As with abortion, Same-sex marriage is yet another hot-button topic that is being debated in the political field, with the arguments against it coming primarily from those that are far within the religious right. You hear the arguments such as; it is “unnatural”, it will destroy families, it is against “God’s will”, that it will “harm children”, and so on and so forth. But the question becomes, are any of these reasons valid or accurate? Should any of the religious reasons hold sway when it comes to legislating what has been deemed a guaranteed right by our Supreme Court? The answer to that, is no. Religion should not be a factor when determining laws that give or take away rights from individuals in this country.
Once the religious factors are removed from the equation, then it is left to psychology and science to help us determine whether same-sex marriage will harm our society. Does it harm children? No. In a country where there are countless children without parents, without a place to call home, same-sex couples that want to adopt children and form a family can only help, not harm children and it certainly doesn’t “destroy families” but instead, helps create families that are stable and happy (Crouch). Is it “unnatural” as the religionists claim? Science shows that homosexuality exists within hundreds of other animal species, so it therefore can not be called “unnatural.” (Fereydooni) Besides that, if we only allowed things that were “natural” within our culture, we wouldn’t have televisions, cell phones, clothing, refrigerators, or any of the other modern day conveniences that we typically take for granted. Those are the only arguments that could quite possibly be taken seriously in our courts, and science and psychology prove them to be based on nothing more than irrational emotions, outdated studies, and incorrect information. A majority of the remaining arguments come directly from the field of religion and therefore are not valid when it comes to legislation. The 2nd Amendment of the United States Constitution states “Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of a religion.” Or in other words, “we don’t make laws in this country because of religious beliefs.” The Supreme Court has stated a variety of times that marriage is a right guaranteed to all American Citizens (see Skinner v. Oklahoma ex rel. Williamson, 316 U.S. 535, 541 (1942), Loving v. Virginia, 388 U.S. 1, 12 (1967), and many others.) The US Supreme Court stated in the case Cleveland Board of Education v. LaFleur, 414 U.S. 632, 639-40 (1974) that “This Court has long recognized that freedom of personal choice in matters of marriage and family life is one of the liberties protected by the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment” (14 Supreme Court Cases) and Section 1 of the 14th amendment (a.k.a. the “Due Process Clause”) states “No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” (14th Amendment) That should settle the entire matter. The Supreme Court has ruled marriage is a guaranteed right and that no citizen shall be denied equal protection under the law. Case closed. But unfortunately, it’s not.
I am completely baffled as to why the religious right has had such control over this issue for so long. This battle should have ended along with the battle for interracial marriage in the 60’s, yet many of the same weak, “Bible-based” arguments used to justify racial discrimination are still being used to justify discrimination against same-sex couples. It’s wrong, it’s unfair, and it’s long passed the time to end this ridiculous debate once and for all. It’s time for equality for all citizens.