Be it resolved that gay marriage be legalized in the United States

C1: Marriage is not a rightMy first contention aims to prove that the concept of "marriage" is not a right. Nowhere in the American constitution does it state that everybody has a right to marriage. Nowhere under international doctrine, especially that of the United Nations, does it state that marriage is a right. In fact, in very few, if any societies, does it state that marriage is in fact a right that everybody deserves. I will expand on this point later as I am running out of space. To summarize, something that is not a right, cannot be perceived as a right. Marriage is a privilege that the government can, theoretically, bestow on anybody that it wishes. To claim the fact that everybody has a right to marriage is absurd. C2:Gay Marriage is a detriment to societyThis will be a two part contentionP1: Gay couples have increased murder and domestic violence rates Vernon J. Geberth, M. S. , M. P. S. who is a former commander of Bronx homicide for the New York City Police Department stated in 1995 concerning homosexuality and murders that homosexual murders are relatively common and these murders may involve male victims murdered by other males or may involve female victims who are in some type of lesbian relationship and they are murdered by another female. (1)A forensics journal article by the American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology was published in 1996 called "Homicide in homosexual victims: a study of 67 cases from the Broward County, Florida, Medical Examiner's office (1982-1992), with special emphasis on "overkill"In the article it clearly stated(2):"Forensic pathologists often state that homosexual homicides are more violent than those with heterosexual victims. Overkill or wounding far beyond that required to cause death is a frequently used descriptor of these deaths. We quantified the number and extent of injuries between homosexual and heterosexual homicide victims to determine whether one group suffered more violence than the other. .. Homosexual homicides are more violent than heterosexual homicides when one compares the mean number of injuries (fatal sharp, blunt, and total)/case and the extent of injuries on the body"As a result of this article, we can infer that homosexual couples are harmful and detrimental society because of the fact that they are:1. More violent and more prone to murders2. Are more likely to use gruesome means to murder. Number #2, is in essence, irrelevant. The fact of the matter is that homosexual couples are more prone to murders, which our society greatly condones. Also, to conclude this premise, the American College of Paediatrics states that(3):"Violence between homosexual partners is two to three times more common than among married heterosexual couples. "Now, the reader and my opponent might be asked, "Why does this matter? People are going to be gay anyways. Perhaps if we legalize gay marriage, this will stop "However, the opposite is in fact true. Lets use this logic and replace it for a murder metaphor: "Why does this matter? People are going to murder anyways. Perhaps if we legalize murder, it will stop. "If we were to legalize gay marriage, then we would be, in essence, promoting these atrocious activities. We, as the people of the United States and as the federal government would be saying that it is O. K. to promote domestic violence and murders within the gay community. P2: Gay couples carry a larger amount of diseasesAccording to the American Center of Disease Control and Prevention:"Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM) represent approximately 2% of the US population, yet are the population most severely affected by HIV and are the only risk group in which new HIV infections have been increasing steadily since the early 1990s. In 2006, MSM accounted for more than half (53%) of all new HIV infections in the United States, and MSM with a history of injection drug use (MSM-IDU) accounted for an additional 4% of new infections. At the end of 2006, more than half (53%) of all people living with HIV in the United States were MSM or MSM-IDU. Since the beginning of the US epidemic, MSM have consistently represented the largest percentage of persons diagnosed with AIDS and persons with an AIDS diagnosis who have died. "(4)Of all newly diagnosed HIV infections in the year 2003, the CDC estimates that about 63% of all of these diagnoses were for men who had sexual contact with other men. (5) We have to remember that the gay population is only 2% of the entire US population. However, they account for 63% of the newly diagnosis of the most lethal STI known to man, HIV/Aids. C3: Children need a mother and a fatherThe purpose of marriage is two things:1. Love between partners2. ProcreationHowever, the second is more important as it provides something for society in general. It serves a use and a function. Therefore, procreation is more important than love when it comes to marriage. Gay couples will not be able to naturally reproduce. Therefore, they will have to adopt children. This is where the problem starts:Many psychologists have concluded the fact that children need a mother and a father. According to the American College of Pediatricians (3):"There are significant innate differences between male and female that are mediated by genes and hormones and go well beyond basic anatomy. These biochemical differences are evident in the development of male and female brain anatomy, psyche, and even learning styles.11Consequently, mothers and fathers parent differently and make unique contributions to the overall development of the child.11,12,13 Psychological theory of child development has always recognized the critical role that mothers play in the healthy development of children. More recent research reveals that when fathers are absent, children suffer as well. Girls without fathers perform more poorly in school, are more likely to be sexually active and become pregnant as teenagers. Boys without fathers have higher rates of delinquency, violence, and aggression. "Glenn T. Stanton, a researcher, wrote an article on this matter. This is a medium sized article explaining why children need both mothers and fathers in their lifestyles(6). I will quote important parts of it, but it is always in the sources for reading:“To be concerned with proper child development is to be concerned about making sure that children have daily access to the different and complimentary ways mothers and fathers parent. ” "FACT: A married father is substantially less likely to abuse his wife or children than men in any other category. This means that boys and girls with fathers learn, by observation, how men should treat women. " The American Journal of Sociology finds that, “Societies with father-present patterns of child socialization produce men who are less inclined to exclude women from public activities than their counterparts in father-absent societies. ” As Dr. David Popenoe warns, "We should disavow the notion that ‘mommies can make good daddies,’ just as we should disavow the popular notion of radical feminists that ‘daddies can make good mommies. ’ . .. The two sexes are different to the core, and each is necessary—culturally and biologically—for the optimal development of a human being. " Conclusion Marriage is not a right, and therefore a privilege. Governments do not have to bestow privileges. Gay marriage is harmful to society, and therefore should not be condoned by the government. Children need a mother and a father, which gay marriages cannot provide.