I am in a state of shock, as I am sure all of you are. Can you believe it? Rosie O'Donnell is gay! After her amazing performances in movies like A League of Their Own and with that great talk show, it is rather hard to believe.
In case you forgot to check up on your entertainment news amidst the endless partying that is spring break, let me fill you in. Rosie O'Donnell went on Primetime Thursday last week and openly announced that she is a lesbian.
However, O'Donnell's interview was not for the purpose of informing us she is homosexual. She was trying to bring attention to a very serious matter. That is, the adoption rights of gay and lesbian couples.
Currently, Florida, O'Donnell's home, does not allow adoption by homosexual individuals. This law has become a major snag in her attempt to adopt a fourth child. While living in another state she was able to adopt three children. However, the fourth adoption may not happen.
A Florida court will soon be ruling on the law that prohibits non-heterosexuals from adopting. Rosie is hoping to raise enough support that will help get this law overruled.
If the law is overturned it is a step backwards for society, and the family unit as we know it.
Homosexual relationships are not a place for young children to be. Putting a developing human being in the middle of same-sex cohabitation is a recipe for disaster.
Let me give you some numbers to crunch on that come from a recent study done by Dr. Timothy Dailey with the Family Research Council. His study is a comprehensive analysis of other research. All of the statistics that follow can be found in the full report at http://www.frc.org/get/is01j3.cfm.
In one study it was found that 43 percent of male homosexuals have had 500 or more sexual partners; 28 percent have had more than 1,000. Is this a behavior trend we should pass to our kids?
In a book entitled Men Who Beat the Men Who Love Them: Battered Gay Men and Domestic Violence, it was found that examples of domestic violence were nearly double in gay relationships than for heterosexual relationships. It is safe to conclude that if a child was present then they too would be affected by such abuse.
The most staggering, and disturbing statistic contained in the Family Research Council report is this: 29 percent of adult children of homosexual couples were victims of incest, compared to only 0.6 percent in that of heterosexual parents. That means that risk of incest is nearly 50 times greater in a gay or lesbian situation.
Knowing these things can only make one ask why an adoption agency would ever allow a gay couple to adopt children.
You may be able to find evidence that suggests different than what I just told you above. However, most of the research done in favor of gay or lesbian couples adopting is made up of flawed results. Most studies have too small a sample selection. And even then the sample is generally made up of only white, upper class, well-educated people, thus giving skewed results.
When an individual decides that they are going to live openly in a life of homosexuality, it paves a lifelong road of hardship. It is unacceptable that they should be allowed to suck an innocent life into that world of hardship because of they want what they can never have — children.
Rosie O'Donnell doesn't need another child right now. She claims she is good mother. I disagree. She is probably a nice mother but not a good one. Any gay person that decides they have some preordained right to have children can not be a good parent for the great hardship, and risk that they will create for the child.
Rob Jones is a political science junior. Reach him at robert.d.jones@asu.edu.