When I was five, my friend and I were dancing in my yard, announcing joyfully that we were getting married. "Having a wedding" was one of my favorite games of the moment. .To me, weddings have something to do with love, but more importantly at the moment, something to do with music, dress up, dance, and celebration. It was a time of happiness.
What a beautiful and innocent image of marriage. Unfortunately for thousands of couples, marriage is a joy denied them for the sole reason that both partners are of the same gender. The argument against same-sex marriage is based on history, religion, and concern for the welfare of children. The defenders of same-sex marriage argue that the right to marry is a fundamental right and the indisputable entitlement of the pursuit of happiness, and that homosexuality and same-sex marriage pose no threat to the foundation of society.
One of the most important issues in this debate is that of just what marriage is. Many Christians argue that marriage is for procreation. A lesbian or a male gay couple cannot procreate, but then, neither can a man and woman where one is infertile. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, the number of infertile married couples of childbearing age in Canada was 2.1 million. (Nelson) Also, some opposite-gender couples marry and decide to never have a child between them. If the reason for marriage was for procreation, should infertile and non-child bearing marriages between heterosexuals be aloud? The Catholic Church has stated that sex within marriage has two purposes: procreative and unity. Apparently the procreative requirement can be waived for heterosexual couples but not for homosexual ones.
It is true that perhaps homosexuals do not fall into the traditional definition of marriage, but single parents do not necessarily fit the mould either, and yet the love for their children is no less. The fact that marriage has not included same-sex couples in the past does not explain why that cannot be so now.
