IF SSM IS THE ANSWER, WHAT IS THE QUESTION?: From the Washington Times

...The question is not whether gays should get married. It is: On what basis do you oppose marriage between two people of the same sex who desire it? ...

There are, it seems to me, two apparent kinds of answer to that question, but in actuality only one. The first to present itself in the elite discussion of the subject today is a social/cultural objection to gay marriage. It is that gay marriage would (at least potentially) have adverse consequences for the institution of marriage, which remains of vital social importance and is already embattled as a result of a variety of influences such as no-fault divorce. ...

We are now squarely embarked on a debate about those consequences that inevitably comes down to this: Will the union of Mr. X and Mr. Y in particular, who want only to be married, be any worse for the "institution of marriage" than any number of existing unions that fall far short of the social ideal, or for that matter fail altogether? This is an impossible contention. ...

I think that once you grant the essential premise, namely, the presumption of equality, there is only one basis for saying "no" to Mr. X and Mr. Y, and that is that what they are doing is wrong. The only serious basis for claiming that gay marriage undermines marriage (the union of a man and woman) is that the problem lies not with the "marriage" part of gay marriage but with the "gay" part. Thus, one denies the status of marriage to those whose union, being sinful or immoral, is precisely not that of holy matrimony.

...In the public square these days, we find very few moralists and a great many sociologists, the latter articulating their opposition to gay marriage (even if it is ultimately moral opposition) in terms of its supposedly deleterious social effects. The weakness of this argument is becoming obvious.

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posted by Eve at 4:42 PM | link

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