Same Sex Marriage
Marriage is a socially sanctioned union that is, in most societies, generally guided by rule of exogamy, the obligation to marry outside a group (Marriage pp). However, some societies follow the rules of endogamy, the obligation to marry within a group (Marriage pp). Groups are generally defined as kinship such as clan or lineage, residential groups, and social groups such as ethnic, caste or class (Marriage pp). Although marriage is usually heterosexual and entails the rights and duties of sexual performance, there are exceptions, such as Nayar women of India who marry men of a superior caste, then take on numerous lovers and bear legitimate children (Marriage pp). And among the Dhomey of West Africa, a woman marries another woman, one becomes the legal father of the children of the second who has children by men (Marriage pp).
In other societies, an adult man marries the young or even infant daughter of another man and delays sexual relations until the appropriate time, thus the two men form a strong bond (Marriage pp). The examples above emphasize the functions of marriage to serve as a domestic division of labor and social relationships between different groups (Marriage pp). Marriage is not necessarily a union between persons of the opposite sex nor is it a union for the primary purpose of reproducing children, but rather a union between two persons for the purpose of partnership in labor and social activities (Marriage pp).
Opposing Opinion
Opponents of same sex marriage, argue that the need to "ensure the survival of the state and species is the historical and institutional foundation upon which marriage exists" (Kravets pp). If same sex couples are allowed to marry then instead of a life covenant based on a procreative promise, marriage would become a mere contract between any two individuals (Bastien pp). Marriage is generally ordered to the procreation of new persons, to whose education and upbringing the spouses commit themselves and same sex couples are, by nature, incapable of procreation and most admit to never aspiring to any life commitment (Bastien pp). Therefore, legalizing same sex marriages would be unjust for those rights are linked to the expectation of duration and procreation and if there is no promise of procreation, then why should same sex couples be granted legal status (Bastien pp). Family is of the utmost importance to society and without sexual morality, the unity of the couple and the family is destroyed, and because marriage and family are an integral part of social order, then sexual morality impacts society substantially (Bastien pp). This is the very reason why marriage is referred to as a social institution (Bastien pp). Human sexual impulse and sexual conduct must be regulated to ensure the stability of the family, which is the building block of society, to ensure that the family is able to fulfill its role as society's foundation (Bastien pp). If same sex marriage is legalized it might bring the end to marriage as a social institution (Bastien pp). The Minnesota Supreme Court recently declared that marriage is between a man and a woman and involves "the procreation and rearing of children within a family," and that this belief "is as old as the Book of Genesis" (Kravets pp).
Validity
Gays and lesbians have only recently begun forcing the issue of same sex marriage in courts, "experimenting with lawsuits that were rarely broached in past decades when courts barred mixed-raced marriages and allowed schools to fire homosexual teachers" (Kravets pp). However, before judges decide whether supporting procreation should outweigh discrimination, they must first decide whether there is a rational basis to limit the rights and privileges of one group of citizens in order to promote the legitimate state interest of fostering the human race's survival.(Kravets pp). Courts in Massachusetts, New York and Washington state recently stated that such a state interest no longer applies in a world of artificial insemination and adoption and that procreation is not threatened by same sex marriages (Kravets...
Same Sex Marriage For many years now, the issue of same sex marriage has been prominent all over the United States. It has been either present in lawsuits, competing in legislation, or ballot initiatives in order to legalize in all the states. It is seen that about seventy percent of the people are not in favor of gay marriage. The right to marry someone regardless of their age, sex, or ethnicity
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