Same Sex Marrige

Same-Sex Marriage

The proposed legalization of same-sex marriage is one of the most significant issues in contemporary American family law. Presently, it is one of the most vigorously advocated reforms discussed in law reviews, one of the most explosive political questions facing lawmakers, and one of the most provocative issues emerging before American courts. If same-sex marriage is legalized, it could be one of the most revolutionary policy decisions in the history of American family law. The potential consequences, positive or negative, for children, parents, same-sex couples, families, social structure public health, and the status of women are enormous. Given the importance of the issue, the value of comprehensive debate of the reasons for and against legalizing same-sex marriage should be obvious. Marriage is much more than merely a commitment to love one another. Aside from societal and religious conventions, marriage entails legally imposed financial responsibility and legally authorized financial benefits. Marriage provides automatic legal protections for the spouse, including medical visitation, succession of a deceased spouse's property, as well as pension and other rights.

The institution of marriage is highly respected and holds great sentimental value for most societies. However, not all couples are afforded the right to be legally recognized as a married couple. Couples of the same-sex are denied the right to have their marriages be legal in the eyes of the law. Same-sex marriage is an important issue because it deals with a relatively large minority of the United States. Gays and lesbians are rumored to be about ten percent of today's population. I am just one of the many that fit into this contested minority group. Some people in society feel that I should never be given the opportunity to benefit from a marriage, as an opposite-sex couple will. I feel marriage is my natural born right handed down to me by my constitution. So quickly society forgets that I am a citizen of America as much as anyone else. Whether it is by choice or biologically decided, who a person loves does not determine the amount of rights they are given. The issue of same-sex marriage is highly controversial and I suspect will remain so for many more years. The issue of same-sex marriage is combined with several contrasted views.

Same-gender families support each other emotionally and financially the same way heterosexual families do, so they should receive the same benefits. Lives are shared, taxes are paid and the everyday shared responsibilities of making a household work are evident. The only difference is that wives and husbands are eligible for over 150 rights while same-gender partners are legally considered mere roommates. In the event of a death of a wage-earner, gay and lesbian families have the same needs as any other grief-stricken family, as was illustrated by the story about Marjorie Forlini and Sandra Rovira. Simply stated, there are major benefits involved in legal marriage that same-gender partnerships do not receive merely because they are of the same gender. As same-gender partners function and support each other in identical ways that a married couple does, they should be allowed to receive the same rights and responsibilities.

Legal marriage promotes stability in a family unit regardless of gender. It encourages a devoted, monogamous relationship. A married couple, heedless of gender, is likely to be a strong union that pays taxes and contributes to the well being of the community. The benefits of legal marriage, such as security from being evicted in the case of a death or knowledge that both are covered adequately with insurance, can allow the couples to have confidence that their union is secure. Should gay marriages be legalized, it would promote monogamous relationships between committed partners. The purpose of legal marriage is to promote and protect a private relationship, therefore extending its benefits to private relationships between same-gender couples would achieve that end as well.

If the family agrees to consider themselves a family, others should too. Marriage for many homosexuals means that it is a public expression of a private reality. However, since society generally considers family to be made through either birth or marriage, those who consider themselves family are not always recognized as such. As gay and lesbian families function the same as heterosexual families they should be able to be recognized as a family though marriage. Marriage is recognized as an important relationship that denotes a family, so it should be offered to people who live together in loving, caring and stable relationships that consider themselves family. Society does not create families through marriage; it simply recognizes a family as a family. Same-gender marriage should be legal for gay and lesbian couples