Family Values & Politics
Earlier this summer, TYL regularly criticized the Republican meddling in the Terry Schiavo case, expressing our alarm that the federal government would pass a law aimed specifically at one family’s private tragedy and questioning the Republican’s dedication to “family values” after they routinely failed to acknowledge the wishes of Ms. Schiavo’s husband in the case.
Family values debate will again reenter the national debate in light of a decision by the California Supreme Court that grants both members in same-sex relationships full rights and responsibilities in child-custody issues.
I certainly support parental rights of same-sex couple and have advocated previously on this site that same-sex couples deserve the same legal recognition as married couples. The national parties preach a lot about families, yet they do little to support programs that provide families, specifically low-income families, needed services. If we truly care about family values we would support any family structure that can provide a loving home for a child.Our nation needs to invest greatly in community-based mental health service, early childhood education, and day-care facilities.
posted by Unknown @ 10:07 AM
1 comments
1 Comments:
I don't think it's fair to say that a gay or lesbian couple can not provide the same love and nurturing that a traditional family can provide.
And, I don't think it's fair to characterize the middle of the political spectrum as being only in favor of gay/lesbian rights to co-habitat and be free of discrimination in the workplace. Any individual has the right to be a parent.... and being gay or lesbian doesn't disqualify you from being a good parent.
You state "every child be entitled to the love and nurturing and education from both a father and a mother in an intact, stable home, which no gay and lesbian couple can alone provide." Why can't you leave out "from both a father and a mother"? A child deserves to be brought up in a loving, nurturing environment. It's not our place to judge whether or not a gay or lesbian couple is any less able to provide that environment than a straight couple. Also what about all the single parents in this country who provide a loving nuturing home for their children? Are you saying those individuals are not good parents and their children deserve more than that parent's love?
I also take exception to the claim that "placing a child in a day-care center and/or a pre-school should, like Hillary Clinton says of abortion, be legal but rare – the exception, not the rule." My wife and I both work and are not home to care for our 6 month old daughter. Are you saying we're not good parents that are unable to provide a loving, caring environment for our daughter?
In today's economy, day-care and pre-school are a necessity for the average middle-class family and virtually all lower-class families. As such, we need to make sure that these facilities provide a good structured environment for our children. They cannot replace the love of a parent, but they can supplement it.
Repbulicans often stress that being a mother is the most important job in America. I disagree. Being a mother (or a father, which is equally as important though hardly included in the rhetoric) is not a job. It is an obligation, a duty, a responsibility (albiet a welcome one). It's a responsibility that I take very seriously.
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