The Issue of Same-sex Marriage

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It has been around there for years, in newspapers, on television and in today’s local news: gay marriage. It surely is an ethical dilemma and the dilemma shows us two sides: people are either in favour of gay marriage or they are against gay marriage. Gay marriage can be legalised by law and if not, punishment in jail could be the next step. And that is where the ethical dilemma starts. All human beings have certain needs in life, these needs could differ per individual, so as a commonly accepted model there is the Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. This model describes the basic human needs which also states that the most basic needs must be met before the other needs can be fulfilled. The first needs are the physiological needs. These needs include food, water, the basics to survive. Once these needs are met the rest of the models needs can be fulfilled all the way up to self-actualization. In between physiological and self-actualization is another step that needs to be fulfilled: love and a sense of belonging. Love of family and friends or the human need for emotional and sexual relationships. One example in this step could be marriage. Heterosexual couples can meet this need without a problem. But if homosexuals are not allowed to marry legally, does this mean that homosexuals are not allowed to fulfil their basic needs according to the Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs? Because of some religions that state it is unnatural to love and marry someone of the same sex, the entire world should deny these requests by people that want to express their true feelings? Will it be ethical to give homosexuals the same rights as all other people in this world?

The issue of same-sex marriage has been in court for years. The first case about this subj...

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...icymic.com/articles/50927/doma-and-proposition-8-marriage-is-a-basic-human-right

TFP Student Action (n.d.). 10 Reasons Why Homosexual “Marriage” is Harmful and Must be Opposed. TFP Student Action. Retrieved from: http://www.tfpstudentaction.org/politically-incorrect/homosexuality/10-reasons-why-homosexual-marriage-is-harmful-and-must-be-opposed.html

Wikipedia (2014) Same-sex marriage in the United States. Retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Same-sex_marriage_in_the_United_States

Williamson, M. (2013, April 4). ‘Rainbow across my electorate’ speech Member of Parlement New Zealand. Gawker. Retrieved from: http://gawker.com/5994884/this-incredible-marriage-equality-speech-by-a-new-zealand-member-of-parliament-is-a-must+watch
Huffington post. Retrieved from: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/17/maurice-williamson-new-zealand-gay-marriage-_n_3100714.html

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