America Needs Same-Sex Marriage and Families Essay

In the state of Massachusetts, same sex marriage has been legal since 2004 and thousands of people have had the right to marry their partners. Although it was a long and difficult process, gay and lesbian couples no longer have to face marriage discrimination in Massachusetts due to their sexual orientation. However, many couples are still barred from this process through other individual state amendments. While it has been difficult to research the exact side effects of same sex marriage, a predominant result has arisen: â€Å"there seems to be no appreciable difference between children brought up in stable homosexual homes and those brought up in stable heterosexual ones† (Sullivan 239). The research that has been conducted looks at a wide†¦show more content†¦Through court cases like Eisenstadt v. Baird(1972), the courts have upheld the right to have children and that it is the â€Å"‘right of the individual, married or single, to be free from unwarranted go vernmental intrusion into matters so fundamentally affecting a person as the decision whether to bear or beget a child’† (Murphy 296). As a legal system, the courts have the responsibility to uphold the law while also taking into consideration the welfare of the child. The justice system would not allow for same sex marriage if it believed that there was any correlation between sexual orientation and unfit parenting. Courts in different states have struck down gay marriage, yet they have upheld the idea that child bearing is an important aspect of marriage. Courts have recently begun to acknowledge gay families by permitting second-parent adoptions (Mohr 60). This change in attitude exemplifies a change in status of gay marriages by recognizing the fact that these couples have the same rights to children as heterosexual families. Although bearing children cannot be part of the definition of marriage, it should not be a reason same sex marriage is illegal. This linkage m ust insinuate that same sex marriage is neither detrimental to the children and is a right that should be privileged. Critics of same sex marriage often argue that children need toShow MoreRelatedEssay about Gay Marriage Does NOT Destroy Traditional Marriage1703 Words   |  7 PagesWhat is marriage? Marriage is defined as the legal union of a man and a woman. According to Psychology Today, marriage is the process by which two people who love each other make their relationship public, official, and permanent. 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