Same Sex Marriage and Ethics
Sexual Morality
Matters of sex may appear innate, but it has been demonstrated over time that sex has evolved over the ages, just like other aspects of life. Studies show that orientations, sexual identities, and the knowledge of physiology have been shaped by historical forces. As opposed to being intrinsic, human sexuality is influenced by a range of factors, including the food one eats, social class, family systems, and psychological theories. As opposed to being segregated and split into small privacies of people's lives, sexuality has also influenced people's lives in turn. Indeed, it has had a strong influence on governance systems to worship styles. When mass society developed in the course of the war, it gave rise to liberal sexual culture. Democracy took root after the war and made governments more accountable to the people they controlled on social and political matters. Consequently, changes in sexual morality occurred fast (Primoratz, 2013).
The concept of sexual morality emerged from the church, community, family, the state, and the individual. Nevertheless, as is demonstrated by the history of sexuality, the major changes resonate through the individual and make it more confusing to tell whether the social changes start when the individual's sexuality ends (Primoratz, 2013). Same-sex marriage is defined as a union that involves two people of the same sex living together and assumes a family formation. In short, it is, ideally, marriage between people of the same sex. It is consummated via civil ceremony or even in a religious setup. The idea of same-sex marriage entails lots of moral, religious, and legal intrigues and debates across the globe. The moral standing of such unions has been hotly debated and even contested in some quarters. Those who criticize same-sex marriages brand it as an unnatural and immoral act. Those who support, on the other hand, insist that there is nothing immoral about the whole arrangement because it is covered by the doctrine of human rights. What is interesting is that it is still widely unknown to many people that the issue of same-sex marriage is not new to humanity. The practice was common during the early Roman Empire (Koppelman, 2014).
The debate on whether same-sex marriage is morally acceptable has erupted in the 21st century. There are cultures in the west which believe that marriage between people of the same sex is morally defensible and should be legal. The same advocates have used the human rights argument to champion for the same and encourage it across the globe. Developing countries have, however, been widely opposed to the phenomenon. Various religious groups have also vehemently opposed the practice in their communities and elsewhere. The argument is the same old stand that the practice is unnatural, immoral, and against God's design of things. This paper supports the thinking that same-sex marriages are not defensible morally. It additionally attempts to show that the practice is not entirely a western born phenomenon but that it has been in existence for long, even in some African settings, albeit in subtle forms (Ellison, 2012).
Same-sex Marriage
Marriage between people of the same sex triggers moral questions....
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