Should Marriage for Same Sex Couples be Legal?

Should Marriage for Same Sex Couples be Legal?

The tide of marriage for same-sex couples has ebbed and flowed over the last decade with no end in sight. Because marriage sits squarely at the intersection of religion, law and society, the discussion around same-sex couples’ inclusion into the institution of marriage has been one of the most complex and hotly contested topics in America.

Next question in Society

  • “No”
  • No Objections Yet

ADF

Slippery Slope…Steep Cliff

Alliance Defense Fund

Those who agitate to de-define marriage consistently ignore the reason the state recognizes marriage in the first place.  In America, marriage has always been an institution existing primarily to protect children created within the one and only union that can naturally produce children.  The opposition has twisted marriage into a government endorsement of close relationships.  The logical end of that idea is obvious:  there no longer exists a legal difference between same-sex couples who want to “marry” and all other combinations of “loving” adults who want to “marry the person (or people) of their choice.”  If marriage is nothing but a state stamp of approval on intimate adult relationships, what is the argument for denying “marriage” to any number or combination of adults who claim to be “in love”?  If the gender composition of a marriage is unimportant, what is so sacred about the number of participants?  The very arguments used on behalf of same-sex couples apply equally to “bisexuals” or polyamorists who would like to “marry” a number of different people.

What about a brother and sister “in love?”  The typical objection when confronted with the brother-sister “marriage” challenge is that procreation between siblings increases the chance for birth defects in children.  So then, what is the objection to two brothers “marrying?”  The opposition cannot object to a brother-brother “marriage” absent an appeal to a moral standard.  But in objecting to all sibling “marriages” they are unwittingly arguing that marriage:  1) is essentially a procreative institution, 2) benefits the state primarily as a child-protective institution, and 3) may be limited by moral considerations.  These are the very arguments they must reject in order to justify the imposition of same-sex “marriage.”  But the opposition refuses to engage in a thoughtful debate on these issues.  They know, when confronted with their own self-negating logic, their slippery slope becomes a steep cliff.  If marriage can mean same-sex relationships, it can mean anything.  If marriage can mean anything, it means nothing.   If marriage means nothing, children are guaranteed to pay the price.

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