Nursery World - To the point... (66)

This week's columnist Robin Balbernie sees an authoritarian family image in the religious resistance to gay adoption At first sight it is hard to comprehend why the Catholic hierarchy has become so incensed over the idea of children being adopted by homosexuals or lesbians. That is, leaving aside the truism of how we always criticise in others those shameful aspects of ourselves that we have repressed and subsequently projected out, so as to gain the reassurance of distance.

At first sight it is hard to comprehend why the Catholic hierarchy has become so incensed over the idea of children being adopted by homosexuals or lesbians. That is, leaving aside the truism of how we always criticise in others those shameful aspects of ourselves that we have repressed and subsequently projected out, so as to gain the reassurance of distance.

The path to the moral high ground begins in the mud; and prejudice is such a giveaway! There is no reason why non-heterosexuals should be less efficient parents than anyone else, and since roughly 60 per cent of children are insecure, the heterosexual contingent cannot claim to be consistently brilliant. I doubt if being religious correlates with adoption outcome.

Register now to continue reading

Thank you for visiting Nursery World and making use of our archive of more than 35,000 expert features, subject guides, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:

What's included