Same Sex Marriage

Same-Sex Marriage

More and more it is looking marriage between members of the same sex may become a reality-but if so, it will not occur without a great deal of difficult social, political, and legal unrest. While those who oppose same sex marriage generally do so with an ethical and moral vehemence: those who support it generally think it is a given right that should be granted to them. It is important to understand that the pledge of allegiance states: “with liberty and justice for all”, it also states “one nation under God”, proving that church and state will always be tangled. What is the problem with saying “we are united” rather than “we are married”?

The most frequent exploited argument used by same sex marriage supporters is that they wish to be married because of the 1,400 plus legal and economic benefits according to Lambda Legal Defense and Education. These are benefits that include: joint adoption, joint foster care, custody, status as next of kin for hospital visits and medical decisions, and a piece of paper with two names on it: a marriage license. Do you honestly want a kid growing up in an environment with two moms or two dads? The minor may be eventually damaged socially and psychologically. It seems that people supporting same sex marriage are only after fringe benefits.

If this is the case why not grant them these same benefits without them having to be married? There are civil unions and joint partnerships. Rather than make a constitutional amendment making same sex marriage legal, I propose a constitutional amendment extending all those juicy benefits under a different title. If marriage was not so sacred an institutional as it is, then there is no doubt that this war against same sex marriage would be so intense. According to the “Protection of Marriage Act”, marriage has been defined, for legal purposes, as being between a man and a woman. It has furthermore, made it so no state is required to legally recognize a same sex marriage from...