UT-Austin Backs Professor's Methodology in Same-sex Couple Study
ByThe University of Texas Austin has announced that no formal investigation is warranted regarding the alleged scientific misconduct on Mark Regnerus' part who published a study on same-sex couples' parenting in July issue of the journal Social Science Research.
According to the statement issued by the university, it conducted an inquiry to determine whether the accusations made by the blogger Scott Rose had merit and required a formal investigation. But, after consulting with a four-member advisory panel composed of senior university faculty members, the Office of the Vice President for Research concluded in a report that there is insufficient evidence to warrant an investigation.
Regnerus-an associate professor at the university's Population Research Centre compared in his study the adult lives of people raised by parents in same-sex relationships to those raised by parents in traditional marriages and found several differences, including some that were potentially negative.
The study concluded that traditional couples make better parents in relation to the same-sex couples. It also said that the children of same-sex couples were twice as likely to be unemployed and more than twice as likely to have contemplated suicide.
But, immediately after the publication of this controversial paper, a New York based blogger, Scott Rose attacked the study for scientific misconduct in two letters to the school, first charging Regnerus with deviating from 'ethical standards' for research and later accusing him of 'possible falsification' of research, reports FoxNews.
Rose, who is gay, claimed the study was compromised because it was funded by the conservative Witherspoon Institute and that Regnerus was unable to be impartial because he is Catholic.
But, now after the inquiry, the university has backed the methodology he followed for the research.
Regnerus studied a sample of 3,000 people aged between 18 and 39. Among them, 248 said their mothers or fathers had a same-sex relationship while they were growing up.
He claims his study is unique because the earlier studies of same-sex parenting have been based on smaller samples and anecdotal cases that seemed designed to conclude there are no differences between children of the two groups.
Though he readily acknowledged that the conservative institutes cited by Rose are funding the study, he asserted to FoxNews their sentiments did not play any role in the study. He has also noted in his paper that different outcomes for children of traditional couples and same sex couples could be in part due to lack of support and social stigma associated with the latter.
After the school cleared Regnerus of any formal investigations, Rose has expressed his intention of reporting his claims against Regnerus with American Sociological Association in his blog.