The institution of marriage has been around for many years. Times have changed and society has grown as a whole. The United States has laws that prohibit same-sex marriages or do not grant them the same privileges as “traditional” marriages. You will see how behind this great nation has remained. As many countries around the world explore less traditional ways of life, the United States has been left in the dust. In the United States of America laws require that we be treated as equals. Unfortunately, this does not apply to the laws of same-sex marriages. How can a country that praises itself on freedom, equal rights, and the pursuits of happiness not allow someone to marry someone of his or her own choice? This country obviously does not grant equal rights to its citizens.We were the first to land on the moon, the first to creat an atomic bomb, and are leaders in the advancement of technology. How can we be the first in so many fields, but are in the stoneage on such important issues? In 1996 the “Defense of Marriage Act” was signed that prohibits same-sex marriages. How can a government prohibit a union that two individuals care to join? Many of these laws relate to the Catholic religion.We affirm with Pope John Paul II that marriage "the institution of the family, is constituted by the covenant whereby a man and a woman establish between themselves a partnership of their whole life, and which of its very nature, is ordered to the well-being of the spouses and to the procreation and upbringing of children." Only such a union can be recognized and ratified as a marriage in society. Other interpersonal unions which do not fulfill the above conditions cannot be recognized, despite certain growing trends which represent the serious threat to the future of the family and of society itself. (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church No. 1601)Not everyone in America follows the catholic religion. This shows t...
