Human Sexuality: Same sex marriage - Research Paper Example

? Human Sexuality: Same Sex Marriage Introduction Different religions and cultures have different views about human sexuality. Christians do believe that having sexual relations with more than one person is a sin whereas Muslims are of the view that males can keep more than one wife at the same time and keep sexual relations with all of them at the same time. Hindus also believe in having sexual relations with one at a time. However, all the religions advocate heterosexuality rather than homosexuality. In other words gay relationships or lesbianism are unacceptable to religions. Traditionally and historically, sex is assumed as a divine act performed between two persons of opposite sex. In many countries same sex marriage is allowed legally at present. For example, in Canada, same sex marriage is legal even though there are many controversies associated with it. There are many ethical and legal controversies associated with same sex marriages. This paper analyses different issues associated with same sex marriage. Issues related to same sex marriage The major controversy associated with same sex marriage is with respect to morality. Naturally, all the living things engage in sexual relationships between males and females. Allowing same sex marriage is against the principles of all natural laws. Nature or the creator has given sex relationships for reproduction purposes. He has incorporated the feeling of pleasure to such relationships in order to encourage living things to think seriously about sexual relationships and reproduction processes. In the absence of a pleasure feeling, nobody will engage in sexual relations only for the reproduction purposes. Under such circumstances, sustainment of life forms on earth will become difficult. Because of the above fact, nature or God incorporated the pleasant feeling to sexual activities. In other words, the primary aim of sexual activities was reproduction purposes and the pleasure feeling was incorporated only to supplement the reproduction process. However, current generation is giving more importance to the pleasure feeling and they neglect the necessities of reproduction. In many countries birth control laws are prevailing. For example, in China, a family can have only one child whereas in India a family can have maximum two children. In short, such family planning laws, helped the people to shift their attention from the reproduction purpose to the pleasure purpose while take part in sexual relations. People started to explore more about the pleasure part of sexual relationships and as a result of that homosexuality started to enter in this world. Advocates of same sex marriage are of the view that the aim of any marriage is to establish a loving relationship and they reject the reproductive dimension of marriage. Philips (2003) has questioned this view. “If any loving relationship should be included in the definition of marriage, then let people marry their pets while we're at it. Then my kitten could qualify for healthcare benefits and I could get better tax breaks” (Philips, 2003). The concerns expressed by Philips cannot be neglected when we analyse the recent developments in human sexuality. It is quite possible that human may argue for marital relations with even animals in future. Belge (2010) has argued that children who are waiting to be adopted may get benefit out of adoption by same sex couples. “Scientific studies have shown that children who grow up in one or two-parent gay or lesbian households fare just as well emotionally and socially as children whose parents are heterosexual” (Belge, 2010). The arguments of Belge seem to be partly right and partly wrong. It is a fact that it is better to have parents of same sex relations than a state of having no parents. At the same time it should be noted that they cannot have one child in their blood relations and therefore they cannot establish same intimacy towards their children as expressed by the real parents. “Good parenting is influenced most profoundly by a parent's ability to create a loving and nurturing home -- an ability that does not depend on whether a parent is gay or straight” (Gay Adoption Debate and Poll: Should Gays and Lesbians be allowed to Adopt Children?, n. d). Moreover, fatherly and motherly love are essential for the proper physical and mental development of children. Children adopted by same sex couples may get either the fatherly or motherly love. It should be noted that two fatherly or motherly love cannot be equated against the parental love including the father and mother. Saletan, (2002) has mentioned that “telling the public that a homosexual couple can raise a child as effectively as a married couple is on par with telling them that a single mom provides as complete parenting as a mom-and-dad couple” (Saletan, 2002). Mother and father express their intimacy in different ways and both are necessary for the development of a child. “The Florida court argues that children are better off in homes with a mother and a father who are married. Moreover, some opponents argue that children of gay and lesbian parents will be subject to harassment and ridicule” (Belge, 2010). In short, same sex couples can never deliver the same love and care to their adopted children. “Children raised by a homosexual parent were much more likely to experiment with homosexual behaviour themselves” (Gay Adoption Debate and Poll: Should Gays and Lesbians be allowed to Adopt Children?, n. d). Most of the people establish same sex relations because of selfish motives. They don’t bother much about the consequences. Children often take lessons of life from their family. In other words, children of same sex couples may become homosexuals in future most probably. If the number of homosexuals exceeds the number of heterosexuals in a society, all the social laws about sexuality will undergo drastic changes and the existence of human life may also be questioned. “A benefit to heterosexual society of gay marriage is the fact that the commitment of a marriage means the participants are discouraged from promiscuous sex” (Bidstrup). The popularity of same sex marriage is increasing everywhere even though it raises many controversies. In American military, Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy is following. It is not necessary that the homosexuals to disclose their sexual habits to the authorities in US. Changing life styles are forcing people to think differently about their sexual habits. Current generation have too many commitments and many people struggle to fulfil their personal, professional, social and family commitments. Family commitments seem to be the most agonising factor for many people because of the burden of children. In order to avoid that people started to think about homosexuality and many people implemented it successfully in their lives. “Most religions consider homosexuality a sin” (Messerli). However, homosexuals do believe that they have every right to lead a life of their own as far as they cause any damages to others. In their opinion, morality and religious beliefs are human made and there is no point in scarifying their only life in the name of morality or religious beliefs. Conclusions Human sexuality is changing drastically over the last few decades. Instead of heterosexuality, homosexuality is gaining grounds at present. Homosexuality and same sex marriages are raising serious moral and legal questions in the current world. Some people believe that homosexuality is against all natural laws whereas others are of the view that it has nothing to do with natural laws and morality. Supporters of same sex marriage are of the view that the preliminary aim of sex is enjoyment rather than reproduction whereas critics do believe that enjoyment should only supplement the primary aim of reproduction. References 1. Belge K (2010), Both Sides of the Issue Lesbian and Gay Adoption Rights, Retrieved from http://lesbianlife.about.com/cs/families/a/adoption_2.htm 2. Bidstrup S. (2000). Gay Marriage: The Arguments and the Motives. Retrieved from http://www.bidstrup.com/marriage.htm 3. Gay Adoption Debate and Poll: Should Gays and Lesbians be allowed to Adopt Children? (n. d), Retrieved from http://www.youdebate.com/DEBATES/gay_adoption.HTM 4. Messerli J (2009). Should Same-Sex Marriages be Legalized?. Retrieved from http://www.balancedpolitics.org/same_sex_marriages.htm 5. Philips. C. (2003). Should Gay Marriage be Legalized? TIME CNN. Retrieved from http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,472846,00.html 6. Saletan W. (2002), The sneaky debate over legalizing adoptions by gay couples, Retrieved from http://www.slate.com/id/2061789 Read More