The kids are OK: Loving families make healthy, happy kids

At MCRI we want all children to thrive. We believe every child and adolescent deserves the best start, and the opportunity to live a healthy and fulfilled life. Our research improves the health of babies, children and adolescents now and into the future.

Research tells us that children and adolescents raised in same-sex parented families do as well as other children across a range of health and wellbeing measures.

The research also tells us that children and adolescents with same-sex parents are negatively impacted when their families experience homophobia or discrimination.

We therefore encourage everyone to consider the best available research when weighing up the debate around marriage equality.

MCRI believes in robust, evidence-based research. When it comes to the children of same-sex parented families, the evidence shows that the kids are OK.

More information:

• Raising Children Network provides evidence based tips and tools for everyday parenting from pregnancy to teens. The website is funded by the Australian Government Department of Social Services. Its member organisations are the Parenting Research Centre and the Murdoch Children's Research Institute with The Royal Children's Hospital Centre for Community Child Health. Read more about rainbow and same sex families: http://raisingchildren.net.au/rainbow_same-sex_families/rainbow_families_same-sex_parenting.html 

• The Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) is the Australian Government's key research body in the area of family wellbeing. AIFS conducts original research to increase understanding of Australian families and the issues that affect them: https://aifs.gov.au/cfca/publications/same-sex-parented-families-australia