Same-Sex Marriage Debate

After reading the previous post, I thought I would talk about some of the debate going on with same-sex marriage in the United States. In recent years, the debate over same-sex marriage has grown from an issue that occasionally arose in a few states to a nationwide controversy. In the last year alone, three states have banned same-sex marriage and four states have legalized the practice. Supporters of same-sex marriage argue that gay and lesbian couples should be treated no differently than their heterosexual counterparts and that they should be able to marry like anyone else. Also, supporters say that there are very practical reasons behind the fight for marriage equity. For example, homosexual couples who have been together for years often find themselves without the basic rights and privileges that are currently enjoyed by heterosexual couples who legally marry.

Social conservatives and others who oppose same-sex marriage argue that marriage between a man and a woman is the basis of a strong society, saying that it leads to stable families and to children who grow up to be productive adults. Allowing gay and lesbian couples to wed, they argue, will completely redefine the institution marriage and further weaken it at a time when the institution is already suffering from high divorce rates and the significant number of out-of-wedlock births. Moreover, those who oppose same-sex marriage predict giving gay couples the right to marry will ultimately lead to granting people in polygamous and other nontraditional relationships the right to marry as well. As the debate continues, the American religious community remains deeply divided over the issue.