Försvara äktenskapet nu

Det är dags att engagera sig i debatten om äktenskapets framtid. David Orland på webbtidningen Boundless tycker så och jag instämmer. I sin artikel The Deceit of Gay Marriage skriver han:

On reflection, it’s amazing that supporters of gay marriage have gotten this far. Set aside the hype with which the issue is usually presented and one is left with a surprisingly feeble argument for an imaginary right. The standard argument for gay marriage goes something like this: Heterosexual marriage is legal (true). In most states, homosexual marriage is not (also true). Therefore, gay marriage advocates conclude, the civil rights of gay Americans are being violated (false!).

Where to start? In the first place, homosexuals are not denied the right to marry ”” they are denied a right to marry other homosexuals, which is something else altogether. Next, the argument trades on the idea ”” superficially appealing but practically empty ”” that discrimination is by definition a bad and evil thing. Denying legal status to gay marriage does indeed involve discrimination ”” but it is discrimination of a perfectly legitimate kind. Finally and most crucially, the argument assumes what it is meant to prove: the rights of gays are being violated only if you already agree that one of their rights is to get married to a person of the same sex as themselves. But that, of course, is precisely what is at issue.

Han menar vidare att diskussionen om samkönade äktenskap måste innehålla reflektioner om vad äktenskapet egentligen är och går ut på:

So why is heterosexual marriage recognized as a right? There turns out to be a very good reason for this. Married couples enjoy legal status and the benefits that go along with it (tax exemptions, automatic inheritance, joint pension status, insurance breaks, etc.) because our society long ago judged that the nuclear family raises children better than anyone else. …

In other words, the right of marriage is inseparable from a public interest in the well-being of the family. By extending legal recognition and benefits to married heterosexuals, the government is merely seeking to protect and encourage that institution which, more so than any other, is responsible for the welfare of our nation’s young.

For advocates of gay marriage, this is all very inconvenient. After all, homosexual couples don’t typically do any of these things. They don’t have children; they don’t raise children; they don’t, as such, constitute a family unit with legitimate claims on legal recognition or public funds.

Argumenten för att behålla äktenskapet som det är, det vill säga mellan man och kvinna, är överväldigande. Men det kommer inte att räcka. Nu handlar det snarare om vem som kan uppbåda den största och starkaste opinionen. Det handlar om kraftsamling. Och på det området ligger familjens försvarare illa till. Det är här du (och jag) kommer in. Både du och jag kan antagligen göra mycket mera än vi gör idag. Vi kan skriva insändare, organisera oss lokalt, starta namninsamlingar och uppvakta politiker. En bra svensk sida att börja på kan vara www.stoppahomovigsel.tk. Det är bara att hugga i.