Anne Hollonds says "Children can get the love and nurturing they need from a single parent, or a same-sex couple or a stepparent".

I would love to see the statistics that demonstrate that love given by both natural parents to children raised by a single parent, or a same-sex couple or a stepparent makes no difference to a child's ability to cope and behaviour.

From what I've seen within friends and families there are noticeable differences in security and behaviours.

If being with the natural parents was always better then there would never be a need for foster parents. Natural parents don't always mean the best parenting, adopted children develop just as well with love and support as biological children in most cases.

It is about dysfunction and that can come from any combination of parents.

With the modern obsession with economic growth the biggest risk to children is a breakdown of family with all those pressures and little attention by governments to the value of family (in all shapes and sizes).

Problem was largely created by social engineers (feminist and esmasulated males) and now in denial they want to give us the answers. Every sensible person knows that it is ideal for a child to be cared and brought up by dad and mum. Bringing same sex parents into this equation as if this was some sort of solution is naive at best.

Pelican's point about the modern obsession with economic growth is pertinent....runner, the point is that economic imperatives now dictate that infants and children are now deposited "at the earliest opportunity" into an institutionalised setting...."brought up by dad and mum" now has a somewhat hollow ring to it.