Equality
I rarely write about abortion or LGBT issues because I have no real standing for an opinion on the basics of the issues involved, i.e. they are really none of my business.
The reality is that the question of abortion is an issue that women need to resolve on their own with whoever they personally want to discuss it with. No one else has any right to stick their nose into this private, medical issue. I have yet to see any real evidence for society to get involved or pass laws concerning abortion. Frankly, no one’s religious beliefs have a place in public laws.
The only reason I’m going to comment on the two cases currently before the Supreme Court is because of a mangled CNN front page headline for the article, Will gay rights infringe on religious liberty?. The questionable headline was along the line of ‘Will churches be forced to perform same-sex marriages?’
Marc D. Stern, the general counsel for the American Jewish Committee, knows that religious groups can refuse to marry anyone they want, for any actual reason by simply claiming it violates their principles. The problems that Mr. Stern is addressing have already come up in the claim of religious freedom over Obamacare.
The rules are simple, you can do whatever you want regarding the way you operate your religion, but once you step outside the church or temple, equality is the law. Nothing other than the core religious acts of a religion are protected from the requirement for equal treatment for all Americans. If you operate a facility open to the public, don’t expect to keep the tax exemption if you discriminate, and don’t expect to receive public money.
From my point of view based on all of the evidence I’ve seen and read about, people are born LGBT. Realistically, who would put up with all of the attendant grief that is visited upon LGBT people by choice? If you look at the reaction of some families when a child ‘outs’ themselves, it doesn’t look like nurture has any role in the situation. Logically, this is something that occurs in humans. With enough time and study we might find out what the mechanism is, but is it really important compared to all of the other things that we need to find out? Some people are left-handed and other people are gay – that’s the way the world is.
Civil rights is not a zero-sum game. Treating people the same doesn’t require taking anything away from anyone else.
Let’s not forget that religion is not inherent, it is a choice. No one is forced to believe in any particular religion, and many people change their religion. There is no logical way to justify giving precedence to a belief based on a personal decision over anyone else’s rights. Believe whatever you want, but don’t expect everyone else to accommodate your beliefs.
4 comments
Hmm, appears you’re making the same argument about abortion that I make — “Do you have a vagina? No? Then shut up, it’s none of your business.” If it doesn’t hurt me or mine, it ain’t none of my business and the law’s got no place talking about it. Same deal with gays. If they want to gay marry, fine. If they don’t, fine. Gay marriage can’t affect my own personal life or the personal life of any of my family in any way, so why should I — or the law — care whether gays marry or not?
People making comparisons between abortion and murder are off their rockers. Luckily none of my family has been murdered — but it could happen, and if it did, I d*mn well want a law against it so the murderer gets his due. But I can’t think of any way that myself or any of my family could be aborted. Sorta too late for that ;). So how does abortion (or gay marriage) harm me or mine (or you and your own family)? If you can’t answer that, the law’s got no place talking about it.
– Badtux the MYOB Penguin
Marriage is a partnership agreement that various levels of government have been attaching all sorts of benefits to over the years. In Florida it is obvious because even notary publics can perform a marriage, the same way they finalize any other legal agreement – by witnessing the signing of the appropriate forms. Religions may not admit it, but that is all they are doing under the law – witnessing the agreement. This is commercial law, not any great moral issue.
The real benefit to society of marriage is the associated celebration, as it generates a lot of business activity. If figure that encouraging people to get married is a very positive thing for the economy, certainly a great deal more positive than a visit from the Phelps clan.
Many of the same people demanding an end to abortion are also demanding an end to the minimal support system we provide for children. If they were really interested in children there would be free prenatal care and low cost child care options available.
But, as I said, these things are really none of my business, and egregious invasions of other people’s privacy for no obvious societal reason. One person’s morality may be another person’s heresy, so keep the public laws out of it.
It really is too funny. 🙂 I mean, for centuries, Marriage was simply a *business* deal! It had nothing whatsoever to do with *love* or any kind of physical or emotional attraction, other than money (or it’s equivalent) between two families. Basically, the son’s and daughter’s of well-to-do families were seen mostly as *assets* or pawns. Something to be traded and bartered with. And for the most part, it is the current irrational, irresponsible, inbred wealthy cretins who are the most vocal about “Love in marriage” etc, when the only think they know about Love is how to spell it! 😆 Well, love between two people at any rate. Put a million dollars in front of them, and then they get palpitations and all misty eyed! 😈
It’s no wonder the current crop of GOP (Gang-Of-Perverts) rethugs have zero idea about love since their ancestors never cared a whit about it and everything was always *just business*.
Hypocrites. I truly cannot abide hypocrites!
Common law marriages are the result of the fees required to get your ‘partnership agreement’ registered, and since most people didn’t have anything, or any real hope of acquiring anything, the matter was settled without any official involvement of any kind. There would be a party in their village and that would be it.
The marriage contract is making a big comeback in the form of prenuptial agreements, which is sort of like agreeing to the divorce settlement before the wedding takes place.