to blow away any resistance whatsoever.

It's propaganda at its best.

[BubberMiley]

...after only 4 years of research?

How many years of research before you would believe it?

[betsy]

Can you really reach a credible and accurate CONCLUSION after only 4 years of research?

They're selling this lifestyle. And they're just simply trying to blow away any resistance whatsoever.

It's propaganda at its best.

Just as I thought. Here is part of the article given in the link.

"Question period notes and media lines recently obtained by CanWest News Services, via an Access to Information request, reveal the department distancing itself from the research paper by stating it simply represents the opinions of the study's author "and not those of the department."

As well, in notes prepared for question period, it stresses that there has been "very little research in this area" but that "the Government of Canada has a duty to fully support all children and their families."

http://www.canada.com/topics/bodyandhealth...1a1&k=24128&p=1

[Catchme]

Aren't there at least a few areas that should be compared before you come to conclusions on children?

Social competence is a pretty wide net that captures pretty much every quality that matters, as far as I can see. What other areas were you thinking of?

That's what I'm concerned about. This 'study' is only 74 pages, and yet uses wide sweeping terms to encompass it's findings. Yet it's only 74 pages, and they didn't do any of their own research. Another report I read said this study cost $25,000. That is simply not enough money to do anything more than a white wash.

Obviously they didn't read any of the many studies out there that show a direct relation between the father being in the home and an absence of crime, improved academic performance, and reduced pregnancy rates.

This is actual slander against a university and the professor and students who did this study. Concordia University has as an excellent reputation, especially for conducting sociological studies.

What the study entailed was taking the findings of 240 other studies --no small amount-- and compiling the results for overall picture. You misrepresent the truth and accuracy in your zeal to discredit, because apparently you do not like the results. doesn't quite mesh with the Dominionist view of the world eh?!.

[betsy]

Can you really reach a credible and accurate CONCLUSION after only 4 years of research?

They're selling this lifestyle. And they're just simply trying to blow away any resistance whatsoever.

It's propaganda at its best.

Just as I thought. Here is part of the article given in the link.

"Question period notes and media lines recently obtained by CanWest News Services, via an Access to Information request, reveal the department distancing itself from the research paper by stating it simply represents the opinions of the study's author "and not those of the department."

As well, in notes prepared for question period, it stresses that there has been "very little research in this area" but that "the Government of Canada has a duty to fully support all children and their families."

http://www.canada.com/topics/bodyandhealth...1a1&k=24128&p=1

Furthermore...

"Hastings said it is only speculation but he believes that the study was being held back from being published by the Justice Department once Stephen Harper's Conservative government came into power in 2006. The Conservatives upheld their election promise to review the issue of same-sex marriage when a government motion on the question of revisiting the definition of marriage was defeated in the House of Commons in December."

http://www.canada.com/topics/bodyandhealth...1a1&k=24128&p=1

Who cares about HIS SPECULATIONS?

I can give you my speculations too! Lol.

Oh the baloneys they feed us! He works for the Liberals. He is a pigeon.

[sharkman]

That's what I'm concerned about. This 'study' is only 74 pages, and yet uses wide sweeping terms to encompass it's findings. Yet it's only 74 pages, and they didn't do any of their own research. Another report I read said this study cost $25,000. That is simply not enough money to do anything more than a white wash.

Obviously they didn't read any of the many studies out there that show a direct relation between the father being in the home and an absence of crime, improved academic performance, and reduced pregnancy rates.

This is actual slander against a university and the professor and students who did this study. Concordia University has as an excellent reputation, especially for conducting sociological studies.

What the study entailed was taking the findings of 240 other studies --no small amount-- and compiling the results for overall picture. You misrepresent the truth and accuracy in your zeal to discredit, because apparently you do not like the results. doesn't quite mesh with the Dominionist view of the world eh?!.

So sue me. They did no research of their own, merely looking at other studies, try 100, not 240! And costing $25,000, that would pay 6 people one month's salary to read through some papers and come up with a result the Liberals wanted.

Yes, us dominionists will take over the worldhahahahahhahahahaha!

Give me a break.

[betsy]

That's what I'm concerned about. This 'study' is only 74 pages, and yet uses wide sweeping terms to encompass it's findings. Yet it's only 74 pages, and they didn't do any of their own research. Another report I read said this study cost $25,000. That is simply not enough money to do anything more than a white wash.

Obviously they didn't read any of the many studies out there that show a direct relation between the father being in the home and an absence of crime, improved academic performance, and reduced pregnancy rates.

This is actual slander against a university and the professor and students who did this study. Concordia University has as an excellent reputation, especially for conducting sociological studies.

What the study entailed was taking the findings of 240 other studies --no small amount-- and compiling the results for overall picture. You misrepresent the truth and accuracy in your zeal to discredit, because apparently you do not like the results. doesn't quite mesh with the Dominionist view of the world eh?!.

So sue me. They did no research of their own, merely looking at other studies, try 100, not 240! And costing $25,000, that would pay 6 people one month's salary to read through some papers and come up with a result the Liberals wanted.

Yes, us dominionists will take over the worldhahahahahhahahahaha!

Give me a break.

What I want to know is why we taxpayers had to pay for this cockamamie bull?

How many other dubious so-called research studies commissioned by the Liberal government did we pay for???

Not only are we funding this so-called "research study"....but we are also being duped to accept and believe their so-called "conclusion" (now obviously derived from their half-baked efforts), which could be detrimental to our children (regardless of who raise them).

This only illustrates why you don't just automatically believe any so-called "research study" funded by a government that specializes in spins, propagandas and corruptions!

[runningdog]

I'm not gay but I know a few gay and lesbian people and guess what? They are nice, intelligent, HARD WORKING people. For those here that are raising a big stink about the study, it seems to me that ALL political parties sponsor (with our tax dollars) seemingly un-needed research. Is this one un-needed? Who knows. Whether or not someone is gay or lesbian has NOTHING to do with me. It's NONE of my business. It has ZERO effect on my life. I have much better things to worry about than trying to deny human rights to a specific group of people. next topic please, WAY too much hate in here.

[betsy]

I'm not gay but I know a FEW gay and lesbian people and guess what? They are nice, intelligent, HARD WORKING people.

So you know a few.

I, on the other hand, know a LOT of gays and lesbians throughout the years! I"ve had good friends who are gays! I've two lesbian couples as friends....they were nice to me. Although I must say, both lesbian couples ended splitting up....one involved "wife-battering" so bad cops were involved!

But then, let's stick to the real issue here. The issue here is not whether lesbians and gays are nice people.

This is about whether being raised in certain relationships has an impact on our children! Society is treading onto something new....and it is only right for society to know how this will have an effect on our children.

What, shouldn't we? As a responsible, nurturing society?

Heck, before you know it Clifford Olsen will get the the next or future government to commission a study that would conclude that pedophilia may not exactly be bad for the children...that infact, it shows children who gets "initiated" early on sex become great parents! All you need is a pedophilia-leaning government. Lol.

For those here that are raising a big stink about the study, it seems to me that ALL political parties sponsor (with our tax dollars) seemingly un-needed research. Is this one un-needed?

We rely on research studies to improve as a society. We need CREDIBLE research studies. We need UN-BIASED research studies!

But what happens when so-called research studies show incompetence, lack of credibility, dubiousness of motives...or if it just does half-bake studies and hack jobs? And if it becomes a regular occurence???

Who knows. Whether or not someone is gay or lesbian has NOTHING to do with me. It's NONE of my business. It has ZERO effect on my life.

Uh....okay. Then it has nothing to do with YOU. Then it's none of YOUR business. It has zero effect on YOUR life.

I have much better things to worry about than trying to deny human rights to a specific group of people. next topic please, WAY too much hate in here.

And since this has no effect whatsoever on YOU....and that therefore you consider this a waste of YOUR time....then I agree that you should skedaddle onto the next topic.

If you see there's too much "hate" in here....what can I say. It must be hard to be objective I say when one's mind is closed and sees nothing but one side....therefore seeing only what one wishes to see.

Obviously you think this is just another I hate Gays/Lesbians issues.

But for me, it's an issue about children. Children of our society who would later on become adoloscents, teeners and adults. This is about the future generation of our society.

And it is also about the way research studies are being used......to push for agendas. Taxpayers pay for these. If we're going to fund them, we want thorough research studies that can really help and address the situations....not just a fly-by-night quick-results pseudo-research study!

[normanchateau]

Aren't there at least a few areas that should be compared before you come to conclusions on children?

Social competence is a pretty wide net that captures pretty much every quality that matters, as far as I can see. What other areas were you thinking of?

That's what I'm concerned about. This 'study' is only 74 pages, and yet uses wide sweeping terms to encompass it's findings. Yet it's only 74 pages,

Obviously they didn't read any of the many studies out there that show a direct relation between the father being in the home and an absence of crime, improved academic performance, and reduced pregnancy rates.

The studies that show the absence of a father having negative effects on children are studies which compare the children of one parent versus two parent families. There's no question that two parent families are better for child outcomes than one parent studies. However, this has nothing to do with what the 74 page study was about.

Published data show that children raised by two parents who are women do better than children raised by single mothers.

[normanchateau]

Aren't there at least a few areas that should be compared before you come to conclusions on children?

Social competence is a pretty wide net that captures pretty much every quality that matters, as far as I can see. What other areas were you thinking of?

That's what I'm concerned about. This 'study' is only 74 pages, and yet uses wide sweeping terms to encompass it's findings. Yet it's only 74 pages, and they didn't do any of their own research.

The research involved was to review more than 100 published studies on the topic. It's called a review of the published literature. Do you know of any published literature which contradicts the conclusions of this review?

How many studies would need to be published before you'd believe the conclusions of the review?

[betsy]

Does anybody have the link to this 74-page review?

[JerrySeinfeld]

Anyone with a brain knows that some little boy raised by two moms is gonna turn out with an overblown sense of entitlement, lack of control over his temper, a penchant for crying and won't know how to change a tire. That said, I'm not sure if anything even close to reality would ever make the ivory tower definition of "social competency". 'Nuff said.

[guyser]

Anyone with a brain knows that some little boy raised by two moms is gonna turn out with an overblown sense of entitlement, lack of control over his temper, a penchant for crying and won't know how to change a tire. That said, I'm not sure if anything even close to reality would ever make the ivory tower definition of "social competency". 'Nuff said.

Actually anyone without a brain would say that.

Troglodytes go that way ------------------------->

[Catchme]

Nice try on the strawman argument to try and discredit the study betsy, it is an absolutely inane and erroneous compare of a study done by a reputable university, to a hypothetical one, that exists only in your imagination, undertaken by Clifford Olsen.

The negative emotional appeal, hatred and bigotry that such a analogy expresses is decidedly Dominionist in presentation and dialectics. Discourse of that type really does not belong in Canadian society.

[sharkman]

Does anybody have the link to this 74-page review?

No, the guy who got it through the access to information act hasn't bothered to let the unwashed masses actually touch it, apparently. He wants us to take his word for it.

Aside from the fact they didn't do any of their own research, just handpicked studies they liked, and aside from the fact they only spent $25,000 on it, it seems pretty balanced. NOT

To say that a child who is raised with two loving mothers is going to be exactly the same as one that has a mother father relationship is a crock. Two completely different recipes do not give you the exact same result.

[M.Dancer]

To say that a child who is raised with two loving mothers is going to be exactly the same as one that has a mother father relationship is a crock. Two completely different recipes do not give you the exact same result.

I have 3 recipes i use for BBQ ribs. All are delicious