On Tuesday night the issue of adoption by same-sex couples was debated on Prime Time in front of a studio audience. Dr John Murray representing The Iona Institute was one of the panellists.

A key moment came when Dr Murray directly challenged Grainne Healy of Marriage Equality to say whether she believes having a mother and a father matters from the child’s point of view.

When pressed by presenter David McCullagh on the question, the answer came through loud and clear: “Well not in terms of the child’s developmental milestones, no it does not matter.”

So there it is. This is what the entire debate on marriage and the family really hinges on. Do we as a society believe having a mother and a father matters from the point of view of children? Those who want to redefine marriage and parenthood believe the answer is No and want us to believe likewise.

You can watch the entire debate here.  Also on the panel arguing against a blanket right for gay adoption is Paddy Manning, who is himself gay.

There were also excellent contributions from the audience, in particular from Kate Bopp and Petra Conroy.