The television show ER is one of the most popular and longest-running
             programs still on television. The episode aired April 8, 2004 focused on
             the personal life of attending physician Kerry Weaver, portrayed by actor
             Laura Innes. In this episode, Weaver's lesbian life partner Sandy Lopez
             partner dies in a fire. Lopez's family then takes the opportunity to file
             for custody of their infant son, who is Lopez's natural child. Weaver
             tries in vain to retain custody of her son. In the end, however, her
             efforts are fruitless. Since the law does not recognize same-sex
             partnerships, Weaver did not have any legal standing as a parent or spouse,
             she eventually lost custody of her son to Lopez's vindictive relatives.
             This paper examines Weaver's difficulty as part of a same-sex
             partnership and as a non-traditional parent from two sociological
             traditions. The first part of the paper uses the structural-functionalist
             approach, emphasizing the writings of sociologist Emile Durkheim. This
             part argues that Weaver's actions as both a lesbian life partner and a
             lesbian single parent are both dysfunctions, that have a destabilizing
             effect on society. The next part then criticizes this position by using
             the conflict approach, applying Karl Marx's writings regarding the ideas
             and values of the ruling class to the case of gay and lesbian people.
             Emile Durkheim saw society as an organism. Just as the human body is
             composed of different organs with their own functions, so is society
             divided into different social segments. The various body organs each have
             different roles -- the circulatory system pumps bloods while the digestive
             system helps the body take in and absorb nutrients. Despite their
             different functions, however, the organs cooperated together to keep the
             Durkheim posits the same case holds true with the social organism.
             Each segment has its own role or "funct...