arranged marriages should be outlawed

For the purposes of this debate, I will put forward two definitions pertaining to the resolution. 1) Arranged marriages: marriage arranged by parents: a marriage in which the parents choose a bride or bridegroom for their son or daughter (. http://encarta.msn.com...) 2) Outlawed: ban something; to make something illegal (. http://encarta.msn.com...) For the purposes of this debate, the legal framework to discuss this matter in will be the laws of the United States of America. As it currently stands, there is no law on the books in the United States that makes arranged marriages illegal. I will be arguing that there should be. _________________________________________________________________________________________________ Arranged marriages are a tradition that is customary, even the norm, in many parts of the world. In Pakistan and India, an arranged marriage is considered to be one of the most common practices. But, the United States itself has had a long and studied history of arranged marriages, dating back to the 16th and 17th Centuries to the modern era. Most of those arranged marriages were in fact marriages within the family - in order to retain the purity of some family bloodlines, some had to inbreed in order to survive [1]. As such, arranged marriages were seen as a way to promote that inbreeding. Since the installation of laws against incest relations [2], this kind of arranged marriage has been on the rapid decline. But recently, there has been a small spike of arranged marriages within the United States [3], with critics arguing that arranged marriages are in fact one of the most effective ways to find a partner for life - not necessarily to love or cherish, but one that can provide for your family and keep honour, discipline and tradition [4]. But regardless of the effects or purpose of arranged marriages, I am going to argue that they should not be recognized as a legal form of matrimony, and that in fact, forcing children into arranged marriages should be considered a criminal offense, punishable under law. I will base my argument on three amendments within the United States Constitution, and will possibly extend the use of the document in later arguments. Arranged marriages violates several amendments of the United States Constitution; specifically: i) The Thirteenth Amendment; Slavery Abolished. (. http://www.usconstitution.net...) Arranged marriages constitute a form of slavery, as a child is forced by their parents to marry his or her arranged partner. The child has no choice in the matter, and refusal of the marriage can be punishable by death [5]. ii) The First Amendment; Freedom of Religion, Press, Expression (. http://www.usconstitution.net...) Arranged marriages deny participants freedom of religion ('religion' here pertaining to belief, will) as neither participant, unless otherwise sanctioned by the matchmakers, may not refuse the marriage. iii) The Fourth Amendment; Search and Seizure (. http://www.usconstitution.net...) Arranged marriages violate a person's right not to have their persons, papers and effects seized unlawfully. Arranged marriages, unless otherwise sanctioned by the matchmakers, do not allow an individual his or her right not to be imprisoned without lawful warrant under the law. Arranged marriage is indeed a prison, as participants are not allowed to leave the marriage on fear of punishment or death. Because arranged marriage violates these three amendments of the Constitution, as well as several others, it should therefore be a banned practice within the United States of America. The resolution if affirmed. Arranged marriage has no place within our modern society. Respecting the belief of certain groups and cultures is one thing, but allowing or neglecting the use unlawful force as a means to an end is quite another. Arranged marriages violate fundamental human rights that the United States Constitution specifically outlines, and the legalization of such a practice, or even the neglect of it, constitutes a violation of the country's founding tenets. I look forward to my opponent's rebuttal. 1. . http://www.associatedcontent.com... 2. . http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com... 3. . http://www.alternet.org... 4. . http://www.foxnews.com... 5. . http://www.helium.com...