The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) announced Thursday that it supports same sex marriage and believes it is “in the best interests” of the children.
The group of pediatricians released a policy statement in support of same-sex parents’ right to wed as well as to foster or adopt children. The organization believes in gay marriage “to promote optimal health and well-being of all children.”
Dr. Ben Siegel, a co-author of the policy statement says, “We know enough about child development that we can say that children are nurtured when they have two loving, supportive, committed-to-each-other adults to take care of them. Kids growing up with two same-sex parents are as normally developed as the rest of the population.”
The AAP says, nearly 2 million children in the U.S. are raised by same-sex parents. In the past, the Academy has supported adoption by same-sex couples and has stated that data doesn't support any negative impact of a parent’s same-sex orientation on children’s emotional and behavioral development.
The AAP pointed out that its statement was not intended to be a political one.
“Our goal is to support the best interests of children,” says Siegel. “If people understand that as political, so be it. Our politics is what’s best for children.”
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