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The same-sex
marriage debate should be a simple one, but activists arguing on both sides
have failed to focus on the most important issue at hand.
Marriage is not an institution for or about individuals, it is an institution
designed to promote and protect families. Civil marriage recognizes
that a husband and wife, working together, undeniably establish the ideal
situation to raise children. No scientific study ever cited can dispute
this fact.
In reality, studies that have been undertaken point in the direction that
same sex marriage may indeed by detrimental to society. Take, for example,
that marriage is slowly dying in Scandinavia. In a February 2nd article
in the Weekly Standard, Stanley Kurtz discussed an unpublished study
of Danish same-sex registered partnerships by a researcher visiting Denmark
on a Fulbright scholarship. Mr. Kurtz noted that,
...a
majority of children in Sweden and Norway are born out of wedlock. Sixty
percent of first-born children in Denmark have unmarried parents. Not coincidentally,
these countries have had something close to full gay marriage for a decade
or more. Same-sex marriage has locked in and reinforced an existing
Scandinavian trend toward the separation of marriage and parenthood. The
Nordic family pattern -- including gay marriage -- is spreading across Europe.
And by looking closely at it we can answer the key empirical question underlying
the gay marriage debate. Will same-sex marriage undermine the institution
of marriage? It already has.
More
precisely, it has further undermined the institution. The separation of marriage
from parenthood was increasing; gay marriage has widened the separation.
Out-of-wedlock birthrates were rising; gay marriage has added to the factors
pushing those rates higher. Instead of encouraging a society-wide return
to marriage, Scandinavian gay marriage has driven home the message that marriage
itself is outdated, and that virtually any family form, including out-of-wedlock
parenthood, is acceptable.
What
we find is that those who support same sex marriage either misunderstand
the enormity of their erroneous thinking – or subscribe to complete selfishness.
The gay marriage debate always focuses on “I” and totally dismisses “We.”
“I” have the right to marry whomever “I” want, “I” have the right to love
whomever “I” want, “I” have the right to redefine an institution as old as
human civilization.
Those that support gay marriage have betrayed American history. They
have betrayed the founding fathers that volunteered their treasure and their
lives for a better society…a better “We” if you will. Those that support
gay marriage desire that we continue down the road of individual selfishness
– a road that has resulted in millions of abortions, an ever increasing divorce
rate, and the poverty that goes hand in hand with single motherhood.
So then, the support of gay marriage is founded upon either selfishness,
ignorance or political opportunism. Perhaps, in some cases, folks encompass
all three flaws in their reasoning.
Someone who is gay must succumb to their selfish motivations to desire marriage.
They put themselves before family and society as a whole so they might “feel”
accepted. As society does not stand in the way of any rights for gays
– and as society is even ready to provide civil unions to address any possible
inequities that may still exist – the selfish motives of homosexual radicals
remains unsatisfied.
Heterosexuals that support gay marriage have either decided to push common
sense to the side, are ignorant and ill informed, or have decided to go along
to get along. A heterosexual politician who supports gay marriage may
encompass all of the preceding flaws, or may simply participate in political
opportunism. Since there can be no debate that the ideal of heterosexual
marriage is best for society, and since politicians always wear the badge
of doing “what is best for society” when it comes to guns, smoking, alcohol,
drugs, seatbelts, fat grams, speed limits etc., then the only remaining explanation
is political opportunism.
Same sex marriage, then, is all about selfishness and opportunism.
These two traits are rampant in society today and are illustrated far too
clearly in our kids, ourselves and our political representatives. I
guess no one should be surprised to find that these traits are at the core
of the gay marriage debate.
Robert
P. Kiley is a Chief Financial Officer for the hospitality and real estate
development industry in Southeastern Massachusetts.
Email Robert Kiley
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