US Pediatricians Back Gay Marriage, Cite Research

The nation's most influential pediatrician's group says gays should be allowed to marry to help ensure the health and well-being of their children.

The American Academy of Pediatrics' new policy, published online Thursday, cites research showing that the parents' sexual orientation has no effect on a child's development. Kids fare just as well in gay or straight families when they are nurturing and financially and emotionally stable, the academy says.

The academy believes that a two-parent marriage is best equipped to provide that kind of environment. Their policy says that if a child has two gay parents who choose to marry, "it is in the best interests of their children that legal and social institutions allow and support them to do so."

The policy cites reports indicating that almost 2 million U.S. children are being raised by gay parents, many of them in states that don't allow gays to marry.

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/influential-pediatricians-group-backs-gay-marriage-18778132#.UUtWNFdvCSo

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