Marriage. We celebrate it, sometimes mourn it, and even argue vehemently over it. Well, that is just what is happening today. No one can agree when it comes to the rights of marriage. Same-sex couples claim it is an unalienable right for them to marry. Opposite-sex couples get married on Friday and divorce on Monday. So what is the big issue? The hot topic these days seems to be the highly controversial issue of same-sex marriage. Should it be legalized? No. Same-sex marriage should not be legalized due to its harmful effects on societal order, the Constitution, and traditional religious values.
Many people think that variety is the spice of life, but that is not always necessarily true. Our society thrives on order, the reassurance that day after day, life will be fundamentally the same. Family life is a part of that. Every child feels a little safer if they know that both mommy and daddy are in the next room while he or she falls asleep each night. The institution of marriage is evident in all cultures regardless of “law or faith to promote it” (Vogt). Even the most primitive cultures believed in the fundamental foundation of family. It is one of the founding values of our country and the cornerstone of society. As well, marriage usually results in children. But this ceremony, regardless of culture, religion, or political views, is “for the sake of generating and raising children” (Vogt). Because the main priority of marriage is to create and rear children, it makes sense that it should be between the only couples that have a glimmer of a possibility of having children. Consequently, that does not include two men or two women. Regardless of the circumstances, same-sex couples are always infertile.
As a society, we also lik...
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...oegel, Ellen K. “Final Appeals”. America Press Inc. American Magazine, 25 Nov. 2013. Web. 30 Jan. 2014.
“Church Instructs Leaders on Same-Sex Marriage”. Mormon Newsroom. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 10 Jan. 2014. Web. 30 Jan. 2014.
“Should Gay Marriage Be Legal?”. Gaymarriage.procon.org.ProCon.org, 27 Jan. 2014. Web. 29 Jan. 2014
Regnerus, Mark. “How Different Are the Adult Children of Parents Who Have Same-Sex Relationships?”. Social Science Research: Department of Sociology and Population Research Center, University of Texas, 12 March 2012. Web. 31 Jan. 2014.
“Ten Arguments from Social Science Against Same-Sex Marriage”. Hardwired to Connect: Witherspoon Institute, Princeton, n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2014.
Vogt, Brandon. “10 Rebuttals to Arguments for Same-Sex Marriage”. Our Sunday Visitor: Our Sunday Visitor, Inc., 13 Jan. 2013. Web. 30 Jan. 2014.
Wolf, Richard. “Timeline: Same-Sex marriage through the years.” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 26 June 2015,
Same sex marriage may seem, to some, a crazy idea as marriage in this country is built on the foundation of a man and a woman marrying, but Sullivan points out that until recent centuries marriage was a contract into which a woman entered so that she would be controlled by her husba...
Perrin, Ellen C., and Benjamin S. Siegel. "Promoting the Well-Being of Children Whose Parents Are Gay or Lesbian." Pediatrics 131.4 (2013): 1374-383. PDF file.
Recently, people have been arguing with respect to the definition of marriage. To get married is a very important event for almost everyone. Particularly for women, marriage and giving a birth could be the two major events of their lives. Andrew Sullivan and William Bennett are authors who are arguing about homosexual marriage. Sullivan believes in same-sex marriage because he thinks everyone has a right to marry. On the other hand, Bennett speaks out against Sullivan’s opinion. Bennett makes a claim that marriage is between a man and a woman structuring their entire life together. Both authors’ opinions differ on same-sex marriage. Nevertheless, their ideas are well recognized.
Winn, P. (2003). Q&A: why not same-sex marriage. Citizen Link. Retrieved April 25, 2004, from http://www.family.org/cforum/feature/a0028908.cfm
Spedale, Darren. Gay Marriage: For Better or For Worse? What We've Learned From the Evidence. New York: Oxford University Press, 2006. Print.
Wilson, Q. James. “Against Homosexual Marriage.” Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Controversial Political Issues. Guilford, Connectitcut: Dushkin Publishing Group, 1997. Print.
Legal marriage is the right of all Americans regardless of their sexual orientation. Gay marriage is certainly a hot button issue. It invokes an emotional dialogue filled with passion, rage, hate and fear. However, at the base of it all, are two people who are in a committed relationship living normal and productive lives and contributing to society in a positive manner. This issue is being debated in every state of the union, and will eventually go to the Supreme Court.
Martin, Dale B., eds. Authorizing Marriage? : Canon, Tradition, and Critique in the Blessing of Same-Sex Unions. Princeton, NJ: Princeton UP, 2006. Questia School. Print. 2 Feb. 2014.
Since the 1970s, studies on the effect of same-sex parenting on children have been conducted in the United States. Sociological debates have occurred from the idea of allowing same-sex couples to parent. Some groups feel that allowing this would undermine the traditional ideology of marriage and skew the perception of gender roles for their children. Sociologists continue to produce empirical research that studies samples of the approximately 125,000 same-sex couples raising nearly 220,000 children and comparing their roles as parents and the adult personalities of their children to children raised by heterosexual couples. Current scientific research comparing the outcomes of children raised by gay or lesbian parents with children of heterosexual parents consistently shows that same-sex parents are just as capable of raising “psychologically healthy and well-adjusted” children as heterosexual parents. Research comparing children raised by same-sex couples and heterosexual couples found no differences in the adjustment or mental health of these children as adults.
“The Top Six Arguments against Gay Marriage (and Why They All Fail)." Tribunedigital-chicagotribune. N.p., 20 May 2012. Web. 10 Aug. 2015.
In addition, same-sex marriages also can affect those who are raised by them as children. It was exposed that children raised by homosexual couples did worse than the offspring of heterosexual couples in nine of thirteen intellectual and social categories. When children are adopted they do not get a choice in whether their parents are gay or straight. For this reason, their sexual orientation may be distorted due to the parents they are adopted to. Children raised in families led by same-sex parents may choose to become gay or lesbian at a higher rate than thos...
Laycock, Douglas, Anthony R. Picarello, and Robin Fretwell. Wilson. Same-sex Marriage and Religious Liberty: Emerging Conflicts. [Washington, D.C.]: Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, 2008. Print.
Same sex marriage is a very controversial topic in today’s society. We live in a society filled with ignorance. The ignorance that poisons the minds of people that oppose same sex marriage blinds them from the reality of the “problem”. People argue that same sex marriage should be illegal for reasons that will have no negative impact on their lives. The reality of this topic is that legalizing same sex marriage promotes the increase of adoption, human rights and equality, as well as the separation of the church and state.
Marriage naturally creates families; it provides the conditions for a healthy environment that is beneficial to the upbringing of children. Opponents of same-sex marriage often ground their arguments on parental and religious concerns. Many argue that sa...