Background+and+Overview







For some years, same-sex marriage (SSM) has been near or at the top of any list of leading religious/secular/political controversies in North America. It is complex, divisive, and not amenable to compromise. After all, U.S. states either allow SSM or ban it. SSM has split the U.S. by:
 * Age: Youth and young adults are generally for SSM; the elderly are against.
 * Political affiliation: Most democrats are in our favor, Independents less so, Republicans opposed.
 * Religion: Conservatives are opposed; religious liberals/progressives and secularists are for.
 * Geography: The northeast is supportive; the west coast is about evenly split; the rest is against.

__ Arguments for same- sex marriage: __ Dignity & respect: "The institution of marriage conveys dignity and respect towards a couple that make a lifetime commitment to support each other. "Same-sex couples deserve this dignity and respect."

Equal rights: Denying marriage to same-sex couples removes from one group a fundamental, important human right -- the right to marry the person that one loves and to whom one has made a commitment. That is unfair and unjust in a democracy.

Financial & security: Denying one group the right to marry has many adverse emotional and financial consequences. For example, Social Security, Medicare, medical leave, and other benefits; property inheritance; the right to visit their spouse in hospital, and make medical decisions if they are incapacitated; security of the couple and of their children.

__ Arguments against same- sex marriage: __ Religious freedom: For most Americans, marriage is a religious sacrament. If the definition of marriage is changed to allow SSM, some religious individuals and groups become at risk of having to violate their beliefs by being forced to marry same-sex couples.

Children benefit: Many religiously conservative researchers have found that children thrive best when reared in a home with a married mother and father. Boys and girls have needs that are uniquely met by parents of the opposite gender.

Teaching about SSM: The role of marriage in society is a major topic taught in public schools. If SSM is legalized, schools would be required to teach that same-sex marriage is equivalent to opposite-sex marriage, starting as early as Kindergarten. That would violate the beliefs of many parents.

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