This document discusses the pros and cons of same-sex marriage. The pros include financial benefits to governments and families, encouragement of adoption, and provision of health benefits. However, others argue that same-sex marriage threatens traditional notions of marriage and family, and could confuse children. Overall, the document examines both sides of the debate around legalizing same-sex marriage.

1. Same-sex Marriage
Yue Chen
Tawni Salas
Kristi Stout
Clyde Turner
Sheida Shahmohammadi
Same-Sex Marriage
Yue Chen
Clyde Turner
Tawni Salas
Sheida Shahmohammadi
Group 3

2. Pros of Same-Sex Marriage
• Same-sex marriage can bring financial gain
to government and families.
• Same-sex marriage encourages adoption.
• Allowing same-sex marriage provides
physical and psychological health benefits.
• Allowing same-sex marriage gives couples
the basic rights to marriage benefits
(healthcare, inheritance rights, etc.)
• States that permit same-sex marriage tend to
have lower divorce rates than those who ban
it.

3. In fact, the legalization
of same-sex marriage is
beneficial to society.
The legalization of same-
sex marriage may help to
determine the
relationship of civil and
social stability and “is an
act of freedom, it is an
act of equality, and it is
an act of brotherhood”
says Justice Minister
Christiane Taubira.
The law should not
deprive people of
their sexual
orientation which is
the freedom of
choice.
About 58 percent of
Americans now support
the idea of the same sex
marriage; “The poll
shows that 58 percent of
Americans now believe
it should be legal for gay
and lesbian couples to
get married” (Cohen)
If we believe in freedom and
equality, we should allow
people to choose if they
what to marry a man or a
woman.
Same sex marriage will increase the chances for
thousands of foster children to gain loving parents and
families.

4. • It is no one else's business if two men or two women want to
get married. Two people of the same sex who love each other
should be allowed to publicly celebrate their commitment and
receive the same benefits of marriage as opposite sex couples.
• Same-sex marriage is protected by the Constitution's
commitments to liberty and equality.
• Denying same-sex couples the right to marry stigmatizes gay
and lesbian families as inferior and sends the message that it is
acceptable to discriminate against them.
• Legalizing same-sex marriage will not harm heterosexual
marriages or "family values.” A study published in Social
Science Quarterly found that “laws permitting same-sex
marriage or civil unions have no adverse effect on
marriage, divorce, and abortion rates, or the percent of children
born out of wedlock..." (Sterngass).
• Same-sex marriage is a civil right.

5. Cons of Same-Sex Marriage
• Same-sex marriage is incompatible with
religious beliefs.
• Same-sex marriage threatens the purpose of
marriage which is procreation.
• Marriage is a religious right, not a civil right.
• Same-sex marriage can lead to other
nontraditional forms of marriage
(polygamous, bestial, incestuous etc.)
• Same-sex marriage weakens the institution of
marriage.

6. •Growing up teaching kids that same- sex marriage
is the right thing to do or that there’s nothing wrong
with it can cause confusion with a child and could
lead to anger within a child when he gets older.
•Same- sex marriage will never be morally right
no matter how you look at it. It will make the
definition and institution of “marriage” weaker
within society.
•This could make for expectations of gender roles in
society confusing for children being raised a certain
way and could cause psychological disorders, beside
the expectancy of life is much lower when you’re
married to a partner of the same sex.

7. • Adopting children might be good for the gay couple but it is
bad for the kids to be raised by the same sex parents.
• These children will be looked at differently by their friends
• Other kids likely will make fun of them and they will not be
able to answer the question; why they have two fathers or two
mothers instead of one mother and one father.
• These problems can have a dangerous effect on the
children’s future lives, because they are not being looked as
normal by their friends.
• The studies show the children who have been raised by gay
or lesbian parents have more psychological and social
problems in compare to those who have been raised by
heterosexual parents.
• “A single study has found children of lesbian or gay parents to
be disadvantaged in any significant respect relative to children
of heterosexual parents”(Wright).
• “Young adults from broken homes in which a parent had had
a same-sex relationship reported modestly more
psychological and social problems in their current lives than
peers from other families that had experienced divorce and
other disruptions” (Karey).

8. Solution to same-sex marriage
There needs to be a solution that addresses
the recognition of same-sex couples under
the law while also maintaining the
traditional definition and values of marriage
as a union between a man and a woman.
This way it will preserve marriage while
granting same-sex couples the rights they
seek and deserve.

9. The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) was signed into law by
then-President Clinton in 1996 defining marriage should be
between man and woman. DOMA allows for states to refuse
to recognized a purported “marriage” that happened in
another state. In 2011, twenty-nine states passed
amendments to their states constitutions that affirm marriage
for state law purposes as being between a man and a woman
(ACLJ).
…ALTHOUGH…
In February, President Barack Obama declared that the Defense
of Marriage Act was unconstitutional and ordered the
Department of Justice to stop defending the law in court.
Interesting Facts

10. Works Cited
ACLJ. http://www.aclj.org/Issues/InDepth.aspx?ID=59. 2013. 10 May
2013. Justice Minister Christiane Taubira. “is an act of freedom,
it is an act of equality, and it is an act of brotherhood”
http://articles.latimes.com/keyword/gay-marriage April 12, 2013
Cohen, Jon. “Gay marriage support hits new high in Post-ABC poll”. The
Washington Post. 18 March 2013 Web. 14 May.2013
Karey, Benedict. “Debate on a Study Examining Gay Parents Heart
Health”. New York Times.11 June. 2012 Web. 12 May.2013
Sterngass, Jon. Same Sex Marriage. New York: Marshall Cavendish
Benchmark, 2012. Print.
Wright Wendy, Lisa Correnti. “Study Shows Homosexual Parenting Not
Equal to Heterosexual Marriage”. C-FAM. 14 June. 2012 Web.
15 May.2013