Bill Calles
ENG-101-D1140
Professor Walters
101915
Same Sex Marriage Gives Equality Imagine not being able to marry the person whom you love. Those who wish to spend the rest of their lives together should have the opportunity to get married including those who are homosexual. Sames sex marriage has been a topic that has been discussed and argued in the United States since the 1960’s. Same sex marriage should be legal because it’s part of our civil rights, gay couples make good parents, and the banning of same sex marriage will created a second class of citizens.
As part of the social contract we take upon being an American citizen, When our founding fathers wrote the constitution, they included the phrase “ We hold these truths to be sacred & undeniable; that all men are created equal & independent, that from that equal creation they derive rights inherent and inalienable, among which are the preservation of life, & liberty, & the pursuit of happiness”( Independence Hall Association). In other words, among our natural rights are life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. However, it seems that this “happiness” only applies to some of us. Gay couples aren 't able to participate in a marriage due to the laws set up, and for some couples this might be their form of “happiness”. Because our fathers gave us the right to pursue individual happiness, gay marriage should be legal. Those that oppose legalizing same sex marriage state that it should remain banned because many religions don 't accept gay marriage. However, according to the first amendment, one’s religion has no standing in the American laws; there must be separation between the church and state. In addition, The US Supreme Court ruled 7-2 in the 1974 case Cleveland Board of Education v. LaFleur that the "freedom of personal choice in matters of marriage and family life is one of the liberties protected by the Due Process Clause" (Cleveland Board of Education v. LaFleur). Therefore, everyone should be able to marry anyone regardless of the race , gender, or whether they are a gay citizen or not. Furthermore, gay couples can benefit society too. Gay couples can’t have their own kids, so they rely on adoption agencies. According to The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, there are more than 120,000 children adopted each year; giving gay couples the ability to adopt a child will only aid this number. This will give gay couples the opportunity to raise and help an orphan. Abbie Goldberg, a psychologist at Clark University of Massachusetts, was mentioned in a 2012 article explaining that gay parents "tend to be more motivated, more committed than heterosexual parents on average, because they chose to be parents," (Pappas …show more content…
Gay couples pay their taxes and abide the law just like anyone else, therefore it’s only right to treat them with the same rights as any other citizen. According to our civil rights, same sex marriage should be legal through our individual right to pursue happiness. Its should also be legal because gay couples make great parents who only aid the adoption rate in this country. Finally, banning same sex marriage creates a second class of citizens which contradicts the purpose of what this nation was built upon, to treat every citizen
ENG-101-D1140
Professor Walters
101915
Same Sex Marriage Gives Equality Imagine not being able to marry the person whom you love. Those who wish to spend the rest of their lives together should have the opportunity to get married including those who are homosexual. Sames sex marriage has been a topic that has been discussed and argued in the United States since the 1960’s. Same sex marriage should be legal because it’s part of our civil rights, gay couples make good parents, and the banning of same sex marriage will created a second class of citizens.
As part of the social contract we take upon being an American citizen, When our founding fathers wrote the constitution, they included the phrase “ We hold these truths to be sacred & undeniable; that all men are created equal & independent, that from that equal creation they derive rights inherent and inalienable, among which are the preservation of life, & liberty, & the pursuit of happiness”( Independence Hall Association). In other words, among our natural rights are life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. However, it seems that this “happiness” only applies to some of us. Gay couples aren 't able to participate in a marriage due to the laws set up, and for some couples this might be their form of “happiness”. Because our fathers gave us the right to pursue individual happiness, gay marriage should be legal. Those that oppose legalizing same sex marriage state that it should remain banned because many religions don 't accept gay marriage. However, according to the first amendment, one’s religion has no standing in the American laws; there must be separation between the church and state. In addition, The US Supreme Court ruled 7-2 in the 1974 case Cleveland Board of Education v. LaFleur that the "freedom of personal choice in matters of marriage and family life is one of the liberties protected by the Due Process Clause" (Cleveland Board of Education v. LaFleur). Therefore, everyone should be able to marry anyone regardless of the race , gender, or whether they are a gay citizen or not. Furthermore, gay couples can benefit society too. Gay couples can’t have their own kids, so they rely on adoption agencies. According to The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, there are more than 120,000 children adopted each year; giving gay couples the ability to adopt a child will only aid this number. This will give gay couples the opportunity to raise and help an orphan. Abbie Goldberg, a psychologist at Clark University of Massachusetts, was mentioned in a 2012 article explaining that gay parents "tend to be more motivated, more committed than heterosexual parents on average, because they chose to be parents," (Pappas …show more content…
Gay couples pay their taxes and abide the law just like anyone else, therefore it’s only right to treat them with the same rights as any other citizen. According to our civil rights, same sex marriage should be legal through our individual right to pursue happiness. Its should also be legal because gay couples make great parents who only aid the adoption rate in this country. Finally, banning same sex marriage creates a second class of citizens which contradicts the purpose of what this nation was built upon, to treat every citizen