Ethics - Gay Marriage - Research Paper Example

? Ethics: Gay Marriage [Insert Here] [Insert and Number Here] December 11, Ethics: Gay Marriage According to Rodriguez (2011), “heterosexual marriage has been around for a long time, and it hasn’t changed at all.” Is that a fact? Women are no longer considered to be property, racial segregation is against the law, and divorce is now lawful. Thus, how could it be that “heterosexual marriage […] hasn’t changed at all” (Rodriguez, 2011)? Much controversy surrounds what the true definition of marriage should be. One could argue the protection of the definition stating marriage is a union only between a man and a woman was the only accepted formation based on historic legislation—prior to societal evolution. “The word ‘marriage’ means only a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife, and the word ‘spouse’ refers only to a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or a wife” (“Federal defense of, 2008”). This quotation is used in determining the meaning of any Act of Congress, any ruling, regulation, or interpretation of the various bureaus and agencies within the United States (“Federal defense of, 2008”). First and foremost, there is the issue of religion. Religion is obviously a root cause of controversy on the subject of gay marriage. Defenders of “traditional marriage” bring The Holy Bible into their arguments. However, the values of one religion are not imposed upon the entire country; otherwise, we would have only a single ruling religion in the United States. Often times when religious persons use their religion to support their arguments, they are “cherry picking” items to follow. If this is allowable, religion is meaningless. It is believed that legalization and acknowledgement of same-sex marriages will open the door to other, similarly sinful behaviors. Some feel that the exposure and acceptance, or tolerance, will encourage others to be gay. That is equivalent to stating if you stand near someone tall, you will become taller. Delving further into an attempt to define marriage, one must determine what it is that marriage represents. Well, it represents commitment for one. “Until death do us part,” marriage revolves wholly around commitment (Moran, 2003). In the first two years that same-sex marriage was allowed in the state of Massachusetts, gay couples were surveyed regarding how being married affected their lives. “Many of them stated that it had made them monogamous” (Kuhr, 2006). Heterosexual couples have agreed, concurring that they enter into marriage with the intent to be faithful. Faithfulness is largely the way the union has been viewed culturally and historically as a positive state. A solid, working marriage is one that most people grow up hoping to be a part of; thus, once it is attained, it is then wished to be preserved (Moran, 2003). Next, along with marriage—more prominently in today’s society, when compared historically—often times comes divorce. Every year, more than one million American children experience destruction of their solidarity in family. It is divorce that is tearing up the fundamental threads of American society. “Children of divorced parents perform more poorly in reading, spelling, and math. They also are more likely to repeat a grade and to have higher drop-out rates and lower rates of college graduation” (Fagan & Rector, 2000). It is said that “family” is the building block of society and marriage is the foundation of these blocks (Fagan & Rector, 2000). Therefore, arguing that same-sex marriage will ruin society is unfounded. People and groups using this argument must not be taking into consideration the fact that divorce has already started crumbling the foundation of the sanctity of marriage for several years. Perhaps it is divorce laws that must change; rather than placing restrictions on who can enter into a union. For example, it should not be allowed for a married couple to enter into a “no-fault” divorce when children under the age of 18 are involved. The couple should be required to prove that, should the marriage continue, the children will be mentally or physically scarred or damaged in some way (Fagan & Rector, 2000). There is a great deal of resistance against same-sex couples who wish to marry so badly, while countless “traditional” marriages end up in divorce court within a two-year time period (Fagan & Rector, 2000). Finally, there are some who argue that gay parents will inevitably raise gay children. That argument has been proven to be unfounded as well. For example, not all straight parents raise straight children, so how could it be possible to state that all gay parents will raise gay children? On the same token, critics of same-sex marriage have suggested a child will not succeed in life without both a female and male role model in the home. If that is true, single parents would no longer be allowed to raise children, since both a male and female are not present. There is an organization called COLAGE, which stands for Children of Lesbian, Gays, Bisexuals, and Transgender Everywhere. The organization’s vision is a “world in which all families are valued, protected, reflected, and embraced by society and all of its institutions; in which all children grow up loved and nurtured by kinship networks and communities that teach them about, connect them to, and honor their unique heritage; and in which every human being has the freedom to express sexual orientation, gender identity, and self” (Bozett & Sussman, 1990). The future is now, and gay rights have been changing rapidly in recent years. While presently, the unanimous, legal agreement is marriage between a man and a woman is a unique union ("The redefinition of, 2001"). Perhaps it will be necessary for same-sex couples to be allowed to marry or at the very least join in some form of recognized union in order to help in strengthening the statistics within America, based on marriages that fail. It will most definitely decrease the number of children and adults living in poverty. Same-sex couples are allowed to adopt in certain locations, although few agencies will allow a same-sex couple to adopt or take in a foster child. The American Psychological Association (APA) has stated that homosexuality is not a deviation or mental disorder, so marriage should be an appropriate and attainable goal for everyone, without exception (Moran, 2003). References Bozett, F. W., & Sussman, M. B. (1990). Homosexuality and family relations. Harrington Park Press. Fagan, P., & Rector, R. (2000, June 05). The effects of divorce on america. Retrieved from http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2000/06/the-effects-of-divorce-on-america Federal defense of marriage act (doma). (2008). Retrieved from http://www.domawatch.org/about/federaldoma.html Kuhr, F. (2006, May 23). The science of same-sex marriage: With the two-year anniversary of same-sex marriage in massachusetts comes a flood of studies, books, and research papers on the benefits of marriage for gay couples and the harm caused by denying it. Retrieved from http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-146390217.html Moran, W. (2003, March 30). Gay definition of marriage is not the equal of heterosexual marriage facts show sexual fidelity not a part of gay unions. Retrieved from http://www.massnews.com/2003_Editions/5_May/053003_mn_gay_definition_of_marriage_is_not_the_equal_of_heterosexual_marriage.shtml Rodriguez, D. B. (2011, February 25). What’s next for same-sex marriage. Retrieved from http://blog.chron.com/bakerblog/2011/02/whats-next-for-same-sex-marriage/ The redefinition of marriage. (2001, November). Retrieved from http://turbulenceahead.ca/tfn/sexuality/articles/Redefinition_of_Marriage.html Read More