Arguments for Gay Marriage

Same-sex couples believe that they deserve the same rights that heterosexual couples have. One of those rights is marriage. One of the main arguments for a law allowing marriage between same-sex couples is protection. Same-sex couples are denied forms of protection that marriage gives to other couples. According to the Human Rights Campaign, “same-sex couples are denied… access to the more than 1,138 federal rights, protections and responsibilities automatically granted to married heterosexual couples” (“Rights and Protections Denied Same-Sex Partners”).  Some of these rights include the ability to visit and make decisions for a partner in the case of a medical emergency. If one partner is severely injured and unable to make decisions for himself/herself, the other partner cannot step in and make decisions regardless of how long they have been together. In some cases, hospitals will not allow domestic partners to visit their partner because they are not considered family members. Tara Parker-Pope, in the article, “How Hospitals Treat Same-Sex Couples,” describes a devastating example:

“A woman from Washington collapsed while on vacation in Miami. Although her partner had documentation of her relationship and a power of attorney, she claims hospital officials told her she wasn’t a family member under Florida law. The woman spent hours talking with hospital personnel in an effort to visit her partner’s bedside. Although she eventually prevailed, her partner’s condition had already deteriorated and the woman died. Because of the problem, the children the patient had adopted and been raising with her partner weren’t able to see her before she died.” (Parker-Pope)

Other rights denied include “family-related Social security benefits, income and estate tax benefits, disability benefits, family-related military and veterans benefits and other important benefits” (“Rights and Protections Denied Same-Sex Partners”). Partners can also not inherit property from their partners in the event of a sudden death in which the individual does not have a will (“Rights and Protections Denied Same-Sex Partners”).

Supporters of same-sex marriage argue that the legalization of gay marriage would not change the definition of marriage because “marriage is [defined by] love and commitment, and the ability to protect your family” which is exactly what they seek (“Marriage 101”). Furthermore, gay marriages would not damage the religious institution of marriage. Civil marriages are not religious and no religions can be forced to go against their beliefs to perform marriage ceremonies for same-sex couples (“Marriage 101”). Some argue that the point of marriage is procreation, which same-sex couples cannot naturally do.  However, many heterosexual couples do not have children and many same-sex couples do (sometimes through adoption or surrogacy). 

Photo retrieved from: http://thesocietypages.org/socimages/2012/01/03/individualist-vs-social-frames-favoring-gay-marriage/

Works Cited 

“Marriage 101.” Freedomtomarry.org. Freedom to Marry, n.d. Web. 24 Jun. 2012. <http://www.freedomtomarry.org/pages/marriage-101>

Parker-Pope, Tara. “How Hospitals Treat Same-Sex Couples.” NYTimes.com. The New York Times,12 May 2009. Web. 24 Jun. 2012. <http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/12/how-hospitals-treat-same-sex-couples/>

“Rights and Protections Denied Same-Sex Partners .” Hrc.org. Human Rights Campaign, n.d. Web. 24 Jun. 2012. <http://preview.hrc.org/issues/5478.htm>