Right now there is a trial going on in California in which some plaintiffs are challenging the result of the recent referendum on marriage. California voted to recognize marriage as being between one man and one woman, and some people are complaining about that. Jennifer Roback Morse was interviewed about this trial on the Christian radio show “Issues, Etc.”, and she explained some of the issues they are debating in the trial and what it all means.

Here is the MP3 file.

And here’s my summary of what she and the host talked about:

• Rosie O’Donnell’s twelve-year lesbian relationship is over
• How children are affected by unstable relationships between partners
• what do the statistics show about the stability of same-sex unions?
• what is the purpose of marriage?
• what characteristics define child-centered marriage?
• what characteristics define adult-centered marriage?
• who gets custody of the children when same-sex couples split?
• how are parental rights understood today under the law?
• how would same-sex marriage change parental rights?
• what is the agenda of family law radicals for marriage?
• what are the consequences of this California trial?
• why does the judge want to broadcast the trial on TV?

I find her a real delight to listen to! I would be delighted if more people learned to talk about these issues the same way that she does. I find her blog is very helpful as well. In fact, she has an interesting post up about some “expert” testimony from a sociologist who testified in favor of same sex marriage. (H/T Lex Communis)

She cites this post from Protect Marriage:

UCLA social psychology professor Dr. Letitia Peppeau opined that, among other things, same-sex couples are “indistinguishable” from heterosexual couples in terms of their relationships, and that legalizing same sex marriage would not harm traditional marriage. However, she could offer no studies to prove her contention that there would be no impacts on traditional marriage.  On cross examination, she also admitted that the available studies do, in fact, show significant differences between gay couples and heterosexual couples. For example, one study reported that a significantly lower percentage of gay men think that monogamy is important in their relationships (only 36%) than do those in heterosexual relationships. Of those gay men who say that monogamy is important in their relationships, 74% still engage in sex with multiple partners. When pressed, she admitted that sexual exclusivity among gay men is the exception rather than the rule.

My previous post on why people favor traditional marriage explored the research on the differences between traditional marriage and same-sex unions. If we agree that the purpose of marriage is to provide a stable environment for the children, then it’s clear from the research that these two arrangements are not the same.

Related posts

• Jennifer Roback Morse explains how socialism undermines family
• Why two-parent are better for children
• The economic implications of no-fault divorce
• Recent podcasts from Jennifer Roback Morse
• Which family configuration is best for raising children?
• What causes single motherhood, and how are children affected?
• My favorite Jennifer Roback Morse podcast on marriage
• Some older Jennifer Roback Morse podcasts
• A podcast on how marriages are affected by economic policy