EUROPE AND THE U.S.: Michael Triplett

Will SSM strengthen heterosexual marriage? Probably not. Will it destroy it or harm it further? Probably not. Should people be denied the right to marry just because others have done a poor job maintaining marriage? Definitely not.

After reading Maggie's take on Badgett's argument, I began to wonder if they were reading the same data. Badgett argued, as others have, that divorce has actually declined in parts of Europe since SSM was recognized. Badgett's data argues that most children in Europe are being raised in married, heteroseuxal families; in fact, as high as 90% of some children in Denmark. That doesn't sound like a marriage crisis to me.

What there is, according to Maggie, is a fertility crisis. But if divorces are actually declining after a generational increase--that predates SSM--and most children are being raised by married moms and dads, then how can that fertility crisis be blamed on SSM? Is it possible that fertility declines are connected to living in post-industrialized economies with strong social welfare systems and high literacy rates where people are less dependent on future generations to maintain the economy? People are getting married and remaining married, they just aren't having as many kids. And SSM isn't even a factor.

I also don't know anyone who believes that saying "children need moms and dads" is a form of bigotry or discrimination. It's a fun argument for SSM opponents to make because one gets to beat the "I am not a bigot" horse again, but that doesn't make it a good argument. Understandably, supporters of SSM aren't going to argue "Children need moms and dads and marriage is how you get them for kids" because it is a classic "do you still beat your wife?" argument where there is no real staisfying answer to the loaded question.

Yes, ideally children need moms and dads; and marriage is ideally the best way. If social science data is to believed, one could extend that and say "children need biological moms and dads of the same race in low-conflict marriages free from poverty and discrimination and low-conflict, same-race marriages that are free from poverty and discrimination are the best way to get them." That would be ideal, according to the social science research that is the basis of the "children need moms and dad" theory. It would also leave out lots and lots of heterosexual marriages.
posted by Eve at 3:19 PM | link

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