Same-sex Marriage

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Recommended: Reasons why same sex marriage should not be legalized

While many people oppose same-sex marriage, there are really no valid reasons against it. If your daughter told you she wanted to marry another woman because she loved her and it would make her completely happy, would you oppose it? If you really think it through, you might find it's not as easy to answer the question as you thought. First let's look at some of the common reasons against same-sex marriage.

One of the reasons someone might give against same-sex marriage is that it goes against nature. Well, what is nature and how does it go? Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary cites nine separate definitions of nature, one of which is, "the inherent character or basic constitution of a person or thing". Given that definition, I can't say that same-sex marriage goes against nature. Others say that it there is not a traditional family structure, which makes it wrong. In today's society we have virtually every family structure you can imagine, and all are capable of providing a solid future to a child, given enough effort. Single parents are able to raise happy, healthy, productive children who have promising futures, so wouldn't two adults be able to do just as good a job? The belief that same-sex marriage promotes homosexuality is just plain wrong. The example and images may be there, but that does not mean they have to be followed. This belief may be homophobic, and is only propagated because of fear. Why not just let people be happy together?

Would it be fair to say that having a happy marriage is the primary goal of most married couples? Why should it be any less important for the lesbian couple than the heterosexual couple? We should accept that they only wish to enjoy being married, just as a heterosexual...

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...eligious foundation, the interpretation of religious texts and traditions is vital; if marriage is a social institution or even a purely economic coupling, realistic arguments will have more force, though moral issues will no doubt still arise. Most religions around the world prohibit same-same marriage.

While not without its problems, I believe there is a place for same-sex marriage whether it is addressed as marriage in the religious sense or, the state government civil marriage sense. The solution is in our hearts and minds, and therein lays the problem. While many may wish all to be happy and have equal rights under the law, they are somehow betrayed by their belief system which tells them this is wrong. While they may conflict with one another, there is only one answer; there really are no valid reasons to deny others their inherent right to be happy.

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