In a recent article about “marriage equality,” I addressed a couple of the common considerations regarding love and the marriage debate. I then received a question regarding one of the points I made, asking for clarification. Here is the question I received:
“You wrote in the article, ‘The state has other reasons for supporting man/woman marriage and for not allowing an expansion of this definition to include people of the same gender.’ Such as what?”
The question and my answer strike at the root of the why I support traditional marriage and am against the state redefining marriage, so I am glad it got asked. If you’re generally of a libertarian mindset, we already agree on certain things such as limited government and free markets. If you’re not, then we have a fundamental difference in how we view the role of government and free markets, so you may disagree with much of what I say here due to the difference in how we view these. If this difference does exist between us, we will disagree on many other issues besides this one.
Regardless of your political or economic views, here are a few questions that are relevant:
- What is needed for a limited government and free market economy come into existence and to remain in existence once established?
- What is the state’s own role is maintaining its limitations and in supporting the free market?
The state’s reasons for supporting man/woman marriage, and not allowing the definition of marriage to be changed, dive directly into the heart of why the state exists and who it ultimately serves – the people, or itself. It also dives into the heart of what it means to be free.
In order for a limited government and free market to come into existence and stay in existence, they require the vast majority of people in the society to be of sound mind, who respect property rights, who are able to make and keep contracts, who can keep their promises, who have a certain level of morality, and who have a certain level of intelligence and education. These characteristics allow people to govern themselves and to keep order in the society. If these components are missing, the state must expand its powers to govern the people and to keep order in the society on behalf of the rest of the people. As the state expands its powers and scope, it has greater needs for revenue, which it of course takes from the people, which reduces their freedom since they have to work harder to take home the same pay.
In order for children to grow into the type adult needed for limited government and the free market to exist, they need an intact family for a variety of reasons: they need to be properly and emotionally attached to their parents; they need their parents to train and culture the kids along a certain path and along a certain line of thinking; they need to feel safe; they need a thorough education; and they need to be free from worry about their parents and their environment.
Marriage between a man and a woman, who otherwise fit the description above, and because of its unique procreative aspects, keeps the government out of the family. The nuclear family does not need the government to dictate certain things that we find happening in other types of family structures:
- It does not need the government to tell it who the parents are
- It does not need the government to dictate children’s visitation schedules
- It does not need the government to settle custody disputes
- It doesn’t need the government in any way that we see with other family structures.
Other types of family structures require a greater level of government involvement. This would include step families, families with same sex couples for parents, and families with a single parent. Examples of the types of government involvement include:
- The government assigning parental rights because of disputes between genetically related parties and others
- The government assigning visitation schedules
- The government assigning psychological testing and counseling for children and adults because of disputes
- The government assigning child support payment amounts and schedules
- The government providing subsidies such as welfare, the associated government agencies needed to administer welfare, and the associated increase of taxation on intact families.
We have a choice: we can either let the government define marriage as a lifelong union between a man and a woman (which will keep government out of family life), or we can continue to redefine marriage to include people of the same gender (which will increase government’s involvement in many personal aspects of family life). No fault divorce has already done a tremendous amount of damage on this front. Are we going to continue along that path?
We’re going to have government do something in regards to marriage, either on the front-end through a strict definition of marriage, or on the back end via managing details of family life. I know which one I want. Which one do you want? Which one is best for the next generation? Which one is best for a free society? What does it mean to be free?
About the Ruth Institute:
We train the next generation of socially conservative leaders to understand why marriage matters not only on a personal level, but on a sociological and public policy level. They then influence their peers, families, and friends, both now and in the future.
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Read more from this author:
Why Everybody, Including Gays, Should Support Traditional Marriage
“Marriage Equality” Creates Equality for Whom?