Why is the State in the Marriage Business?
September 23, 2012 at 1:00 pm
Adam Seagrave explains why the state is in the marriage business:
Governments don’t legally recognize a certain type of relationship because they are suckers for romance; they do so because they are understandably afraid of the potentially destructive consequences of such romance.
In the now-famous interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press” that precipitated President Obama’s public endorsement of same-sex marriage, Vice President Joe Biden asserted that “all marriages, at their root, are about” the following question: “Who do you love?” As contentious as the recent marriage debates often have been, both the advocates and the opponents of same-sex marriage might agree with the basic point of Biden’s assessment in affirming that something about marriage is more fundamental than politics. Whether this something is a basic right to marry the person of one’s choosing or the traditional institution of conjugal-procreative marriage, both sides agree that there is more to marriage than tax breaks and other legal trappings.
... Although civil marriage is now commonly understood in the elevated terms characteristic of marriage’s more fundamental and profoundly fulfilling aspects, the purpose of civil marriage is, in fact, more in keeping with its sterile legality. Governments assign legal responsibilities and benefits to marriage, rather than to other relationships, to help mitigate the potentially destructive and tragic consequences of irresponsible procreation. -- Public Discourse
7 Comments
This goes to the heart of the matter and why I support NOM and oppose marriage corruption. I am a single supportor of NOM in that I am not married but support male/female marriage.
Why? Because male/female marriage benefits us all. It produces the future offspring that keeps our society going. The offspring also pay the future entitlement taxes that we all depend on. When the day comes that I am now retired the offspring of these marriages will pay my Medicare and Social Security.
What benefit to all of society does fraud marriage bring? None. No society benefits by handing out procreation benefits to people who do not procreate. No society benefits in rewarding behavior that proves it shortens life and increases sickness and disease.
Counterfeit marriage is unfair to single people like me. As a single I am not entitled to the same benefits as married people because we do not procreate. This same principal should apply to the homosexuals as well.
"Counterfeit marriage is unfair to single people like me. As a single I am not entitled to the same benefits as married people because we do not procreate. This same principal should apply to the homosexuals as well."
>> You are not entitled to the same benefits as married people because you are not married.
The state's interest in procreation is nicely folded-in to a recognition of humanity's most ancient institution.
After all, how in the world is the State supposed to sit back and determine in advance which unions will be fruitful?
Obviously, it can't.
But it is equally obvious that, so long as the union of man-woman in long term stable relationships is carefully fostered and preferentially advanced, nature will take care of the rest.
The government has a role in rewarding procreative relationships. The majority of people will gravitate towards the support government provides traditional marriages. Same-sex friendships are of no governmental marriage interest, for obvious reasons.
As usual, Uncle Joe is full of it.
The only government interest in marriage is to unite children with their married mother and father.
"Since same-sex couples aren’t part of the problem to which civil marriage is an attempted solution, there is as little reason to apply civil marriage to such relationships as there is to extend welfare assistance to the rich."
The Secular Case against Gay Marriage argues pretty well why the state is in the Marriage business:
http://tech.mit.edu/V124/N5/kolasinski.5c.html
The state is in the marriage business, because males and females make it their business to make babies.
>> You are not entitled to the same benefits as married people because you are not married.
You are missing the whole point of my post. I admit that I am not married and do not complain like the selfish homosexuals claiming they are entitled to the same rights. No they are not as they too are not married and since their relationships do not procreate they do not deserve these equal benefits.
Once again I pose the question how does recognizing same sex unions benefit society? It does not unlike male/female which does.