Archbishop of Perth, Barry Hickey has linked the push for same sex marriage with a decline in the wellbeing of Australian children. In a video released last week Archbishop Hickey recommended the report ‘For Kids’ Sake: Repairing the Social Environment for Australian Children and Young People’ report prepared by Professor Patrick Parkinson and commissioned by the Australian Christian Lobby.
The report, which was released in July last year, presented data linking the health and wellbeing of children to stable and committed relationships in which couples were married and biologically related to their children. Single parent families, unmarried parents and blended families were linked with higher rates of abuse and lower rates of mental health amongst children and adolescents.
While the report identified couples being biologically related to their children as corresponding to higher levels of wellbeing and lower levels of abuse, the report did not indicate that same-sex couples had been included in studies of non-biologically related parents. The examples and data in the report specifically identified children in families where their mother’s male partner was not biologically related to them as at higher risk of abuse.
The first recommendation of the report said that to;
‘promote the emotional wellbeing of children and young people, the Federal Government should provide funding for a major new initiative to strengthen relationships between couples and parent child relationships’
The recommendation went on to suggest that community groups such as,
‘gay and lesbian organisations and any other interested group ‘ are encouraged to, ‘offer relationship education programs free of charge in their local community or workplaces’.
While the report highlighted marriage as having a significant positive impact on the wellbeing of children, it did not debate issues of same-sex marriage or its impact on children. Archbishop Hickey however made the link, saying in the context of a discussion on the benefits of marriage over de-facto relationships;
‘And with lobbies advocating same-sex marriage and in-vitro babies for singles who is to say enough is enough? And that the best environment for children is to be with their mother and their father committed in marriage? Let the voices for true and lasting marriage be heard and the truth spoken about the damaging alternative.’
OIP Staff
