Stella Morabito is a Maryland writer who focuses on issues of society, culture and education. She writes at the Washington Examiner:

It’s ironic that many libertarians argue for repealing the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), claiming government recognition of same-sex marriage is simply a civil liberties matter.

A repeal of DOMA could well prove to be one of the biggest dominoes ever to fall in favor of bigger government.

By providing a simple formula for defining parental responsibilities and rights, DOMA serves as an effective buffer between oppressive state power and individual freedom of association.

If we don’t preserve DOMA, government easily expands into that vacuum. A new body of myriad and complex laws and regulations likely would draw government into our personal relationships, starting – but not ending -- with the core family.

Another irony is that many libertarians now leapfrog DOMA and argue against any government recognition of marriage at all. This allies them with some of the loudest voices for big government out there.