Legalize Gay Marriage Federally

The federal legalization of Gay Marriage is not beneficial to the United States of America as a whole. My first contention is that this is because the federal legalization of same-sex marriage would not best represent the interests of the people who, be reminded, vary greatly from state to state. How Federal Law is Made: As you may know, the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is a United States federal law, and as such, was written by congress and signed into law by the president. According to www.senate.gov, "When a bill is passed in identical form by both the Senate and the House, it is sent to the president for his signature. If the president signs the bill, it becomes a law." At no point was this act put to any state vote, and as we know, these United States are very divided when it comes to the issue of Gay Marriage. The passage of this act was subject to the elected officials of congress and the president. By my argument, this federal law prohibiting same-sex marriage nationally is against the cause of states' rights. Before my opponent challenges my opposition to DOMA, I will have him know that my convictions regarding DOMA only fortify my argument against the passage of a federal bill legalizing Gay Marriage. How the Federal Legalization of Gay Marriage Will Only Cause Dispute Among the States: In 2005 California passed the Assembly Bill 19, legalizing same-sex marriage. It was only three years later in 2008 that public discontent over the bill's status culminated in Petition #07-0068, or commonly known as "California's Marriage Protection Act". Gathering 765,063 signatures, it qualified for the November 4, 2008 ballot as Proposition 8. The Proposition passed with 52.47% of the popular vote. We learned from this experience that the majority of the public was against the legalization of Gay Marriage; even in California. How a Federal Law Legalizing Gay Marriage Will Be Responded to Nationally: According to the Washington Post, 37 states currently limit marriage to opposite-sex couples. That is unaffected by DOMA. Their individual state constitutions have banned the instituion altogether. A majority of the nation does not support the legalization of Gay Marriage. I will add that the elected officials in these individual states have a closer association with their voters than those elected to congress, as they only pass laws pertaining to their state. This means that any state ammendment is more likely to be in-line with the views of the populace as a whole than a federal act is with the whole American populace. Any federal law legalizing Gay Marriage, if it were to be passed presently, would be responded to with massive outcry by as many as 37 states and possibly even more. With talks of secession already well underway, any further push against the states is not advisable. Conclusion: The American people as a whole as represented by their states are not ready for a law legalizing Gay Marriage nationally. Any such law, if passed presently, would be challenged in the courts the very next day. Therefore, it is not beneficial to the United States of America to pass a law legalizing Gay Marriage because of the sheer amount of challenge it would be met with by the states-and for good reason: the states have a right to decide on their own what it is that their people want. Even though they are all represented at the national level, such matters should not be cause for the State of Louisiana to be subject to a ruling from Washington, New Mexico, and New York. Sources: www.senate.gov/pagelayout/legislative/d_three_sections_with_teasers/bill.htm en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Same-sex_marriage_in_California#Propostion_8_.282008.29 www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/politics/same-sex-marriage/