Not to be confused with American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)
- Abbreviation: ACP
- Creed / Doctrine / Statement of Faith:
The American College of Pediatricians:- Recognizes that there are absolutes and scientific truths that transcend relative social considerations of the day.
- Recognizes that good medical science cannot exist in a moral vacuum and pledges to promote such science.
- Recognizes the fundamental mother-father family unit, within the context of marriage, to be the optimal setting for the development and nurturing of children and pledges to promote this unit.
- Recognizes the unique value of every human life from the time of conception to natural death and pledges to promote research and clinical practice that provides for the healthiest outcome of the child from conception to adulthood.
- Recognizes the essential role parents play in encouraging and correcting the child and pledges to protect and promote this role.
- Recognizes the physical and emotional benefits of sexual abstinence until marriage and pledges to promote this behavior as the ideal for adolescence.
- Recognizes that health professionals caring for children must maintain high ethical and scientific standards and pledges to promote such practice.
- Recognizes the vital role the College has in promoting quality education for parents, physicians, and other health professionals.
- Membership:
- Headquarters: P.O. Box 3532, Lantana, FL 33465-3532
- Domionist ties:
- Other affiliations:
From Position Statements:
Are children reared by two individuals of the same gender as well adjusted as children reared in families with a mother and a father? Until recently the unequivocal answer to this question was "no." Policymakers, social scientists, the media, and even physician organizations1, however, are now asserting that prohibitions on parenting by homosexual couples should be lifted. In making such far-reaching, generation-changing assertions, any responsible advocate would rely upon supporting evidence that is comprehensive and conclusive. Not only is this not the situation, but also there is sound evidence that children exposed to the homosexual lifestyle may be at increased risk for emotional, mental, and even physical harm.
The American College of Pediatricians concurs with the body of scientific evidence that human life begins at conception—fertilization. This definition has been expounded since prior to Roe v. Wade, but was not made available to the US Supreme Court in 1973. Scientific and medical discoveries over the past three decades have only verified and solidified this age-old truth.