Opinions Mixed Upon News of Mary Cheney’s Pregnancy

Conservative leaders expressed their dismay Wednesday upon learning that Mary Cheney, the lesbian daughter of Dick Cheney, is pregnant. On the opposite side of the fence, the gay-rights group Family Pride commented that the vice president will have to endure "a lifetime of sleepless nights" for serving an administration that has staunchly opposed the recognition of same-sex couples.

According to Lea Anne McBride, a spokeswoman for the vice president, Mary Cheney, 37, is expecting a baby with her partner of 15 years, Heather Poe, 45. "The vice president and Mrs. Cheney are looking forward with eager anticipation" to the birth of their sixth grandchild, McBride said.

Mary Cheney’s openness about her sexual orientation has created a dilemma for conservative activists who consider homosexuality a sin yet admire Dick Cheney’s stance on many other issues. Mary Cheney was an aide to her father during the 2004 presidential campaign, and is now serving as vice president for consumer advocacy at AOL. She and Poe moved to Virginia from Colorado a year ago in order to be closer to her parents.

Janice Crouse of Concerned Women for America told reporters that the pregnancy is "unconscionable." Crouse, a senior fellow at the group’s think tank, said that "it’s very disappointing that a celebrity couple like this would deliberately bring into the world a child that will never have a father." Crouse said that the news will certainly be damaging to the Bush administration in the eyes of conservatives, because the president has been criticized by some conservative leaders for what they perceived as halfhearted commitment to anti-abortion and anti-gay-rights causes in this year’s general election.

Family Pride, an advocacy group for gay and lesbian families, said that last month Virginia became one of 27 states to adopt a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. "Unless they move to a handful of less restrictive states, Heather will never be able to have a legal relationship with her child," said Family Pride executive director Jennifer Chrisler. Cheney and Poe "will quickly face the reality that no matter how loved their child will be…he or she will never have the same protections that other children born to heterosexual couples enjoy," Chrisler said. "Grandfather Cheney will no doubt face a lifetime of sleepless nights as he reflects on the irreparable harm he and his administration have done to the millions of American gay and lesbian parents and their children."

The vice president’s office did not provide details about the circumstances of Mary Cheney’s pregnancy. Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest gay-rights group, told reporters that the group welcomed the news. "Mary and Heather’s decision to have a child is an example that families in America come in all different shapes and sizes," he said. "The bottom line is that a family is made up of love and commitment."

Carrie Gordon Earll, a policy analyst for the conservative Christian group Focus on the Family, said that she has empathy for the Cheney family, although she believes the pregnancy is an unwise decision. "Just because you can conceive a child outside a ‘one-woman, one-man’ marriage doesn’t mean it’s a good idea," Earll said. "Love can’t replace a mother and a father."