Regan Shrummpage 1 of 5

Regan Shrummpage 1 of 5

Same-Sex Marriage

On May 16, 2008, the state of California overturned a state law that allowed only opposite-sex couples to marry.This is the second national state, and one of six global locations that has allowed same-sex marriages. The news was heard all around the country, and was criticized by many. In fact, a poll taken in 2006 showed that 51% of Americans oppose gay marriage (Head, Internet); but does that mean that it shouldn’t be allowed?The Supreme Court has declared that marriage is a basic civil right, which is older than the Constitution itself (Gannon, Opposing Viewpoints). I believe that gays have the right to marryand should be entitled to the same rights as heterosexual couples.

Opponents of same-sex marriage believe that it would hurt our “sanctity of marriage.” Many think that marriage is traditionally a heterosexual institution, and having gays marry would be the start of the “decay of families” and it would be a “slippery slope” that would lead to other trends such as incest, bestial marriages, and polygamy (Dobson, Internet). To me, these are the same people who were screaming about how inter-racial marriage would be the start of the apocalypse, back in the 1960s.The history of marriage has been evolving over the past hundred years. During the 19th century, marriage was a contract between two men: the father of the bride and his new son-in law (Head, Internet). Women did not hold any rights in the union, their husband being the master of the home and if he ever died, the wife was not entitled to anything.It was not until after the Civil War thatAfrican-Americans were even allowed to marry in the United States. History has showed us that everything, including the definition of marriage, changes over time, and marriage has never been a union of one man and one woman in all human cultures throughout human history.

The Catholic Church states that marriage is for creating the next generation. Marriage has never just been about procreation. If that were the case, then couples who are not able to have children or choose not to, should not have the right to marry. I believe that marriage is a union between two people who love each other, who want to share their love, and within that union havemutual rights, social benefits, and federal obligations that come with marriage. As for the issue of same-sex couples not being the optimum environment to raise children, I refute the argument with the fact that murderers, convicted felons, and even child molesters are freely allowed to marry and procreate. It is also shown that half of the children born in the 1990s spend at least part of their childhood in single-parent homes, and that children living in single-parent homes have more than twice the risk of suicide and other mental health problems (Dobson, Internet).Also, as many as one-third of abused children come from two parent homes (Bidstrup, Internet). I believe that as long as children are loved and nurtured, then it doesn’t matter who their parents are. In 1990, an estimated 6 to 14 million childrenin the United States had at least one gay or lesbian parent, and the American Psychological Association states that children of gay and lesbian parents are at no disadvantage psychologically or sociallycompared to children of heterosexual parents (Open Adoption, Internet). Many people have concerns that gay couples with children would turn the children gay, however, the American Psychological Association points out that this is not true. To me, that is like saying all heterosexual couples produce straight children, which we know is not a fact. Also if same-sex couples adopt it helps the problem of thousands of children being in foster care. If the ten percent of the population who are gay suddenly decided that they wanted their own children, the nation would have a serious problem of overpopulation.

One of the main arguments for opponents of same-sex marriage is that the Bible says that homosexuality is a sin, so the nation shouldn’t recognize their unions. First, it is legal to have a non-religious marriage. Many couples get married by a judge in a civil ceremony, rather than one by a priest, therefore taking the religion out of union.Second, the Bible states that murdering is a sin, yet the Supreme Court has allowed convicted murderers to marry. I would think it is obvious that these felons would be considered sinners. A survey was conducted in 1989 that revealed that 72 percent of the Danish clergy were opposed to a law that made same-sex marriage legal. The same survey was then conducted in 1995, and indicated that 89 percent of the Danish clergy now admitted it was a good law that had the benefits of a reduced suicide rate, decline in the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, and reduction in promiscuity (Bidstrup, Internet).

Many gay and lesbian couples not only want to get married because they love each other, but because they will receive socialized benefits. I find it sad that many gay couples are not afforded the same rights in the case of emergencies. For example hospitals are forced by state law to contact next of kin, which would exclude a gay partner (Robinson, Internet). I believe that we, as a nation, ostracize gays by treating them as though they are second class citizens. Homosexuals are people too, yet they are treated the same way women were treated in the late 1800s, African-Americans were treated in the 1960s, and Hispanics are many times treated today. I hate the way that gays are treated by the intolerant, and I think that the first step in stopping the mistreatment is by allowing same sex marriage.

Just because 51% of Americans oppose gay marriage now, doesn’t mean that they will oppose if it is passed. In 1996, 47 percent of Canadians opposed gays being allowed to marry, but after a law passed same sex marriages in 2003, 70 percent of Canadians approved the change (Head, Internet). I feel that the more people who see the same-sex marriage in practice, the less likely they are to see it as a threat. I don’t know why people see the gay marriage as a threat to other marriages and marriage as a whole. I believe that people are not scared of gay marriage, but gays themselves. They feel uncomfortable about gays, so they want to ban them from society. Same-sex marriage would not force anyone to approve of gay relationships, but it would enable those who are gay or lesbian to equally be part of our society.

Work Cited

Bidstrup, Scott. Gay Marriage: The Arguments and the Motives. 18 September 2008.

Dobson, James. Gay Marriage: Why Would It Affect Me?18 September 2008.

Gannon, Heather Ann. “Same-Sex Marriage Should Be Allowed.” Opposing Viewpoints ResourceCenter. 18 September 2008. &tabID=T010&prodId=OVRC&docId=EJ3010136208&source=gale&srcprod=O VRC&userGroupName=moun23466&version=1.0

Gay & Lesbian Adoptive Parents. Open Adoption and Family Services. 20 September 2008. <

Head, Tom. Four Reasons to Support Gay Marriage and Oppose the Federal MarriageAmendment. 18 September 2008.

Robinson, B.A. Same-Sex Marriages, Civil Unions, and Domestic Partnerships. 18 September 2008.

Wedgwood, Ralph. “Society Should Allow Same-Sex Marriage.”Opposing Viewpoints ResourceCenter. 18 September 2008. < &tabID=T010&prodId=OVRC&docId=EJ3010143228&source=gale&srcprod=O VRC&userGroupName=moun23466&version=1.0>

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