Katelyn Hoyt
Brandon Polamalu
WR 122- Revised Essay
30 January 2013
Same Sex Marriage
The issue of whether or not same-sex marriage should be legal in the United States has been an ongoing debate since as long as we can remember. People that object to gay marriage maintain that it is a religious, as well as moral, abomination and that it undermines the institution of marriage on grounds that marriage is solely intended for procreation. Some even argue that it will prove a decline in western civilization because it is socially unacceptable to marry the same sex. A more realistic argument involving same-sex marriage would contend that same sex marriage is not a religious or moral abomination, for not every person in a marriage is religious. Furthermore, if marriage was intended for procreation, then every married person would have children, which they do not. Finally, there is no backing to support that western civilization will diminish because of marriage of the same sex. In fact, society should flourish after legalizing gay marriage, for it shows that our society does not accept discrimination but rather encourages equal rights. In addition, gays seek the right to marry for the same reason heterosexuals do: social status and financial benefits. Same sex marriage should be legal, for every person in the United States should be equally granted the right to marry and obtain the financial and social benefits that come with marriage.
People argue that religion is a reasonable basis on which to banish marriage between the same sex. Their backing for that argument is that God finds same-sex marriage a sin and sees marriage as a sacred sacrament between a man and woman that should not be broken. This reasoning is preposterous on grounds that religion as a basis for marriage in the United States is technically unconstitutional. Religion is a respectable belief, and some gays are religious, but the First Amendment says that there is a separation of church and...