Over the Rainbow: - Wrestling With Angels
Over the Rainbow: - Wrestling With Angels
Over the Rainbow: - Wrestling With Angels
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Rights in Conflict (Blankenhorn, 2007:183-199)<br />
Gay activists want society to adopt a flexible definition of <strong>the</strong> right to marry and form a<br />
family. They embrace <strong>the</strong> idea that “Adults have <strong>the</strong> right to marry <strong>the</strong> person <strong>the</strong>y choose<br />
and form <strong>the</strong> families <strong>the</strong>y choose.” Michael Ignatieff, a human rights scholar, endorses <strong>the</strong><br />
“<strong>the</strong> rights revolution in private life” as simply an outgrowth of <strong>the</strong> idea of equality and<br />
freedom.<br />
David Blankenhorn, a family scholar and founder of <strong>the</strong> Institute for American Values,<br />
contends that changing marriage radically changes parenthood. He argues that in community<br />
<strong>the</strong> rights of one group often exist in tension with <strong>the</strong> rights of o<strong>the</strong>rs, and <strong>the</strong> ‘right to form<br />
<strong>the</strong> family I choose’ bumps up against <strong>the</strong> rights of children. In 1989 The U.N. Convention on<br />
<strong>the</strong> Rights of <strong>the</strong> Child adopted a resolution that states, “The child shall be registered<br />
immediately after birth and shall have <strong>the</strong> right from birth to a name, <strong>the</strong> right to acquire a<br />
nationality, and, as far as possible, <strong>the</strong> right to know and be cared for by his or her parents.”<br />
The U N declaration supports <strong>the</strong> rights of a child to know <strong>the</strong> mo<strong>the</strong>r and fa<strong>the</strong>r who<br />
created him or her. Divorce and unwed childbearing revolutions have created a situation<br />
where more and more children are not cared for by <strong>the</strong>ir own two natural parents. Because<br />
same –sex bonding cannot produce children naturally, reliance on reproductive technologies<br />
will increasingly create a situation where children do not even know who <strong>the</strong>ir natural parents<br />
are. The child’s right to a natural biological heritage is denied to him or her.<br />
Blankenhorn argues, “For those who ask ‘Where’s <strong>the</strong> harm?’ regarding same-sex<br />
marriage, here is <strong>the</strong> inescapable fact: Changing marriage changes parenthood, and changing<br />
parenthood in ways that permit and even encourage adults to wipe out <strong>the</strong> double origin of<br />
some children is a threat to all children… When Canada, by way of implementing same-sex<br />
marriage, erased <strong>the</strong> concept of natural parent from basic Canadian law, <strong>the</strong>re was no asterisk<br />
saying ‘for gay and lesbian couples only’. The idea of <strong>the</strong> natural parent got wiped out in law<br />
for every child and every couple in Canada.” The term “natural parent” was removed from<br />
Canadian law and replaced with <strong>the</strong> term “legal parent”.<br />
Moving Toward Marriage<br />
“We’re here, we’re queer, we’re redefining <strong>the</strong> term ‘family’”. A 1992 study reported that<br />
55% of gay men and 71% of lesbians were in committed or steady relationships. However, <strong>the</strong>y<br />
were unable to marry and obtain <strong>the</strong> legal benefits of marriage, including insurance coverage<br />
<strong>Over</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Rainbow</strong>: The Gay Battle for Social Reorganization of America. 2010<br />
Dr. M. L. Coppock<br />
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