Legalization Of Same Sex Marriages Essay

While the free essays can give you inspiration for writing, they cannot be used 'as is' because they will not meet your assignment's requirements. If you are in a time crunch, then you need a custom written term paper on your subject (legalization of same sex marriages)
Here you can hire an independent writer/researcher to custom write you an authentic essay to your specifications that will pass any plagiarism test (e.g. Turnitin). Waste no more time!

Legalization of Same-Sex Marriages

Walking into a restaurant, a person sees Ralph sitting at the far corner. Ralph looks like a friendly man, so the person goes over and starts talking. The two get along instantly, finding that they have many things in common and they talk all night. Being a decent man, when the restaurant closes Ralph goes home alone, but not before getting the phone number of his new friend. The next evening, Ralph calls and the two go out for dinner at a quiet restaurant just outside the city. The two start seeing each other quite frequently, and eventually their friendship evolves into more. They start dating exclusively and after several years of being together, they decide that they want to get married. They move into a new house and live together, committed to each other for over ten years, but they never actually marry. Why would a couple so in love, so committed to each other choose not to get married? In this couple's case, getting married was not an option. The person Ralph met at the restaurant that night was named Frank and is male. As of now there is no state in the United States that legally recognizes same-sex marriages. The state that is closest to legalizing these marriages is Hawaii. In repute to the possibility of Hawaii's legalization of same-sex marriages, Congress passed the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which defines marriage as "the legal union between one man and one woman" (NOW). DOMA also allows each state to decide whether or not it will recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states or municipalities within the state (NOW). The debate over this issue is hot all across the country, with people on both sides of the

Alwon 2

argument standing firm in their beliefs. The issue is working its way through the legal system and the outcome at this point is completely unpredictable. Denying marriage to a specific group of people is unconstitutional and something must be done so that all people in the United States will be legally able to enjoy the benefits of marriage with a spouse of his or her choice.

There are only a few arguments against same-sex marriage, most of which are based solely on emotions or religious beliefs and traditions. One of the arguments against same-sex marriages is that marriage is not about the individuals involved, but it is supposed to be for procreation. This belief has strong roots in Christian religions. As Jean Elshtain wrote in Commonweal magazine, "Marriage is not and never has been, primarily about two people - it is and always has been about the possibility of generativity" (59). Before DOMA was passed in the House of Representatives, there was some debate over whether or not to pass it. Supporters of DOMA tried to force the issue by describing homosexual people as being "immoral, perverse and unnatural" (Dority 39). This argument is completely illegitimate because it is soley based on opinion and there is no scientific support to back up such a statement. It is a statement of pure prejudice against homosexual people and prejudice should not be a deciding factor in determining laws. Another argument being used against same sex marriages is that marriage benefits cost money and legalizing same-sex marriages would place a further strain on the treasury and "Taxpayers would end up subsidizing a lifestyle of which many disapprove" (U.S.News).

All of these reasons are understandable, but they all have their flaws. According to the Constitution of the United States, Article IV, Section 1 entitled "Full Faith and

Alwon 3

Credit", each state must respect and recognize the validity of the laws, public records and court decisions of every other state (Madison). This shows DOMA to be unconstitutional. Some legal issues are covered by State Law while others are covered by Federal Law. The Constitution is the supreme law of the land and neither the States nor the Federal Government can pass laws that are in defiance of the Constitution.

The argument that it will cost money and that taxpayers should not have to pay to support a lifestyle they do not approve of is also unconstitutional. Under the Constitution, each citizen is entitled to equal opportunity under the law and denying any citizen the right to marry is denying their equal rights. Also, if they are unable to receive the benefits that their taxes are going to support, why should...

You should cite this paper as follows:

MLA Style
. EssayMania.com. Retrieved on 23 May, 2012 from
    <http://essaymania.com/131584/legalization-of-same-sex-marriages>

More College Papers

Legalization Of Narcotics essay
According to the National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information, approximately 5000 Americans each day try marijuana for the first time. This is with the restrictions the United States government has on narcotics now. Imagine how many thousands of scenarios such as David s there could be i

Legalization Of Marijuanna essay
The Legalization of Marijuana Marijuana is a drug that comes from a variety of common hemp known as cannabis indica. The much more potent hashish is also derived from the plant cannabis indica. What is sold on the street as marijuana, hemp, weed, pot, or bud are the dried leaves and the flowering

Legalization Of Marijuana For Medical Purposes 2 essay
Legalization of Marijuana for Medical Purposes Currently, drugs remain high on the lists of concerns of Americans and are considered one of the major problems facing our country today. We see stories on the news about people being killed on the street everyday over drugs. What about the people who