The Value of Marriage
A sound family unit is the where the strength of society is found. Allowing marriage between homosexual parties to become legal would cause many adverse affects for this nation.
History of States Battling this Issue:
• 1990’s Hawaii’s state governments battled the issue until 1998 when voters voted against same sex marriage
• 2003 Massachusetts government provided civil unions for same sex couples, but in 2004 marriage licenses for same sex couples were issued.
• May – November 2008 California issued marriage licenses to same sex couples until voters voted against it in favor of Proposition 8.
• October 2008, Connecticut became the second state to legalize same sex marriage, and issued marriage licenses to same sex couples.
• 2009 Iowa and Vermont perform same sex marriages. Maine attempts to follow suite but it was turned down. No marriages were performed.
• 2010 District of Columbia Council passed laws allowing same sex marriage, but it is under review, expected to pass soon.
• 2010, New Hampshire and New York also are expected to soon be passing legislature that will allow same sex marriages.
The Defense of Marraige Act 
In an effort to protect marriage and family, the US Congress and President Clinton signed the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996. It defines marriage in federal law, and also allows individual states to deny recognition of same sex marriage from other states. It is important for states that have not adapted this act into their constitutions to consider it, or create their own legislation that will protect against it, otherwise they will have to recognize same sex couples that have moved into their state as legal and married, and grant them all the legalities that an opposite sex couple has.
Definitions of Marriage
• Between a man and a woman is the historic foundation of civilization. (Wardle, p350, 2000)
• Traditionally, between a man and a woman, beginning with our first parents, Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.
• In Federal law under the Defense of marriage Act says the word ‘marriage’ means only a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife, and the word ‘spouse’ refers only to a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or a wife”
• A fundamental social institution, providing the foundation of a harmonious and enriching family life and the basic building block of our society.
Benefits of Marriage
Marriage between one man and one woman promotes the common good for society by helping men, woman, and children.“Marriage’s benefits do not extend to its copycats” (VanDenBerghe, page 22, 2000). This includes the copycat of same sex marriage.
Men
• Participate in communities and organizations
• Less likely to commit crimes leading to imprisonment.
• A socially approved mechanism for the expression of masculinity by fathering children, providing for a family, and protecting family.(VanDenBerghe)
• Have a motivating force a family behind them, and a network of support from family
Women 
• Report being healthier, and suffer less from extended illness and disabilities
• Less domestic violence reported within married couples than that of same sex couples
• “Marriage’s benefits do not extend to its copycats” (VanDenBerghe)
Children
The Progressive Policy Institute reported, “It is no exaggeration to say that a stable, two-parent (man and woman) family is an American child’s best protection against poverty” (VanDenBerghe, page 19, 2000). Research has shown that “current levels of poverty result more form family structure than from economic factors. The presence of one parent usually means poverty for a family. The presence of two married parents usually means that children will never be poor during childhood” (VanDenBerghe, page 19, 2000). Children living in an intact family with a mother and father that are married have
• Higher Grades in School
• Higher College aspirations
• Better Attendance
• Half as Likely to Drop Out of School
• Less abuse and neglect
• Fewer emotional and behavior problems
• Less likely to have trouble with the law and crime
• Fewer incidences of abusing drugs and alcohol (Santorum, 2003)
• Need parents to model "intergender relations" and social skills (Wardle, page 349, 2000)
Are They Different?
Many homosexual couples argue that they are not so different from the traditional married couples. In an article from the family research council, researchers asked these two questions, “Since gay couples really differ only in that both partners are of the same sex, what rational basis exists for denying them full marriage rights?” and, “Are homosexual households simply another variant of human relationships that should be considered, along with marriage, as part of mainstream society?"
Research found even “committed homosexual relationships" are drastically different from regular married couples.
• Duration and longevity of the relationship
o 2001 the National Center for Health Statistics conducted a study on marriage and divorce and found that 66% of first marriages last 10 years or more with 50% lasting 20 years or more
o In the same study, homosexuals in a current relationship reported only 15 % had relationships that lasted 12 years or longer with 5% lasting 20 years
In Conclusion
Research has proven that relationships between married men and women are more stable and long lasting than homosexual relationships. Marriage between a man and a woman promote the good of society and provide many benefits to men, woman, and children. We need to create laws that will support the traditonal style marriage and strengthen our society and nation.
Family research Council. (2010). Comparing the lifestyles of homosexual couples to married couples. Retrieved February 24, 2010, from http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=IS04C02
Gacek, Christopher J. (2010). DOMA 101: An introduction to same-sex "marriage," the defense of marriage act, and the full faith and credit clause. Retrieved February 24, 2010, from http://www.frc.org/papers/doma-101
Hoch, M. (2004, April 30). The battle over same sex marriage: marriage and the states. Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/law/gay_marriage/states.html
Same-sex marriage overview. (2010, February). Retrieved from http://www.ncsl.org/IssuesResearch/HumanServices/SameSexMarriage/tabid/16430/Default.aspx
Santorum, Rick. (2003). The necessity of marriage. Retrieved February 24, 2010, from http://www.heritage.org/research/family/hl-804.cfm
The Heritage Foundation. (2009). The marriage debate. Retrieved February 24, 2010, from http://www.heritage.org/research/Family/MarriageDebate/TheMarriageDebate.cfm
VanDenBerghe, E. (Ed.). (2000). The enduring, happy marriage: findings and implications from research. Pages 19-22. Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book Company.
Wardle, L. (Ed.).(2000). Legal and moral issues of same-sex marriage. Page 349. Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book Company.
