The
Supreme Court has made a huge decision today by ruling DOMA unconstitutional.
The decision is now in the states hands.
This is my opinion and I am sorry if it offends either side.
Should
same sex couples be allowed to marry? Ummm… in my opinion yes. Should the
American government recognize a same sex union just the same as it does a
heterosexual couple? Yes. Any benefit given by the government: tax benefit,
inheritance benefit, insurance benefit, and just overall recognition of the
love between human beings should be the same.
Let’s
look at some benefits:
1.
Tax Benefits- What right does the government
have to say a same sex couple does not deserve the tax benefits of filing a
joint income tax? Sex has no barring. Two incomes are two incomes whether it is
a man and woman or two woman or two men. The same goes for forming a family
partnership and dividing business income among family members.
2.
Estate planning – here are a lot of benefits to
being married whether it is inheriting a spouse’s estate, creating life estate
trusts, or receiving priority in making financial and medical decisions.
3.
Government benefits such as social security,
medicare and disability. What does the sex of the couple matter at all for any
of these benefits?
4.
Employment benefits like sharing insurance,
receiving retirement benefits from 401k or pensions, or receiving sick leave to
care for a spouse or bereavement leave.
5.
Medical benefits like visiting a spouse in the
hospital in intensive care or during restricted hours and also being able to
make decisions if the other is incapacitated.
What about a couple’s gender makes
them more or less deserving of these rights? I mean in a day when we are
foolish if we don’t think heterosexual couples will get a marriage license not
out of love but for the tax breaks. What about same sex couples that really
love each other and want to be committed to each other… why are they less
deserving?
What about the benefits beyond just
financial? It’s peace of mind. It’s a sign that you find strength in the other
person. You are committed to the other person. You want to live with and grow
with that person. That is why most people get married. They want a partnership
and I don’t see any difference in the commitment of same sex couples as their
heterosexual counterparts.
I don’t see any reason why the
federal government shouldn’t recognize their commitment. I don’t think the
government has a right to say a same sex couple and their love for each other isn’t
real or deserving of the right of marriage. Just the same as it didn’t have the
right to tell women or African Americans they couldn’t vote. Love is love pure and simple. In time I hope people will realize that fact.
As
I see it separation of Church and State works both ways. I don’t want the
government telling me what religion or religious practice I can follow. I also
don’t think my religion can tell other people how they should behave. I don’t
live in a theocracy and I don’t want to… I think any couple no matter the sex of the couple should be
able to apply for a marriage license and be given one. I know same sex couples
and their love for each other is no less real then any other couple. It
deserves to be recognized and they deserve the same rights as any other couple.
I
will say this though. The government, whatever their decision is, won’t have the
right to force a religious institution to perform a marriage that goes against
their teachings. And that is separation of Church and State.
And
to those who are going to tell me I am a bad Catholic for saying that I answer
with the words of Miranda Lambert:
I
heard Jesus He drank wine
And
I bet we’d get along just fine
He
could calm a storm and heal the blind
And
I bet He’d understand a heart like mine.
Now this blog is called my Next 30 Years... I look forward to the advances in equality I will see in those years.
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