Arguments Against Gay Marriage

With so many gay couples and gay families already existing in America today, many gay right activists argue - isn't it time to legalize such unions? According to them, by making marriages legal between same-sex couples, the government and the society will actually help the gays to live a life of dignity and respect. Gay couples, just like straight couples, have a right to stay together, care for each other, bring-up children and share responsibilities. One of the most important of arguments for gay marriage that activists propose is that it is a basic human right to marry and stay committed to whosoever one wants. By denying them legal marriages, the society is actually denying them this human right.

On the other side of the coin are people of the society as well as religious leaders, who are totally against same-sex marriages. According to them, a union of same-sex people is "unnatural". Given below are some other arguments proposed by anti-gay people.

Undermines the Institution of Marriage
If you look at the society today, marriages are already losing their significance. With so many divorces and the high costs involved with it, couples these days prefer to live-in rather than get married. In such a scenario, if gay marriages are legalized, it might make straight people further lose their belief in the institution of marriage. This can be very harmful for the society in general as well as the human race.

No Room for Procreation
The main purpose of marriage is procreation i.e. having and raising children, to form a family, to maintain the continuity of the human race. Gay marriages do not fulfill this requirement as same-sex couples are incapable of having children naturally and thus, should not be awarded a married status.

Adverse Effects on Children
People who strive for gay marriage ban often cite the adverse effects such a union can have on their adopted children or on children they have using IVF (in vitro fertilization). Children of same-sex couples often long for their biological parents. These children can develop low self-esteem as their parents are different from other children's parents. If with a lesbian couple, children feel a need for a father figure. On the other hand children with a gay couple, long for the love and affection of a mother. As their upbringing is deprived of motherly love and fatherly concern, they are much more likely to turn out to be inadequate or miss-fits as adults.

Increase in Infidelity
Another argument is that gay couples are much more likely to have affairs outside marriage than straight couples, especially if there are two men involved. It is a known fact that more than men, it is women who emphasize the importance of monogamy in a relationship.

Abandonment of Children
If same-sex marriages are legalized, it would be proved that children do not need both their mother and father in order to become normal grown-ups. In such a case, straight men would find it easier to abandon their children. Homosexuality thus, may in itself endanger the emotional well-being of future generations.

Lesser Personal and Professional Growth
Social Researches have shown that men who are married are much more likely to earn more, follow the norms of society, drink less, follow religious and cultural values, remain sexually faithful and live longer than those who are single or leading a gay life. In short, women domesticate men. In case of gay couples, two men together may not be able to bring these positive changes in each other's lives.

There are both arguments against and for gay marriages. Generally speaking, if gay marriages are legalized, gay couples will be more emotionally and financially secure. They will have access to Medicare, social security, inheritance rights and other benefits like straight people. Moreover, if you look around, there are so many gay couples and many have children. So, they are a reality which the law makers as well as the society has to come face to face with, some time or the other. The sooner it happens the better!