Same Sex Unions

Same Sex Unions and Marriages

Marriage has been thought of as a cornerstone in American society since the beginning of this great country. However, resent debates about same sex marriages has fueled a argument in American society about whether couples of the same sex should be allowed to marry each other. People worry about how this will affect society and it's rules. Through a thorough discussion of history, societies ethics and the fear of unintentional escalation of the law it is easy to see that the right to marry who you want is a right that all Americans whether heterosexual or homosexual have.

Historically marriage is one of the things that American society has prided itself on since the beginning. Many anti gay marriage people argue the fact that marriage by law has always and is only supposed to be between a man and a women. This however has not always been the case. In the beginning marriage was only between same religion, race and social class. Then it became acceptable for different religions and social classes to marry in the late 18th century. Later it progressed to accept different race marriages from the 19th to the 20th century. And now in 2007 a new change for same sex marriages to become legal is under way. This natural progression is something that all facets of society have fought against at some time or another. In fact the part of the law that says marriage is only between a man and women was not specified till later when this argument was already a foot. The defense of Marriage Act (D.O.M.A) which allows each individual state to decide was created in 1999 in reaction to Hawaii 1993. Through these passing it is easy to see that the original wording of the law was unclear. Why else would the government feel the need to create these buffers. Further more many states like Massachusetts, California, Vermont and Hawaii have either same sex marriages or civil unions. These states signify a change in views for same sex marriage much like the change in views dealing with marriages of race, religion and socioeconomic class. The history shows that the constitution was not and is not against same sex marriages.

These changing views are opposed by some ethical views of American society. Many religious groups are opposed to same sex marriage because it is against the bible and believed to be morally wrong. However, the First Amendment or more specifically the establishment clause clearly states a separation of church and state. This means that the religious moral wrong of the issue should and is separate from the discussion. This gives the gay community the rights granted to them by the constitution of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It is one of their basic human rights. Autonomy of the Will is a right that all people not just heterosexuals should share. There s no reason that gays should not have the right to choose a partner and marry them as a sign of their commitment. If some states are already for this then there must be a sound reasoning that others should follow. As far as destroying the ideals and structure of marriage. Shouldn't the United States Government be for Gay marriages. This commitment level should be something that is desired since it is so vital to society. There are also studies done that gay marriages tend to last longer in a society of one week marriages followed by divorce. Also, people feel that you should be able to have children and a family environment, which they feel gays obviously can not achieve due to the inability to create offspring. If this is the true reason fro marriage then couples where one mate is sterile should also not be allowed to enter into marriage. Imagine if this was the case. How much uproar would there be. Plus with the increased rate of orphaned children needing adoption doesn't it seem like a logical step to help a problem that affects today's youth. And those who say that children have to have a women and a man as parents have obviously not ever considered the many successful adults out there that were raised by a single parent. It doesn't seem to matter whether it is a mother or father as long as attention, love and guidance are given. Is a gay couple really less able to parent successfully rather than a pair of alcoholic parents that may abuse or even molest their children? This is not to say that all homosexual marriages will produce two people in love and with the ability to raise perfect kids, but none of the problematic indicators seem to have anything to do with the couple being gay. If gay marriages prove just as strong if not stronger than the current heterosexual marriages then why are they not accepted? America must look at the ethical issues and judge based on that.

Many anti gay marriage schools of thought feel that by allowing gays the same union of marriage and all the benefits that come with it there is the chance that the law will unintentionally escalate in a downward spiral rapidly. This fear that William Bennett discussed about the definition of marriage becoming to broad that new attempts to expanded the definition would follow are very closed minded. People