Miranda Devine’s article ‘The Problem of a Fatherless Society’ published on August 14 2011 in The Daily Telegraph, lacks one vital element – the voice of reason. Unfortunately, Miranda is blinded by her own personal views and doesn’t consider all aspects to this issue. She says that children raised in same-sex couple relationships are disadvantaged due to the absence of a father… Interesting.
The central issue at hand when raising kids, is the wellbeing of the child. There is absolutely no proof to suggest that children raised in a same-sex couple’s home are disadvantaged. So many people don’t give same-sex couples credit that they might do a great job of parenting, or even that they have the same potential as heterosexual couples of successfully raising a child – whatever that means. Surely all that matters is that the child is well cared-for and loved.
If society doesn’t intervene it can let bad heterosexual parents raise children. There is no magical formula of “one mother + one father = a happy and socially responsible kid”. There are so many factors involved to raising a child successfully, and it’s silly to think that it’s as simple as having both a mum and a dad. The important thing is being aware of the wellbeing of the child.
I’m not saying that fathers are unimportant. I think quite the opposite. My dad is one of the most important people in my life and I can’t imagine growing up without him around.
Yes it’s great to have a mum and a dad, but growing up without a father does not necessarily lead to “social chaos and the underclass” as Devine suggests in her article. She says that the recent London riots were a “manifestation of a fatherless society.” Pardon?
A couple of weeks ago in the midst of the London riots, The Weekend Australian ran articles concerning the anarchy taking place. Most of the Inquirer section of the newspaper was devoted to stories of individuals caught up in the mayhem. I remember feeling quite disgusted as I read the case of one Briton. A girl in her early twenties had just graduated from university and had high prospects. The reason she was in the news was that she stole an expensive widescreen TV from someone’s home and had been caught. It was an opportunistic crime, but had nevertheless still occurred. Here was an example of a young girl from an advantaged upbringing, who had an education, and who had a loving mother and father. There are numerous stories like this one that tell of middle-class, advantaged youths who come from loving homes taking part in the riots.
There is a world of difference between a child who has been abandoned by their father, and a child who is being raised by a lesbian couple without a father figure. The lack of a father figure in those two scenarios have completely different ramifications.
I’m not homosexual, but I have friends who are, and I believe if they one day choose to have kids then society should let them and not hold any unfair prejudices. I believe they would make fantastic parents, and their kids would be both advantaged and loved.
