Verified Document

Against Proposition 8 California's Proposition Essay

According to the logic of the procreation argument, California should refuse to sanction any marriage unless the individuals involved are both willing and able to conceive. With respect to the "opening door" argument, opponents of Proposition 8 point out that incest, underage marriage, and bestiality are all prohibited by criminal laws for objective public policy reasons. Finally, the suggestion that gay marriage will "define" marriage is as preposterous as the concern that interracial marriage will have that effect. Unlike incestuous, underage, or bestial types of relationships that victimize one of the individuals involved, gay marriage between consenting adults does not involve victimizing either of the individuals involved. Furthermore, heterosexual marriages are sanctioned by law completely irrespective of any measure of quality of the relationship; marriages typically last less than a decade in the U.S. And more than half of them end in divorce....

Likewise, both sexual infidelity and domestic violence are hardly rare among married couples. Meanwhile, the comparative incidence of domestic violence and related problems in homosexual marriages is typically much lower than in traditional marriages. Therefore, to the extent government-imposed criteria for state-sanctioned marriage is appropriate, it should apply to objective measures of relationship quality rather than arbitrary definitions with no basis in logical principles.
California's Proposition 8 is completely out of synch with the modern social and legislative trend of recognizing the need to broaden rather than narrow the range of people who deserve equal protection of law and recognition of their civil rights. Future generations of Americans will likely look back at the Proposition 8 and the objection to gay marriage much the same way that contemporary Americans now regard very similar concerns about interracial marriage and…

Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

California Proposition 8: Same Sex Marriage the
Words: 2846 Length: 8 Document Type: Research Paper

California Proposition 8: Same Sex Marriage The equal right to marry for same-sex couples in the United States has acquired growing public support over time, with a quantity of state-level laws passed and others presently up for debate. Proposition 8 was a ballot proposition and constitutional amendment that was passed in the November 2008 state elections in California. The measure added a new provision, Section 7.5 of the Declaration of Rights,

California Proposition 8: Fighting for Same-Sex Marriages
Words: 1148 Length: 4 Document Type: Research Paper

California Proposition 8: Fighting for Same-Sex Marriages and Rights Introduction to Same-Sex Marriages in California Same-sex marriage has been a sensitive subject in America for more than the last couple of years. In California, gay marriage has had a unique history. The mayor of San Francisco, issued marriage certificates in 2004 in which same sex couples were allowed to apply and be approved for. Californians were outraged and began to press charges against

California Infrastructure Problems in California
Words: 3139 Length: 10 Document Type: Research Paper

The author also specifically mentions California's increased need in terms of its high crime rate. High crime rates require an increase of police and corrections, and therefore higher revenues to pay for these. Low fiscal needs are generally exhibited only where populations are low. A high population would naturally have a high fiscal need in terms of infrastructure. According to Tannenwald, California's index of fiscal need rose in the last

California School Funding L. Jones
Words: 3175 Length: 10 Document Type: Term Paper

It moves things forward, but by inches, not by yards." Again, using the acquisition and retention of "adequate" and competent teachers is an excellent example of the inadequacy of the current system -- even after the Williams settlement -- simply because the system, nor the funds have been adjusted to provide the level of education required in the schools. For instance, again according to Schrag: it doesn't, however, contain any major

Proposition 30 Description of Issue
Words: 1782 Length: 6 Document Type: Research Paper

Second, Proposition 30 focuses on what is important to a group of citizens -- and education should be important for the current and future health of any State. Finally, political rhetoric aside, it will take bi-partisan support and public policy initiatives working together to find a way out of California's issue. WORKS CITED Brown, D. "Education Crisis in California." 26 January 2011. wsws.org. Web. November 2012. . Campbell, D. "California's Education Crisis

Proposition 8 Issues Explain the
Words: 622 Length: 2 Document Type: Discussion Chapter

At that time, the arguments against interracial marriage were identical to those now popular among those still opposed to same-sex marriage. I also believe that in fifty years, Americans will look back at the current controversy over same-sex marriage in exactly the same way and future generations will wonder how it could ever have made sense to so many people that marriages of same-sex couples somehow "threatened" the institution

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now