Should gay marriages be legal? Clearly we as a nation are undecided on this issue. 36 states have passed legislation banning gay marriages, yet the state of Vermont recentlypassed a law that allows homosexual couples the right to participate in civil unions. Someother states are also debating whether or not to allow these couples to marry. Unfortunately, the dispute has left the United States homosexual community in anawkward position. There are some people who think that gay people have no rights andshould never be allowed to marry. Other people believe that gay people are just likeanyone else and should enjoy the same rights and privileges as heterosexuals do.
I thinkthat the United States should allow these couples to marry just like any other couple. There are many opponents of gay people as it is, and they all have their reasons todislike the idea of letting them get married. One of the main reasons is that the primarypurpose of marriage is procreation. Because gay couples are unable to have children, theyshould not be allowed to marry (Schiffen 495). Another main argument is that the wordmarriage means the union of one man and one woman.
This is a long-standing theme ofmost major Western religions. Under a proposed bill known as the Defense of Marriageact, marriage is defined as “a legal union between one man and one woman as husbandand wife. ” Furthermore, it defines a spouse as ” a person of the opposite sex who is ahusband or wife” (What 1). Under these guidelines, it is quite obvious that gay coupleswould not be eligible for marriage. People against homosexual marriage also say that it isa person’s choice to be gay. Since the individual chooses to be a homosexual, they shouldnot be given special privileges.
Another argument that you hear is that these couplesshould not get married simply because of the torment and ridicule they would be facedwith in their everyday lives. There are news reports from across America telling abouthow a gay person was beaten or killed just because they were looked at as different. Some of these people would end up the target of verbal abuse and maybe even physicalabuse, just because some heterosexual people see them as different. There are also some very silly arguments that should be discarded immediately. One of these arguments is that marriage is traditionally a heterosexual institution.
Makinglove to another man takes away everything that is masculine about you also is said to be areason against homosexual people. Another argument that is not very valid is that samesex marriage would start us down a “slippery slope” towards legalized incest, bestialmarriage, polygamy and all other kinds of horrible consequences (Bidstrup 2-3). Thesearguments are absurd to even consider as legitimate arguments from intelligent people. According to the United States Constitution, every individual has the right to thepursuit of happiness, and the Supreme Court has stated that marriage is essential to theorderly pursuit of happiness (Stoddard 492). The federal government’s statement clearlycontradict that state laws that are now in effect. You hear the saying, “America is thehome of land, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
” Along with the pursuit of happinessbeing infringed on, the individual’s liberty is also somewhat taken away. Many peoplecome to America because it’s the “Home of the Free. ” This is a freedom that is beingtaken away from these couples. If America were a truly free country, these couples wouldbe allowed to marry without any complications. It is obvious that homosexuals are not being treated fairly.
By prohibiting gaymarriages, homosexuals are put at economic, legal, and personal disadvantages. In fact,gay rights activists have cited over 300 benefits that gay couples are not permitted toenjoy (The Case 1). This is a large amount of rights that are being taken away from thesehomosexual couples. Consider these three examples of how the civil rights ofhomosexuals are violated.
First, homosexuals and their spouses are denied the right to claim the estate oftheir spouses if there is no will present when one of the partners dies. In heterosexualmarriages, spouses are entitled to at least a portion of the spouse’s estate unless thespouse’s will explicitly states otherwise. This is not necessarily the rule for people whoare “together,” but not legally married. Since homosexual .
