RE: The Battle Over Gay Marriage
February 16, 2004, page 56
Dear Editor:
Despite conservatives' endless anti-gay-marriage rhetoric, the fact remains that nobody has coughed up a single compelling reason for denying same-sex couples the right to get married.
The oft-cited "threat to the institution of marriage" just isn't there. The real threats to the institution come only from the heterosexuals currently allowed to marry, and they are legion: soaring divorce rates, adultery, annulments, prenuptial agreements, and quickie weddings founded on pregnancy or mere impulse.
The best opinion Bush can muster on the subject is the meaningless "marriage is the foundation of society." While more hollow rhetoric than empirical truth, it’s still no reason to deny homosexual couples the right to help contribute to a stable society.
And Matt Daniels, founder of the misguided Alliance for Marriage, cites "the unique combination of gifts that the two genders bring to the raising of children." But marriage -- heterosexual or homosexual -- is not about children. If it were, marriage licenses would mandate procreation and would be denied to the infertile.
If social conservatives were legitimately concerned about the so-called sacred institution of marriage, they would create more stringent requirements for everyone to marry -- ensuring that new marriages endure and restoring much-needed credibility to their claims.
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