There are, apparently, marketing firms out there which specialize in infographics. Somebody sits around all day making up graphical representations of stuff that could be transmitted just as easily on black and white paper. Maybe it’s a mark of shame for me that, as much as I would like to think I’m above the infographic, it took the one above to clue me into an otherwise obvious fact: the potentially harmful effects of North Carolina’s proposed Amendment One are not abstract.
I know a little girl, or maybe not so little because she’s just about a year or year and a half young than my own daughter. Her parents split up when she was ferry young, but they both obviously love her very much. I’m sure that, like any couple with kids who split up, it’s not easy. You’ve got the logistical hassles of coordinating schedules, not to mention a continuing relationship with a person you broke up with.
But what if the tension got so high that your ex wanted to keep your child away? What if, God forbid, something should happen to one parent? Why should the surviving parent be at the mercy of an extended family or a court simply because both parents are fathers or mothers? Not only does this possibility not respect the dignity of the parents, it places the child at great risk of having loss piled on top of loss.
And of course that is a worst case “what if.” There is no reason to think that things would turn out this way, and every reason to pray that they do not. Especially for a child who is a lot like my own, and for her mother, whose strength, dignity, and compassion are constant reminders to me of what a great parent looks like. No matter what dull words on a plain sheet of paper may try to legislate otherwise.