SAME SEX PARENTING RESEARCH PB

Contemplate the time, energy, and effort required to read nearly 400 studies on same-sex parenting.

Add to this investment scores of meticulous statistical examinations by a razor-sharp quantitative methodologist. Finally, throw in a propensity for academic heresy — or intellectual courage, for sometimes they are the same. The result is Same-Sex Parenting Research: A Critical Assessment.

Same-Sex Parenting Research: A Critical Assessment provides a careful and detailed examination of nearly 400 studies on SSP, disputing the view that there is 'no difference' between same-sex parenting and heterosexual parenting. With courts holding the 'best interests of a child' as the 'gold standard' for making decisions in family cases, it is crucial that judges and lawmakers are properly informed about what the relevant research into SSP actually shows.

Political correctness over science

Professor Schumm finds that numerous studies support claims that SSP is detrimental to a child's wellbeing, and that the scientific and politically correct consensus is demonstrably wrong. He writes, 'Science should not be 'thrown under the bus' for the sake of any political agenda, left or right.' and shows that scientific objectivity has been widely abandoned when discussing this subject. This is due to political correctness and intense bullying and pressure, which he recounts in Appendix C, 'Fair Fight?' Particularly shocking is the story of a scholar supported by a grant for several million dollars a year who was fired within one hour of returning from an overseas trip where he had criticised same-sex marriage.

Children do best with a mother and a father
This new research dispels myths, given weight by political correctness, that SSP is as good as - if not better than - heterosexual parenting. Previously, where major differences have shown up in data, they have been dismissed on the basis of an inadequate data set. In fact, Schumm argues that this field of research is controlled by those who define the orthodoxy of the moment.

Pioneering further critical research
In writing on the aim of the book, Professor Walter Schumm says: 'I do hope that a few graduate schools may use parts of this book to show how research can be studied in greater depth and detail than often done, so that future graduate students will become much better at assessing scientific literature and engaging it with deeply critical thinking.'

It is vitally important to society that more research is dedicated to SSP, and is critically important that the truth about what we know from scientific studies, alongside what we don't yet know, is made clear. This research seeks to investigate and shine a light on the truth, refusing to simply conform to the politically correct line in academia.

About the author
Walter R. Schumm PhD is Professor of applied family science in the School of Family Studies and Human Services at Kansas State University. He is editor-in-chief of the academic journal, Marriage and Family Review. His previous books include Transition to Parenthood (2014), Sourcebook of Family Theories and Methods (1993, 2009), and The Family Support Group (FSG) Leaders' Handbook (2000).

Reviewing the research, the Rev. Professor John Nolland, BSc, ThL, BD, PhD, writes: 'In a superbly documented and well laid out argument Schumm demonstrates the need for a fresh openness and a methodological rigour in this field of research. We are not here in the hands of a person who knows what he needs to prove and finds a way to do so. Rather Schumm is an acute interrogator of the data and is prepared to follow where it leads.'

In a review in the Journal of Human Sexuality (available to the public from May 2019), Philip M. Sutton PhD and Michelle Cretella MD say: 'In Same-Sex Parenting Research, Walter Schumm painstakingly reminds us of the qualities which authentic, responsible scientists must possess in order to produce rigorous, trustworthy scientific results about any topic, and SSP in particular. Schumm’s book is an excellent review of all of the research on SSP – such as it is – which clearly documents that – in fact – same-sex parents and the children whom they raise are significantly different in important ways from opposite sex parents and their children. For these reasons, Same-Sex Parenting Research warrants a close read by all.'

Colin Bennet, Vice Principal (Development) at Moorlands College, adds: 'Walter Schumm's attempt to challenge the dogma surrounding the notion that there is no difference between same-sex and heterosexual parenting is brave and enlightening. In a world of fake news and the expectation that the church in the western world will 'get with the programme' concerning the liberal elite agenda, it is encouraging and refreshing to observe a social scientist attempting to approach complex human issues using social science with great rigour. After digesting a 34-page bibliography and 39 pages of appendices, I'm sure this book will help those who truly want to seek the truth about this vitally important topic.'

Review from the GLO General Director, Stephen McQuoid:

A book that is not an easy read, but discusses very significant issues, is Same-Sex Parenting Research by Walter Schumm. This book does exactly what the title suggests. Schumm is a professor of family science at Kansas State University, and he is convinced that much of the research that has been done in this area has been politically motivated and therefore open to some questioning. He sets out his stall by reviewing a range of areas where research has been done. These include questions of relationship stability, abuse, domestic violence, values and behaviours, gender roles, identity and the sexual orientation of children within same-sex relationships. Much of the research that Schumm reviews has claimed that there is no difference between same-sex parenting as compared to heterosexual parenting and that there is no evidence of any harm.

Schumm admits that in some of the areas of research these claims can be confirmed. Indeed, some suggest there can even be a greater compatibility with same-sex couples as they are of the same gender, though this in itself may not actually be advantageous. However, he does suggest that there is evidence of same-sex couples being less stable, and also of their influencing their children towards a greater prevalence of non-traditional gender roles and orientation, and that children do less well according to a number of indices. This is essentially a research paper, but if you are prepared to work through all the details, there are revealing and helpful issues raised which provide supporting arguments for a biblical view of marriage.

Product details:

Paperback: 308 pages
Publisher: Wilberforce Publications (27 Sept. 2018)