A battle has been in progress for years over whether equal rights and equal protection against discrimination should be extended to homosexuals. Recently this has expanded into the area of marriage. The topic of homosexual marriages is a prevalent issue today. Even in the nation's capital, representatives are finding ways to make this alliance unlawful. This topic has been debated bringing up many valid points, but the fact of the matter is that homosexual marriages are wrong and we, as a country, should not condone such acts. Marriage is the institution whereby men and women are joined in a special kind of social and legal dependence for the purpose of founding and maintaining a family. Although some same sex marriages may be capable of coping financially, the negative influence on children raised in their household has been statistically proven. Not only would same sex families deal with negative connotations in terms of their children, but also most religions in North America frown upon the union of same sex relationships and restrict marriage to one man and one woman. Many critics hold opposing views, arguing that same sex marriages harm no one and that to deny them the right to marry is unconstitutional.
First and foremost, we as a society must think of our future when an issue such as homosexuality comes in to play. In no way can one change someone's sexual orientation, but it is proven that homosexuality in the household can be detrimental to a child's upbringing. . According to Debra Busher, an expert on child psychology, Sexual orientation of a parent is critical to the upbringing of a child. Society is based on the ideal of having heterosexual parents, and it goes against values for same sex parents to raise children. Having homosexual parents is also a major stressor for a child due to society's norms and values- it can cause embarrassment and abnormal feelings. Children who are raised in ‘alternative family lifestyles', are more likely to engage in drugs and have negative feelings towards their parents and themselves, than children raised by normal families. To allow an act such as homosexual marriages to continue, it displays that we have blatant disrespect for our children's future. To ensure that the United States remains successful, and remains the prominent leader of the world, we must first take care of our children. Banning homosexual marriages can do this; it will lessen the amount of improper behavior our children see and imitate.
Many people believe God created man and woman with the intentions to bear children. In addition, they stress the absence of homosexuality in the Bible. Critics of homosexual marriages regard homosexuality as an abnormal behavior according to the Christian faith, which is the dominant religion in the United States. Homosexuality has been seen as an unacceptable lifestyle and those who practice it are prone to receive criticism if not outright hostility. Most respectable ministers would refuse to marry two people of the same sex, limiting the couple to being married in commercial areas by materialistic preachers. This choice forces many same sex couples to forego legal marriage and recognize their union themselves. Homosexuals pursue their lifestyle and marriage at the risk of being ostracized from the religious community.
Although many profess that homosexual marriages harm no one, this statement is completely false. As stated earlier, homosexual marriages have numerous detrimental effects on children raised in their household. Not only do the aforementioned influences apply, but also children raised in such an environment would have a higher possibility of choosing that type of lifestyle. Their parents are seen as being normal and looked up to as role models, guaranteeing their lifestyle being accepted by their children. Statistics show that 45% of gay males, and 20% of lesbians experience physical or verbal assault while in high school, and 28% of these teenagers feel forced to drop out of school because of harassment about their sexual orientation. (National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, Anti-Gay/Lesbian Victimization, New York 1984) Children would grow up feeling abnormal, as most everyone around them wondered why they had two fathers or two mothers. All of these reasons negate the faulty reasoning in stating that same sex marriages harm no one.
Supporters of homosexual marriages state the unconstitutional value of its restriction as their strongest suit. In federal law, marriage is defined as a legal union between one man and one woman. As an institution, therefore, marriage transcends the mere self-gratification of the married couple. By admitting homosexual and lesbian relationships to the privileges of the married state we would devalue this transcendent status and weaken the duties and the sense of obligation it entails. According to the nullity of marriage, an unlawful marriage is either void or voidable because of conditions existing at the time of the marriage. A bigamous or incestuous marriage for example, is void, and there is no need to bring suit to obtain a decree declaring it void. (The Columbia Encyclopedia) Homosexual marriages fall under the category of void marriages. In other words, our lawmakers have the right to make all homosexual marriages void, in that they are not legally married. There is no need to explain why such an act should not be allowed under the Constitution of the United States.
In conclusion, homosexual marriages should not be legalized. Marriages were established for man and woman so they could join together and create a family, which is the sole purpose of marriage. This task cannot be accomplished in a homosexual marriage. Not only are homosexual marriages immoral, they can influence children. This influence can cause children to become increasingly disrespectful and promote negative feelings towards themselves and their parents. By taking into account the numerous ill effects of same sex marriages, the choice in its legalization should be easy.
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