Although the marriage lacks a universal definition but marriage has always been defined traditionally and historically as a union of a ‘man’ and ‘woman’ to fulfill the purpose of procreation. Almost all definitions of marriage have one common thing that is the union between ‘a man and woman’. This is the reason that the unions between two men or two women have not been considered marriage in history. The same sex marriages involve a committed relationship and sharing of responsibilities and rights between spouses. The Federal law of America defined marriage as a union of a man and a woman and this definition was confirmed by the Defence of Marriage Act (DOMA). According to CNN, same-sex marriage is still not legal in 15 states (Same-sex
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Although the headlines at that time stated that DOMA was over turned but the reality was far different from it. Actually only the section 3 of DOMA was found unconstitutional while section 2 gave birth to a question if it was mandatory for states to recognize marriages as legal from other states (Baude, 150). The federal court answered this question as a yes (Baude, 150). Moreover, the same-sex couples were now entitled to the federal spousal benefits. It was also made clear that the same-sex couples would be able to enjoy these benefits no matter where they are living. A legally married couple living in a state which does not approve same-sex marriage must recognize their marriage on the basis of the state where they got married (The Genius Way). Additionally, this decision has many legal implications. For example if one of the spouses of a qualified same-sex couple is earning higher than the other than both of them can file jointly for income tax returns. They can also get qualified for combine dental and medical expenses if they fall under the limits of adjusted gross income. In case of alimony, the same-sex spouse who would be paying the payments on his tax returns would be deductible while the other one receiving the payments would report them as income. For the legal same-sex couples, the assets can be transferred now from one spouse to the other without gift taxes and can also be inherited from the deceased to the living spouse without paying estate tax. The immigration opportunities can also be availed by same-sex couples (Cassel et
Although the headlines at that time stated that DOMA was over turned but the reality was far different from it. Actually only the section 3 of DOMA was found unconstitutional while section 2 gave birth to a question if it was mandatory for states to recognize marriages as legal from other states (Baude, 150). The federal court answered this question as a yes (Baude, 150). Moreover, the same-sex couples were now entitled to the federal spousal benefits. It was also made clear that the same-sex couples would be able to enjoy these benefits no matter where they are living. A legally married couple living in a state which does not approve same-sex marriage must recognize their marriage on the basis of the state where they got married (The Genius Way). Additionally, this decision has many legal implications. For example if one of the spouses of a qualified same-sex couple is earning higher than the other than both of them can file jointly for income tax returns. They can also get qualified for combine dental and medical expenses if they fall under the limits of adjusted gross income. In case of alimony, the same-sex spouse who would be paying the payments on his tax returns would be deductible while the other one receiving the payments would report them as income. For the legal same-sex couples, the assets can be transferred now from one spouse to the other without gift taxes and can also be inherited from the deceased to the living spouse without paying estate tax. The immigration opportunities can also be availed by same-sex couples (Cassel et