[USA] "Opponents in gay marriage lawsuits clash over impact on kids" By Kirk Mitchell

States fighting to defend their bans on same-sex marriages are focusing much of their legal firepower on kids, not adults.

In hundreds of pages of filings in a federal appeals court, Utah, Oklahoma and their allies are arguing that children belong in homes with a father and mother. They also express concerns that same-sex marriages could result in a declining birth rate.

The Denver-based 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is scheduled to hear oral arguments in both cases in April.

"Common sense and a wealth of social-science data teach that children do best emotionally, socially, intellectually and even economically when reared in an intact home by both biological parents," a brief by defendants in the Utah case says.

That blueprint is being followed around the country, as states claim that gay-parent homes are weaker incubators for kids than homes run by heterosexuals. Allowing same-sex marriages threatens to shift the focus of marriage from being "child centric" to "adult centric," they argue.

Plaintiffs in gay marriage lawsuits contend that the strategy of the states in attacking same-sex parenting is backfiring because legal bans on gay marriage hamper parents from providing for kids.

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