The Legalization Of The Same-Sex Marriages - Essay Example

The Legalization Of The Same-Sex MarriagesSame-Sex Marriages In the past few decades, there has been growing debate in the United States regarding the lifestyle of gay and lesbian people. The topic has raised numerous questions which have been constantly discussed in various forums like the media, government houses and law courts. The issue of whether same-sex marriages should be made legal has been a topical one of discussion in legislative bodies. The principle issue of all such discussions has been how law should regulate the lives of same-sex married couples.

The topic has essentially been a challenging one for psychologists as it is difficult to provide uncontroversial answers to such vital questions. The issue of same-sex marriage is a topic that will always garner controversies and it is hardly possible to establish any single perspective considering the myriad social, ethical, philosophical, religious and political aspects. According to a national study conducted by the University of Queensland, given the choice 54 percent of same-sex partners are prepared to get married while 80 percent of Australians who are maintaining same-sex relationship will advocate such marriages even if they do not wish to marry.

There are many legal benefits for married couples and it is even more important for same- sex couples since they experience denial of legal rights because of social prejudices (12 Reasons Why Marriage Equality Matters, n.d.). There are other cultural benefits like each partner will feel more responsible towards the other. Moreover, it has been seen that if legal recognition is not given to same- sex marriages then it can have adverse impact on the physical and mental health of the partners involved.

Social discrimination can lead to severe depression and lower self-esteem among these people. Such cases are more common among the young LGBTs who become prone towards running away from home, substance abuse, and suicidal tendencies (Renzetti & Edleson, 2008, p.337). If I am to consider my own opinion on this topic I will say homosexuals need not be subjected to any kind of discriminations and should be accepted with open arms within the society because being a homosexual is completely natural and harmless.

There are a number of arguments against same-sex marriage. Children adopted by these couples are brought up away from one parent like lesbian couples will raise their children apart from fathers and vice versa. Thus the individual role of each parent like social security from fathers and emotional security from mothers will be absent for these children. However, although sexual orientation of a potential parent is a criterion for consideration, personality and maturity aspects should also be counted.

Secondly, oppositions claim that same-sex marriage will alter the basic concept of marriage which is procreation. It has been seen that countries that have legalized same-sex marriages like Canada and Netherlands have low fertility rates (Duhan, 2014, p.10). However, this argument cannot stand strong since there are no issues when infertile couples get married. Moreover, there is also the option of surrogate mothers for gay men who wish to have biological children.Conclusion Marriage is a covenant between two people of different sex, and this is the traditional view.

It is not easy to alter the social perspective. However, one basic essence of marriage is that it is a partnership for lifetime between two people who desire to be with each other. Keeping this philosophical point of view, I will argue that as long as two people are comfortable with each other, law or society have no right to stigmatize that relationship.References12 Reasons Why Marriage Equality Matters, (n.d.) australianmarriageequality, retrieved on February 10, 2015 from: http://www.australianmarriageequality.

org/12-reasons-why-marriage-equality-matters/Duhan, R. (2014) Scope of Same-Sex Marriages in the Contemporary Society. Innovare Journal of Social Sciences, 2(3), 8-11Renzetti, C.M. & Edleson, J.L. (2008) Encyclopedia of Interpersonal Violence, SAGE Publications