[Winona Online Democracy]
Eva;
It is my opinion that the people who are opposed to gay marriage can't discuss that issue without couching it in terms of incest, or other undefined horrors because there are NO good arguments against it that cannot easily be parried.
The arguments against gay marriage generally run along three threads.
1) It is against the Bible or other religious text.
2) If we allow gays to marry next people will want to marry their sibling, parent, or even pet. I've actually had someone, apparently with straight face, suggest that if we allow gay marriage there would be nothing to prevent someone from marrying their horse. .
3) It would create some type of economic hardship on employers who are forced to provide heath care to their employees spouses. (See Paul Double's recent obfuscation on this subject at this list serve, for example.)
Let's examine each of these;
1) The Biblical argument;
To begin with, there is tremendous disagreement as to what the Bible actually says about homosexuality, if anything. But more importantly, in a nation that is based on the principle of the separation of church and state our laws should NEVER be based on a religious text, regardless of how many followers that particular religion my claim.
2) The slippery slope;
People who advance arguments against gay marriage because it will lead to laws allowing for the marriage of close relatives and/or animals, need a basic lesson in Logic 101. There is absolutely no logical reason why allowing a man to marry his male partner (or a woman her female partner) will lead to allowing a man to marry his sister, or his aunt, or Fido.
3) The economic argument.
Perhaps the most ingenious argument it does have some merit, Surly when we allow gay marriage more people will be covered by health care. However, an economic justification for discrimination is hardly worth the ideas of a nation founded on such noble principles as freedom, liberty and equal justice.
The real discussion I think should be why the US, unlike every other nation in the free world, does not have a universal, single-payer, cradle to the grave health care program?
I could go on, but this is no doubt long enough already, so I will close for now.
Dean
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