Should Gay Marriages Be Legalized Essay Example for Free

Should Gay Marriages Be Legalized Essay With the world going through a state of change, the society across all countries have begun to change their mindset. We have witnessed the different kinds of changes through new inventions and ideologies; some for the better and others for the worse. Today, gay marriage also known as a union of the same biological sex, is one of the most controversial ideas presented. In this essay, the topic about legalizing gay marriages will be discussed such as how gay marriages are a negative repercussion to the society by defining ‘marriage’ in the eyes of the law and addressing concerns about the legalization of gay marriage. There will also be an argument of why gay marriages should be legalized by redefining marriage from an unbiased point of view and providing supporting evidences that gay marriage is of no difference from same-sex marriage. First of all, what is marriage? The law has defined marriage as the formal union of a man and a woman by which they become husband and wife. Many believe that legalizing gay marriage would weaken the definition and respect for the institution of marriage. According to the U. S.  Census Bureau, the divorce rate of first marriage is around 50 percent; second marriages are at 60 to 67 percent and third marriages are at 73 to 74 percent. (Gini, 2012) With divorce rates higher than they have ever been, critics argue that allowing homosexuals to marry would only contribute to an ever-crumbling institution. Thus, it is believed that legalizing gay marriage would increase the number of joke or non-serious marriages. Secondly, it is believed that legalizing gay marriage would affect every nations future as it leads to a lower birth rates and psychology disorders. The traditional family which consists of a man, a woman, and a child has always been the building block of every society. By legalizing gay marriage, research has shown that same-sex marriage would eliminate the incentive for procreation that is implicit in defining marriage as a male-female union as there is definite evidence of at least a correlation between same-sex marriage and low birth and fertility rates, both in the U. S. and abroad. (Sprigg, n. d. Apart from that, it is believed that gay marriage would also result in more children being raised in same-sex households which are not an optimum environment because both a Mother and a Father are essential figures for any child’s upbringing. Studies have shown that girls who are raised apart from their fathers are reportedly at higher risk for early sexual activity and teenage pregnancy. † (Ellis, 2003) â€Å"Children without a mother are deprived of the emotional security and unique advice that mothers provide. (Stacey Bublarz, 2001) If children were exposed to an alternative lifestyle since birth, they are more likely to experiment and date people of the same gender. This could be a vicious cycle of the human beings that our world will not be able to afford. Thirdly, there is an infringement of gay rights on religious liberty since homosexuality is considered sinful by most religions. According to a statement from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and approved by Pope John Paul II, marriage was established by the Creator with its own nature, essential properties and purpose. No ideology can erase from the human spirit the certainty that marriage exists solely between a man and a woman. (Ratzinger, 2003) This has proven that legalizing gay marriage would be incompatible with the beliefs and traditions of many religions. Thus, by demanding the majority of the religious population to accept a relationship which is against their religion, it is not only deemed as offensive but also, morally and ethically corrupted. With all the cons mentioned above, I am sure one would be swayed to oppose to the idea of legalization of gay marriage. Having that said, I believe gay marriage can also be perceived from a different light such that one would think twice before opposing and even learn to accept the legalization of gay marriage. First of all, I would like to re-define marriage from an unbiased point of view: Marriage is a celebration of the unconditional, life-long commitment between two individuals. For better or for worse, they are always ready to share all of life, to love, to cherish and engage in the fullest of communication, the deepest of understanding, and the strongest of personal loyalty and trust. Since marriage only involves two individuals who are deeply in love, should it matter that the couple is of the same sex? Should it matter that the couple does not fit into what the society used to be? Should it matter since this form of marriage isnt hurting the society or anyone at all? If the answers to my questions have been a consistent no, then why should we stop the legalization of gay marriage? Since young, most people have been taught to cherish freedom, encourage differences and never discriminate against other races, then why cant we stop discriminating homosexuals too and accept them for whom they are by legalizing gay marriage? People have to understand that homosexuals are humans too and we are all given the same equal rights. As Hilary Clinton have stated, gays and lesbians are our colleagues, our teachers, our soldiers, our friends, our loved ones and they are full and equal citizens and deserve the rights of citizenship — that includes marriage. (Clinton, 2013) No doubt that it is difficult for discriminations to be omitted in any society in the world but no government should be the one discriminating. As such, by legalizing gay marriage, it will be killing two birds with one stone since it allows both the government to set a good role model for its people and also, the homosexuals to have their very own freedom to love and to make their own decisions. Secondly, marriage does not only revolve around pro-creation. If marriage is only about reproduction, does it mean that infertile couples would not be allowed to marry too? Since the ability or desire to create offspring has never been a criterion for marriage, why should we allow pro-creation to obstruct the love of two individuals? George Washington, often referred to as the Father of Our Country, did not have children with his wife Martha Custis, and neither did four other married US presidents. (Talbot, 2010) Since marriages between a man and a woman do not necessarily end in offspring due to physical problems or personal choice, we should not hold on to the concept of procreation as essential to the marriage bond. Hence, pro-creation should never be a reason why we should not legalize gay marriage. Additionally, gay marriage will make it easier for people to adopt children. However, people worries over issues such as confusion amongst children about gender roles and expectations of society which would consequently lead to psychological disorders and increase in social problems if gay marriage had been legalized. They are worried about how schools are going to teach their children the difference between â€Å"same-sex marriage and opposite-sex marriage. In my opinion, there is no difference and instead, children should always be taught how to embrace all kinds of love since love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things, as preached in the bible. Studies have also found that children of gay fathers were as well-adjusted as those adopted by heterosexual parents, (Gatrell Bos, 2010) and children of lesbian mothers were rated higher than children of heterosexual parents in social and academic competence and had fewer social problems. (Farr et al. , 2010) This has shown that, on the contrary, gay marriage would provide an environment that is just as good or even more conducive for children. As such, this unduly worries of legalization of gay marriage are truly redundant. Lastly, despite the fact that gay marriage is considered sinful by most religions, there has been an increase of religious organizations voicing their support for marriage equality. Parrella (2004a) mentioned Marriage offers us the ideal human setting for us to surrender our own self-importance and discover, through intimacy with another, the real heart and center of the universe in God—whether one uses the word God or not. This unconditional giving of ones self is at the core of a sacramental marriage in the Catholic tradition. . This has shown that it stays true even if a person is a homosexual as this sacramental understanding of marriage can also be applied to two individuals of the same gender. Moreover, a gay or lesbian orientation is not up to ones choice or decision but it is simply the way an individual is. Since all that matters to God is what is in the hearts and souls that God has given to us and that we seek to give to one another (Parrella, 2004b), it is only fair for us to give homosexuals their freedom to express themselves by legalizing gay marriages. In conclusion, although the legalization of gay marriages will lead to negative impacts on the society, it does not justify denying a person his equal rights just based on his/her sexual orientation. Moreover, recent statistics have shown that support for the legalization of gay marriages has risen dramatically in the past decade as younger generation with more accepting views are replacing older generation in the population. This can be seen by using data from 98 national surveys conducted between 2004 and 2011, â€Å"75% of the growth has come from people changing their minds. † (Lewis Hatalsky, 2013). Ultimately, marriage is the celebration of lifelong commitment between two individuals, regardless of gender. Hence, gay marriages should be legalized.