Finally

I submitted this ages ago. I'm glad they finally printed it. From the Kennebec Journal:

Recently, the Maine chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics issued a statement in opposition to Question 1, which would repeal the state's new Marriage Equality Law.

As pediatricians, we oppose Question 1 because we support families of all kinds, and we know that weakening any kind of family hurts the children in it. Children who are raised by same-gender parents need the same kind of legal and social protections that families with parents of opposite gender enjoy.

[snip]

The American Academy of Pediatrics, the leading scientific and professional organization of pediatricians in the country, issued a statement several years ago in support of parenting and adoption by same-gender parents.

The decision was based in large part to a significant amount of scientific research that shows that children raised by same-gender parents have, in the words of the Academy, "the same advantages and the same expectations for health, adjustment, and development" as those raised by opposite-gender parents.

[snip]

Same-gender parents and their families, however, lack the benefits that come from the legal recognition of marriage, with all the social protections that affords. The Maine Legislature took the right step to correct this inequality by enacting the Marriage Equality Law, which the governor signed.

I, like my colleagues in the Maine chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, urge you to vote "no" on Question 1 on Nov. 3, to reject the effort to repeal this law. It's the right thing for Maine's children.

It's basically a retread of my testimony at the legislative session before LD1020 was passed. This, however, was for a wider audience, and I'm delighted that it got published. In fact, given the uptick in attention to the issue and the proximity to the vote, it's probably for the best that it got delayed. While I think that people inclined to vote "yes" in a week are doing so for reasons resistant to logic, it never hurts to debunk the common argument that same-gender parents are unfit to raise children.