Should We Allow Same-Sex Marriages - Essay Example

Ali S Alenezi Christian Triola English Compassion: 112 April, 8th Should we allow same-sex marriages? Same sex marriages and homosexuality has been a topic of many heated debates over its legalization and acceptance in the society. Over the last decade, this is an aspect of modernity that has drastically increased its influence in the society. As a controversial modernity aspect, gay pride has been used by the gay community to seek some sort of acceptance in the society, as well as self-acceptance. In relation to this, there are several issues in society that have to been questioned, as the cultural norms have evolved and people have began to broaden their minds on what is acceptable, and what is taboo. Matters which are questioned differ in each cultural setting as there are different pressures that exist. The United States is one of the most culturally diverse nations in the world and appears to be one of the leading countries when it comes to tolerance of any nature. This is an aspect that is difficult to judge whether it is right or wrong, since there are mixed justifications on the issue that same sex marriages should be legalized. Based on the social frame that has sustained humanity for decades and the physiological advantage that exists between the union of a man and a woman, same sex marriages should not be legalized. In order to understand the issue at hand, it is essential to understand the constitution of marriage and the values it was founded upon. The term marriage can be traced back to its Latin origin Maritare which means to provide or to give a husband or a wife. The term matrimony also has Latin roots from the word matrimony. There have been several definitions that have been utilized for this union; however, the issue of same sex marriage has been rejected within the western societies since the 13th century. Therefore, since marriage has been present for generations and so have homosexual relations, the term of marriage has been used to solely define the union between a man and a woman (Badgett, 23). Therefore, making this act violates the legal principles upon which it was founded, hence it should not be legalized. The state does not have an obligation to recognize the legality of activities that are performed under the laws and restrictions of another state. Since the act of gay marriage is not recognized by members of the state, no external pressures should force this to occur. This would be sane same as the state of Ohio questioning the reasons for legal gay marriages in places such a New York. The ban on same sex marriages was approved by voters in Ohio in the ballot that took place in 2004, and the only way this can be reversed is through another ballot which is scheduled to take place late in 2014. This issue is not new in the United States as many other judges have raised the cases against laws on same sex marriage in their state. A similar situation took place in Virginia where a judge deemed the votes that were placed by residents in 2006 as unconstitutional. In this case the voters also voted against gay marriage. The judge claimed that this act was against the 14th amendment, which has a clause protecting the rights of citizens to perhaps engage in gay marriage (Mello 31). The ban subsequently insinuated that gay marriages should not be legalized. Although the issue of gay marriages is widely debatable and many people have their own different opinion, its continued rejection among majority individuals makes it to be unjustified. Hence, addressing this issue requires one to assess some objective information. One of the purposes of marriage is to procreate and further expand the population and creating an environment that is ideal for the children to mature into competent adults. Gay marriage does not allow any of these processes to occur. The act of gay marriage, recognizes the union of two men or women who are physiologically unable to reproduce together. Therefore, there is no possibility of expanding the population. These couples are dependent on heterosexual couples to adopt babies or the sperm donation of a male party (Wardle 38). This shows that regardless of how one subjectively assesses the situation, the facts on the table are two women or men are not physiologically competent to form a union of marriage. Despite the numerous families that have been created for feeding neonates, pediatrics have stated that there is no real replacement for breastfeeding and this has numerous benefits which go beyond nutritional values. There are also psychological implications that exist in children as they may undergo some situations which their parents are unable to address or relate to as the couple is only comprised of one sex. This may also affect the way the child relates to members of the opposite sex and may all confuse him or her about his sexuality (Wardle 38). This may affect the whole notion of relationships within society, hence same sex marriages should never be legalized. Moreover, children will be unable to comprehend on where they stand or should stand in terms of their sexual attraction and this may have serious implications for the population in the future. This will affect population growth as the number of such couples may increase if the act of homosexuality is recognized legally and incorporated into the social norms. Therefore, same sex marriages should not be legalized because they condone an act that is not natural and has been rejected for years. Individuals in support of gay marriages classify this in the same category as hate on a racial basis, but these acts are completely different as racial differences are based on different location and regions which people originate from. In addition, race is a genetic factor which has been directly linked to genes by biologists. There is no study which has made a direct connection been homosexuality and genes (Mello 31). Therefore, this comparison is unjustifiable and inapplicable in this situation, hence it should never be legalized. Legalizing gay marriage will also open the door for other aspects of marriage that are not traditionally accepted in society. As there are no natural or uncontrollable justifications for this aspect of marriage, what would be the reason for not legalizing interspecies marriages or polygamous unions? These can both be defended on the same principles as gay marriage. Therefore, legalizing this act on a national level would be disastrous and the issue should in fact be questioned in the states where it is legal (Mello 31). There should be questions on why the other types of marriage have also not been legalized. In the United States the issue has been discussed for decades with gay rights activism beginning in the 1970s, however, its initial purpose was for basic rights. Even in these days homosexuality was widely rejected and was questioned by many institutions and individual parts such as the singer Anita Bryant who started a campaign against homosexuality in the 1980s. This shows that homosexuality has always been present in the community, however, has always been rejected by the majority of the community (Lee 65). In the United States the AIDS pandemic was also influential in the opposition towards homosexuals, and therefore gays marriages should not be c This also raises another question on the union of same sex individuals. One of the questions is that relationships also have a sexual aspect and these couples have no natural ways of performing sexual acts. In fact the measures that are adopted by these individuals place them at risk of contracting certain diseases. Homosexual men, for example, are also susceptible to contracting STIs due to their thin mucosal lining in the anal canal compared to the vagina, which is the means of sexual activity between a man and a woman (Lee 65). Therefore, the act of homosexuality is also accompanied by its increased health risks. Due to this reason, same sex marriages should be fully not be legalized. Despite the various short coming about same sex marriages, there are also other factors that illustrate the gay marriages as crucial, hence they should be fully legalized. Advocates for gay marriage often refer to the fact that despite the historical reasons for the creation of the marriage institution, it has no real definition and the act itself has evolved even among heterosexual individuals. Therefore, if the initial principles have changed same sex couples should also be allowed to express their love for each other through the act of marriage. In addition, there are also some marital benefits which these couples claim to be unfairly denied. These individuals believe that same sex couples are similar to heterosexual couples if they are based on love. In fact, some individuals believe that some of these couples may even create a happier family than heterosexuals. Despite all these possibilities, although it appears that gay marriage denies a child either a mother or a father, the fact is that parental care is highly guaranteed (Corvino 74). This means that same sex marriages are able to take care of children, and therefore gay marriages should be completely legalized. In the United States, the issue of legalizing gay marriages has received mixed responses. Currently in the United States gay marriages are legal in 17 states whilst 33 states have some laws prohibiting this union. This issue has led to some conflict of jurisdiction as some states fail to recognize gay marriages performed in other states. A judge in Ohio, however, recently stated that Ohio should recognize gay marriages that are performed in other states. This opinion is in the background of a case involving three lesbian couples who stated that they will force Ohio to recognize them as legal couples and write their names on the birth certificates of their children (Corvino 74). The fact that many states in the US have constitutionally accepted same sex marriages makes it to be a justifiable act in the society. In summation, there are reasons why people pioneer for gay marriage as the institution itself has changed and evidently same sex individuals are capable of falling in love. However, legalizing the act of marriage among these individuals could be starting a whole new problem for society which can extend to future generations. Besides the unnatural factors that exist in this union there are many things which a child raised in this family will be denied. These are the main reasons why the act of gay marriage should be illegal. Works Cited Badgett, M V. L. When Gay People Get Married: What Happens When Societies Legalize Same-Sex Marriage. New York: New York University Press, 2009. Print. Mello, Michael. Legalizing Gay Marriage. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2004. Internet resource. Wardle, Lynn D. Whats the Harm?: Does Legalizing Same-Sex Marriage Really Harm Individuals, Families, or Society?Lanham, Md: University Press of America, 2008. Print. Corvino, John, and Maggie Gallagher. Debating Same-Sex Marriage. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012. Print. Lee, Man Y. K. Equality, Dignity, and Same-Sex Marriage: A Rights Disagreement in Democratic Societies. Leiden: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, 2010. Print. Read More