One of the major debates during the presidential election in the USA this November is whether homosexuals should be allowed to get married. Barack Obama from the Democratic Party is pro gay marriage, whereas republican Mitt Romney is con. Both parties have their own decent arguments, but it still seems most people keep with Obama.

In my opinion, homosexuals should have the legal rights to get married in just the same way as anybody else. As of now, in most states they can only go into a so-called “civil union”, which really sounds like some kind of an organization – not a marriage. The reason it is not called a marriage, is because of what some people mean is the “traditional marriage”, which is supposed to be between a man and a woman. But this “traditional marriage” does not exist. A marriage is actually a commitment between two persons who love each other, who can live together as a family and raise children. Homosexuals also meet all these requirements.

There we go over to another relevant subtopic: Homosexuals’ ability to raise children. First of all, over one hundred thousand children in the US are waiting to be adopted – and the rate is growing rapidly. Legalizing gay marriage will make it easier for same-sex couples to adopt children, which will help a lot. Also, a study published in June 2010 found that children of lesbian mothers have better social and academic competence than children of heterosexual parents. Another study one month later showed that children of gay fathers were just as well-adjusted as those adopted by heterosexual couples.

If marriage is rather about reproduction, though, I guess infertile couples should not be allowed to marry neither, right?

Those who are against gay marriage say it is against biblical values to allow same-sex marriage. But the bible also says you should not cheat on or divorce your loved one. Still, the seven US states with the highest divorce rates between 2003 and 2008 all had constitutional prohibitions to gay marriage. Also, in 2004 Massachusetts became the first state to legalize gay marriage, and in 2008 they had the lowest divorce rate in the country. The rate dropped 21% between 2003 and 2008, while Alaska was the first state to prohibit gay marriage in 1998, and then saw a 17% increase in its divorce rate.

It is clear that gay marriage is one of the most discussed issues before the presidential election. We all have our different opinions, but I think it is most right to look upon homosexuals as normal human beings, and give them the exact same rights as everyone else. This is a matter of human rights, which is something every well-made person cares about.

Source:

http://gaymarriage.procon.org