Same-sex marriage (SSM) Should Be Legal in the USA

I want to welcome my opponent to debate.org and welcome him to the debate. I will be arguing that Same-sex marriage (SSM hereafter) should be legalized.Argument 1: Marriage is a universal right Marriage is a universal right. These rights cannot be taken away. All people are eligible for these rights. Therefore, gays should also have that right. First, we need to define what a universal right is. A universal right is a right that is given to all people of all nations. This is what the United Nations has to say: "Now, Therefore THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY proclaims THIS UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS as a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations, to the end that every individual and every organ of society, keeping this Declaration constantly in mind, shall strive by teaching and education to promote respect for these rights and freedoms and by progressive measures, national and international, to secure their universal and effective recognition and observance, both among the peoples of Member States themselves and among the peoples of territories under their jurisdiction." [1] With that said, in order to find out what those universal rights are, the United Nations has declared a Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This is what it says about marriage: (1) Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family. They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution. (2) Marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full consent of the intending spouses. (3) The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State. [2] Did you catch what it said. No-where does it deny the right to marry for any reason. This is what article 1 has to say: "All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights they are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood." [3] Article 2 states the following: Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty. [4] | Conclusion | All humans are born with the same and equal rights. These rights cannot be taken away for any reason Marriage is one of these rights. To deny the gays right to marry is to deny them of the universal right that has been set forth by the Declaration of Human Rights. The United States has agreed to these rights and thus must submit to them.[5] Argument 2: In the United States of America, marriage is a fundamental right.In the United States, the Supreme Court has ruled that the right to marry is a fundamental right. This ruling has been consistent more than 14 times [6]. Let us take, for example, the court case Turner v. Stafley. "[T]he decision to marry is a fundamental right" and marriage is "and expression of emotional support and public commitment." In Loving v. Virginia (1967) "[T]he freedom to marry has long been recognized as one of the vital personal rights to essential to the orderly pursuit of happiness by free men."Argument 3: Gay Marriage Bans Violate the Equal Rights clauseIn the United States, the 14th amendment requires that "[no State shall] deny to any person within its jurisdiction the qual protection of the laws." [7].How does SSM bans violate this clause? Well, for two reasons: They deny gay men and women the ability to marry the person of their choice. SSM bans single out and harm a suspect class by preventing only gays and lesbians from being married | Summary |To summarize my points, I will re-state them. The UN has declared marriage to be a universal right. These rights cannot be taken away. The USA has agreed to the Universal Rights Marriage is a fundamental right in the United States SSM bans violate the 14th amendment. Back to you! I await your opening arguments. Sources: 1. http://www.un.org... 2. http://www.un.org... 3. http://www.un.org... 4. http://www.un.org... 5. http://www.un.org... 6. ThinkProgress2. "Ted Olson Interview With Fox News Sunday's Chris Wallace." 7. Mount, Steve. "The United States Constitution." The U.S. Constitution Online. 06 Mar. 2011. http://www.usconstitution.net......