As more people admit to the world they are gay or lesbian, and the fear of HIV and AIDS continues to grow, it seems certain that more same-sex couples will seek marriage. One expert writes of gay families, "What unifies such families is their need to contend with the particular array of psychic, social, legal, practical, and even physical challenges to their very existence that institutionalized hostility to homosexuality produces" (Stacey, 1998, p
'They say a high majority of gay people choose to be gay, and they can change through conversion therapy. That means there is no place in the Mormon Church for gay people'" (Woog, 1999, p
e., a disfavored social condition that was contagious) remained" (Yoshino, 2002)
There are two ways to approach deontology -- agent-centered and patient-centered. Agent-centered situations require the agent to either do something or not do something (Alexander & Moore, 2007)
Most of the consequences fall on gays themselves. One form of consequentialism, utilitarianism, argues that the consequence calculus be for society as a whole -- the morally correct act is that which produces the greatest good for the greatest number (Driver, 2009)
Modern Western society is, by and large, structured around liberal concepts. These concepts begin with private property rights and have been extended over time to incorporate a number of personal freedoms (Gaus & Courtland, 2010)
Virtue Ethics Virtue ethics is arguably the oldest of the three major forms of normative ethics, dating to Plato and Aristotle. Virtue ethics emphasizes the "virtue, or moral character, in contrast to" deontology or consequentialism (Hursthouse, 2007)
Under deontology, laws that apply to all supersede laws (such as religious laws) that only apply to a portion of society. Consequentialism Consequentialism is the "view that normative properties depend only on consequences" (Sinnott-Armstrong, 2011)
From there, it is apparent that children suffer from behavioral issues because they do not have the attention that they had experienced when their parents were married. Due to this evidence, it is clear that divorced children need more love and support when going through this period of adjustment from post-divorce (Bartholet 1999)
He, like many who support his position, argued that historically, the maleness and femaleness of the two participants have defined the nature marriage contract. (Nwazota, 2003) President Bush's stated position on gay marriage was released as a direct result of the decision by some state courts that homosexuals could be denied the benefits and recognition of a legal marriage
Even though these laws are rarely invoked, there is need to enact legislations that allow same-sex unions or marriages, especially gay marriages. The new bill would seek to legalize gay marriage in Texas despite of the constitutional amendment that was enacted a decade ago prohibiting same-sex marriages (Fikac par,1)
The difficulties originate from the fact that Texas is relatively more conservative than the rest of the United States and would not easily change the conventional view of marriage as a union between people of opposite sexes. In addition to the conservative nature of Texas, the enactment of the bill would also be affected by recent attempts by a Texan congressman to safeguard the rights of states to regulate marriage (Johnson par, 1)
Article 2 of that same declaration makes it clear that all people should be entitled to these rights without regard to sex (The United Nations). Therefore, "The argument for same sex marriage asserts that it is hypocritical to deny the full rights and opportunities of citizenship which includes the access to an institution as basic as matrimony" (Phy-Olsen, p
However, in a general diversity course completed identical surveys during the first and last weeks of the semester. Participants in diversity courses exhibited increased heterosexual privilege awareness and support for same-sex marriage, as well as less prejudice against lesbians and gay men, during the last week of the semester compared to pretest levels" (Stewart and Case, p
S. federal government leaves the definition of marriage to the individual states; same-sex marriage is legal in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont, Maine, and New Hampshire (Johnson, 2010)
This demonstrates the illusion of cause. "The illusion of cause arises when we see patterns in randomness, and we are most likely to see patterns when we think we understand what is causing them" (Chabris & Simons, p
"More children living in gay homes means more children living lives absent a relationship with at least one biological parent. One needn't deny the existence of many wonderful gay or adoptive parents to acknowledge that this will result in some emotional pain and confusion" (Forman, 2011)
Federal District Judge in Nebraska struck down sweeping provisions of the Nebraska constitution that defined marriage as only between a man and a woman and banned same-sex civil unions, domestic partnerships and other similar relationships as a violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. (Curry) the ruling has brought a storm of protest from opponents of gay marriage who have re-activated their call for the proposed amendment in the U
However, the act does not prohibit states from allowing gay marriages although it denies federal recognition of gay marriages. (Johnson, "Federal Defense
Cohabitation rates were higher in the partner recognition countries before the passage of same-sex partner laws." (Badgett) There is no rational reason to suggest that gay marriage will harm straight marriages