January 9, 2014
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/07/us/justices-block-gay-marriage-in-utah-pending-appeal.html?_r=0
Unit 5
In a recent action the supreme court issued a halt to gay marriage in Utah, effectively reinstating Amendment 3, until a decision can made by appeals court. This is putting the legality of over 1,000 recent gay marriages in Utah into question. The state did warn same-sex couples that their marriages could be dissolved in the process of their appeals, but this does not change the disappointment that many same-sex couples feel at the supreme court's decision. Although there are some justices who believe that the matter of marriage should remain in the control of the states, some justices wonder if discrimination against gay couples will affect the children of those coupled.
This is a troubling issue. Personally, I believe that marriage is between a man and a woman, and that it should remain that way. but it is still a fact that there are many gay and lesbians out there who do not agree with my opinion. They are attracted to people of the same gender as themselves, and they deserve the same rights as everyone else. I am not surprised that Utah is fighting this decision with everything that they have, and I assume that they will continue to do so. I appreciate the decision of the supreme court, though. Although i am not a supporter of gay marriage, I also don't believe that anyone should have to suffer when they have done nothing to do it. Since it is very likely that Utah will dissolve those marriages that have taken place in the past few weeks, it doesn't seem right to allow more to be wedded, and then be ripped apart again. As seen in a previous post, Utah has declared that it will not recognize any of the gay marriages that have taken place. Utah is not saying that they are illegitimate, it is just saying that they will not allow same-sex couples to file jointly for taxes, health care, and many other benefits. It will be interesting to see where this battle leads.
So now a question... does the state have the right to decide who will be allowed to marry? Or is this something that should be addressed on a more national level?
I think in the end, the result will be national. The trend is that the states are slowly moving towards legalizing same-sex marriage. Eventually, all states will legalize it. There isn't going to just be one state that isn't. They may have to make a decision nationally somewhere down the line, but for now, the states are enough.
ReplyDeleteExactly, I wonder though, how much is this going to escalate before the supreme court decides that this needs to be decided on the national level... All I know is that Utah is only a part of the beginning
ReplyDelete