Dignity and Freedom in the Eyes of the Law
The decision by the US supreme court was apparently based on the mistaken notion that marriage is a government institution and consequently every citizen has an equal right to it. Actually, marriage was created before recorded history as a ritual that unites a man and a woman. It has followed this pattern for millenia. Therefore, it is a de facto heterosexual institution. Any government that wants to expand it to include homosexual couples should first obtain the permission of the heterosexual population. Only then may they legislate the expansion of marriage. If the permission is refused then the homosexual population, having the same right as the heterosexual one, may create an institution like marriage but called something else. That is what equal right really means.
By the way, I see dignity as a common value, not a right. Respect for a person as a human being is a right. So much confusion about these things!
Filed under: Comments on News Stories | June 27th, 2015