What Is Marriage

What is Marriage? A Synthesis of Arguments on Same-Sex Marriage Throughout the past few years there has been a great amount of controversy on same-sex marriage. Here are four brief summaries on viewpoints of four different essays about the thoughts on same-sex marriage. In Lisa Bennett’s essay, “Why Can’t We Get Married?” she describes in great detail her feelings for another woman. Bennett’s opinion is that love is a natural thing, no matter who it happens to be with (254). Bennett then goes into describing the way she felt the night she knew she loved her partner, “I kissed her and felt something rise in me that I have never could have predicted, a conviction, an irrepressible desire to say, I want to marry you” (255). Bennett feels as though the people with power over same-sex marriages do not understand the feelings of the people involved (255). Bennett explains, “I know they claim that our marriage would make a mockery of theirs; they warn that our families would cause the decline of the American family and they labeled our love immoral, disgusting, even dangerous” (255). She feels that “Love is Love,” no matter how it happens, where it happens, or who it happens with (256). In the essay, “Gay Marriage, an Oxymoron,” Lisa Schiffren is against same-sex marriage. She believes that marriage is a life long commitment between a man and a woman, in which they raise a family (257). In the essay, Schiffren thinks that homosexuality needs to be an open and understood topic in our society (257). Schiffren thinks that same-sex marriage is wrong because children help families of heterosexual couples grow together as a family (258). Even if a gay couple had a child, it would not be both parents creating this human being, and that would cause somewhat of an emotional distance. Her last thoughts on this are it is politically incorrect for this to be allowed (258). “For a court in Hawaii to assume that it has the power to radically redefine marriage is a stunning abuse of power. To present homosexual marriage as a fait accompli, without national debate, is a serious political error” says Schiffren (258). Andrew Sullivan’s essay, “Simple Equality,” goes into his views on why same-sex marriage should be legal. Sullivan feels as though homosexuals should be treated with the same rights as heterosexuals, because our nation is all about equality (259). Sullivan feels as though that the argument on the morality of same-sex marriage is wrong because there is a separation between church and state (260). Sullivan believes that nothing would have to be changed with our current marriage system; they would stay the same as they are today. He just wants gay marriages to be treated like any other marriage (260). With all the diversity and acceptance in our country, Sullivan thinks that same-sex marriage should be respected (260). In his essay, Sullivan describes that a marriage license used to allow the husband to treat his wife as his own personal property, and that marriage was only between two people of the same race (260). “We changed these things because we recognized that human dignity is the same whether or not you are a man or a woman, black or white. And no one has any more of a choice to be gay that to be black or white or male or female” Sullivan adds to back up his feelings on the subject (260). William Bennett’s essay, “An Honorable Estate” delivers the reasons on why same-sex marriage is immoral. Legalizing same-sex marriage would break families, change the definition of marriage, and go against religious