Same-Sex Marriage Pros and Cons

The idea of same-sex marriage has been one of hot debate historically…often being met with strong opposition in the United States. In light of that, and as with most stories there are usually two sides.

Prior to the US Supreme Court rendering their ruling resulting in the legalization of same-sex marriage in the US, there were many pro and con arguments related to whether or not same-sex marriage should be legalized. Although the list for each side is exhaustive, here are some gay marriage pros and cons that were at the forefront of the question.

Cons of same-sex marriage (arguments against)

• Same-sex marriage undermines the institution of marriage that has traditionally been defined as being between a man and a woman.
• One of the cons of gay marriage cited by people is that marriage is for procreation (having children) and shouldn’t be extended to same-sex couples since they are not able to produce children together.
• There are consequences for children of same-sex marriages as children need to have a male father and female mother.
• Same-sex marriages increase the chances of leading to other unaccepted marriages and non-traditional marriages such as incest, polygamy, and bestiality.
• Among the points of the same sex marriage debate of pros and cons was the argument that same-sex marriage is consistent with homosexuality, which is immoral and unnatural.
• Same-sex marriage violates the word of God, thus is incompatible with the beliefs of many religions.
• Same-sex marriages will result in people having their tax dollars used to support something that they don’t believe in or believe is wrong.
• Legalizing same-sex marriage promotes and advances the homosexual agenda, with children being targeted.
• Civil unions and domestic partnerships afford many of the rights of marriage, thus marriage should not be expanded to include same-sex couples.
• One of the disadvantages of gay marriage cited by those who are against it is that same-sex marriage will speed up the assimilation of gay individuals into the mainstream heterosexual culture which will be detrimental to the homosexual community.

Pros of same-sex marriage (arguments in favor)

• Couples are couples, whether same-sex or not. Thus, same-sex couples should be afforded the same access to the same benefits enjoyed by heterosexual married couples.
• Singling out and denying a group to marry based upon their sexual orientation is discrimination and subsequently, creates a second class of citizens.
• Marriage is an internationally recognized human right for all people.
• Prohibiting same-sex marriage violated the 5th and 14th Amendments of the US Constitution.
• Marriage is a basic civil right and same-sex marriage is a civil right, right along with freedom from employment discrimination, equal pay for women, and fair sentencing for minority criminals.
• If marriage is only for procreation, heterosexual couples unable or unwilling to have children should also be prevented from marrying.
• Being a same-sex couple doesn’t make them any less qualified or able to be a good parent.
• There are religious leaders and churches that do support same-sex marriage. Furthermore, many state that it is consistent with scripture .
  
• One of the major benefits of same sex marriage is that it reduces violence towards the LGBTQ community and the children of such couples are also raised without facing stigma from society.
• Same-sex marriage legalization is correlated with a lower divorce rate, whereas same-sex marriage bans are correlated with higher divorce rates. This may be one of the advantages of same sex marriage that people of the LGBTQ community have.
• Making same-sex marriage will not harm the institution of marriage. In fact, they may be more stable than heterosexual marriages. In fact, this is one of the best benefits of same sex marriage.

Pros and cons of same sex marriage: The debate

The debate on same sex marriage pros and cons majorly arises from the fact that people have different beliefs and value systems. The discussions on gay marriages pros and cons may talk about the wrongs or rights but the one thing that’s absolute in all of this is that any marriage is a union of two people who have chosen to be with each other. Yes. Each other. So is it right for the society at large to intervene in this to weigh the pros and cons of gay marriage, measure the benefits of same sex marriage to society or talk about cons of same sex marriage?

Read More: A Historical Introduction to Same-Sex Marriage

Ultimately, whether an argument of religion, values, politics, or general beliefs, the result in 2015 clarified that same-sex couples were afforded the same rights to marriage as heterosexual couples.