‘Marriage is what brings us together today:’ or does it?

By VERONICA BOYD

Is marriage outdated? It is a man made institution that legally and systematically binds people, but what does it even mean in today’s context?

People may choose to get married for various reasons, such as money, children, status, convenience or companionship.

However, the main reason is supposed to be love, or so society says.

I always believed I would not get married unless I was in love. Yet, as I grew up and realized what marriage meant, I learned that being in love was not the only reason to get married, but it surely should be the number one reason.

Marriage requires so much more than love. There are countless things that must be considered before deciding to marry someone. Even if one marries for money one must still deal with that person for the rest of their life presumably.

Today it seems that the idea of love is all but forgotten. With the debate over what and who constitutes a marriage, one should pay attention to the topics.

No one opposed to same-sex marriage notes their opposition against whether or not the couple is in love.

The debate is strictly a political and ideological one.

The opposed refute that same-sex couples deserve the right to the tax breaks and other social and legal protections that marriage entails.

Whether or not a couple is in love is not a stipulation, only whether or not they are a heterosexual couple.

This both angers and confuses me. How can one so strongly support the idea that homosexual couples ruin the sanctity of marriage because of their sexual orientation?

Some heterosexual couples marry for money, convenience or even just because someone is knocked up. These are the true detriments to the sanctity of marriage.

As far as I am concerned, the only reason anyone should think about getting married is if they are truly in love.

The idea of tax breaks, divorce settlements or convenience should never enter the conversation of marriage.

The institution of marriage, was founded for financial purposes, the idea of spending your life with someone took on practical motivations rather than romantic motivations.

According to our culture and government, it seems to be more important to be a couple that adheres to the financial and strategic implications of marriage than a couple that adheres to the romantic implication of being in love.

The National Health Statistics Report’s Vital and Health Statistics Series shows that marriage rate increased marginally since 1990 by about five percent, while divorce rates decreased by about three percent.

This displays some hope for America in terms of the overall view of the sanctity of marriage, but it also shows a downfall.

There are no statistics kept in the Vital and Health Statistics Series about specifically homosexual marriages or divorces.

These kinds of marriages and divorces are of no concern to our national government and that is because our government does not accept or consider these marriages or divorces, relevant to statistically keep track of.

Apparently it is okay for people to get married.

As long as they have any socially or legally accepted reason, it does not need to be love, but if it is love, it cannot be homosexual love.