Same Sex Marriages Good For Children: AAP Supports Supreme Court Ruling

In a landmark ruling, the US Supreme Court has legalized gay marriage nationwide Friday. The court ruled 5-4 that the country's Constitution grants everyone the right to marry and now, gay marriages have become legal in the country's 50 states.

The arguments against gay marriage have been plentiful; they range from the union being against what is "natural," the inability to procreate, its aim to redefine the institution of marriage and much more. However, one of the points being raised against same-sex marriages is the belief that it will harm children.

However, multiple studies have already demonstrated that there is no psychosocial difference in the outcome between children raised by same-sex couples and those raised by opposite-sex couples.

Now, following the Supreme Court's ruling, The American Academy of Pediatrics has hailed the decision and reiterated it's position that any and all marriages can be good for children who are involved in the relationship.

NBC News published that per President Dr. Sandra Hassink, "Every child needs stable, nurturing relationships to thrive, and marriage is one way to support and recognize those relationships," said Dr. Sandra Hassink, president of the group.

"If a child has two loving and capable parents who choose to create a permanent bond, it's in the best interest of their children that legal institutions allow them to do so."

In the AAP's formal policy statement released earlier, their abstract, "Promoting the Well-Being of Children Whose Parents Are Gay or Lesbian" reads:

The AAP has supported families in all their diversity, because the family has always been the basic social unit in which children develop the supporting and nurturing relationships with adults that they need to thrive. Children may be born to, adopted by, or cared for temporarily by married couples, nonmarried couples, single parents, grandparents, or legal guardians, and any of these may be heterosexual, gay or lesbian, or of another orientation. Children need secure and enduring relationships with committed and nurturing adults to enhance their life experiences for optimal social-emotional and cognitive development. Scientific evidence affirms that children have similar developmental and emotional needs and receive similar parenting whether they are raised by parents of the same or different genders.

In addition to the historical decision, the closing paragraph contained in the same-sex ruling, written by Justice Anthony Kennedy, has moved people to tears, writes Slate.

The final paragraph is found below: