Brendan Miniter has some praise today for Mitt Romney and his attempt to overturn gay marriage in Massachusetts. While, from a legal and political standpoint, Romney doesn’t have half a chance, Miniter believes there is value in the governor, “push[ing] the debate over marriage back into the court of public opinion … and into Republican presidential primaries, where he aspires to be the candidate with the strongest social conservative credentials.”

Why is this debate worth having?:

Although advocates of same-sex marriage will deny there is any connection to extending the institution to gay couples, a recent report released by the National Center for Health Statistics reveals why this debate is worth having now. The study found that although teen pregnancy rates are dropping, the number of out-of-wedlock births in America has been steadily rising since the 1990s. It seems women in their 20s and 30s are having children without getting married first. Last year the proportion of births that are illegitimate reached an all time high of 37%, or 1.5 million children.

Gee. I must have missed gay marriage becoming legal in the 1990s and causing women in the 20s and 30s to start popping out illegitimate children. Of course, to the extent any of these children are being had by lesbian couples — and they’d be out-of-wedlock births since lesbians can’t get married, except in Massachusetts, and even there not until recently — gay marriage could actually help reduce the number of out-of-wedlock births.

I, and other advocates of gay marriage, are thrilled to have this debate. There isn’t a shred of evidence that gays, as opposed to straight people, have had any negative impact on the institution of marriage. Meanwhile, it’s very clear that marriage will be a stabilizing force for kids who are adopted by gay couples.

So, let the debate commence. I’d love to hear what Romney could actually add to the debate — save for platitudes aimed at winning over voters on the Christian Right.