In Washington state, the Defense of Marriage Alliance (DOMA) has filed and initiative that they hope to have on November's ballot that would require heterosexual married couples not only prove that they are able to have children (or else they won't be issued a marriage license) but they must have children within 3 years of marriage or else the marriage will be annulled (click here to read the article for yourself - it's no joke). If they get 224,000 valid signatures on a petition by July 6, this could be an issue that the voters will decide.
It seems that DOMA, which is a group that favors same-sex marriages, is twisting and tweaking the intent from the decision that Washington's Supreme Court handed down banning same-sex marriages last year. Part of the argument for those who oppose same-sex marriage is that marriage exists for procreation and same-sex marriage can't provide that. So, they reason, it is unfair that same-sex marriage couples receive the same benefits that heterosexual marriage couples receive. Here is a quote that explains some of DOMA's rationale:
"For many years, social conservatives have claimed that marriage exists solely for the purpose of procreation ... The time has come for these conservatives to be dosed with their own medicine," said WA-DOMA organizer Gregory Gadow in a printed statement. “If same-sex couples should be barred from marriage because they can not have children together, it follows that all couples who cannot or will not have children together should equally be barred from marriage."
I guess, then, if you try and can't have kids within the first 3 years of your marriage then you are out of luck, huh? I also guess it doesn't make any sense that men and women are anatomically designed to have children, even if sometimes these structures fail and pregnancy does not occur. Hmm, and I thought it was the people who favor "family values" and were considered "conservative" who were narrow and close-minded?
No comments:
Post a Comment