The debate to legalize same-sex marriages has been there for a long time; since gay people, especially celebrities, started thinking of getting married. There are mixed emotions on this topic as the religious feel that it is very wrong in the eyes of God, while other non-religious people feel it is morally wrong, and another lot that feels that there is nothing wrong with gay marriages as love exists between two people who decide to get married to each other.

In states where same-sex marriage is not legalized, same-sex couples fail to enjoy rights that their heterosexual couples enjoy. One of the things they face is unfair treatment in hospitals. During emergency medical treatment, a partner to a sick homosexual person is denied the right to make important medical decisions and deny them visitation rights because they are not real family (Parker-Pope, 2009). Same-sex marriages being illegal has also led to the homosexual community being denied fair health insurance policies. In most cases, they have to pay more to get the same policy that heterosexual couples would get. This has led to them having inadequate access to healthcare.

Family members of a homosexual person often override the person’s last will and testament because his or her partner is not part of the family as gay marriage is illegal and immoral. This mainly happens when the homosexual couple is cohabiting and not married legally. A will of such a couple should state what their relationship is so that the partner who is still alive can get the benefits of the will. However, this is not the case with heterosexual couples. They get all the assets and guardianship of their children if any. Legalizing same-sex marriages will accord these same rights to homosexual couples. Same-sex marriage should be legalized so as to allow homosexual couples to enjoy the fair treatment heterosexual couples enjoy such as health insurance, hospital visitations and assets of a deceased partner. However, legalizing same-sex marriages will offend religious groups and activists.

Religious groups fail to support same-sex marriages because it is wrong in the eyes of God. This is true as the bible says that marriage should be between a man and a woman. God created Adam and gave him a companion, Eve, who would conceive their children. There is no part of the bible or Quran that allows the marriage of two people of the same sex. Those who defy the laws of God are punished through death.

Religious groups also argue on the basis of people of the same sex cannot reproduce. This is true as a woman cannot make another pregnant and no man can get pregnant due to the difference in their reproductive systems. In the spiritual books, the first people created by God were a man and a wife who would bear him children, not another man. However, most gay couples adopt children from orphanages and give them the love and support they would give to their own children if they could reproduce. Adoption, however, does not obey God’s words to mankind ‘go multiply and fill the earth’.

From the bible, when the people in the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah engaged in homosexuality, God burned the cities and the people in them due to anger. This has led to the religious groups believing that homosexuality will be punished through sulphurous fire. This can be attributed to several bible verses expressing that sexual immorality, murder and homosexuality among others will be punished through sulphurous fire.

Due to the above three reasons, religious groups feel and advocate for not legalizing same-sex marriages as they are wrong in the eyes of the Lord and because same-sex couples cannot reproduce. Their beliefs have helped to maintain the sanctity of marriage but at the same time led to same-sex couples being discriminated against through being denied equal rights to their heterosexual counterparts.

References

Parker-Pope, T. (2009). How hospitals treat same-sex couples. Retrieved from: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/12/how-hospitals-treat-same-sex-couples/?_r=0