Should America Support Gay Marriage?

Should America Support Gay Marriage?

Imagine an emergency room visit with your spouse or child and the Doctor or nurse tells you to wait in the waiting room because you aren't "family". Imagine being taxed on half the value of the home you have shared with your spouse when one or the other passes away just because your marriage isn't recognized by the state in which you live. America is socially accepting to different nationalities, christian backgrounds, ethnicity, genders but the topic of marriage is still a subject that is held sacred to many people. While America comes to grips with this issue, either for or against, many believe marriage equality is valid and worth fighting for.

Same sex couples all across America desire to get a great job, get married, take out a mortgage, raise their families and pay their taxes just like any other citizen but certain obstacles regarding the political and civil conflict of same sex marriage prohibits equal rights between same-sex couples gay couples and their heterosexual counterparts. While any citizen has the right to all of those things, the laws regarding same sex couples are bleak and vary from state to state. For example, Michigan law bans same-sex marriage employment and retirement benefits adding that state only recognizes marriage between a man and a woman. And although some corporations, such as Costco, now recognize "domestic partnerships" and offer medical insurance to same sex couples, what happens to your "partner's" retirement account or medical insurance should they become disabled or deceased? While there are legal avenues to protect same sex couples such as a will or a power of attorney which help protect final decisions and equitable assets but attorney fees can be quite expensive. According to an article titled Headaches for Same-Sex Couples written by Kelly Green and

published in The Wall Street Journal, July, 9 2011, " Same-sex couples can get married in five states and the District of Columbia-and in New York starting July 25" but even this doesn't allow for filing of joint tax returns, retirement benefits, or survivors benefits even though "opposite-sex spouses can leave Should America Support Gay Marriage? 3

each other unlimited assets without owing any estate tax", all marital assets are protected .

Another problem same-sex couples face is that while current law denies same-sex marriages, it doesn't prohibit same-sex couple from adopting or raising raising children. It does however deny basic protections between same-sex couples and their children that are automatically afforded to their heterosexual counterparts according to an article written by Carlos Maza and published by The New York Times June, 15 2011. Privileges such as legal