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Should gay and straight couples have the same legal benefits?

Topics: Homosexuality   Law   Politics   Liberty  

Background

Marriage comes with many legal benefits. In the United States, there are over 1,100 rights associated with married heterosexual couples, many of which are not available to homosexual couples. Gay advocates say that laws must not discriminate on sexual orientation.
 
Should gay and straight couples have the same legal benefits?
Logically, if Agree then Disagree with Should the federal government ban gay marriage?
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Expert Opinions

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Agree
AnswerExpert
Quote
Politics and Business Magazine
The case for allowing gays to marry begins with equality, pure and simple. Why should one set of loving, consenting adults be denied a right that other such adults have and which, if exercised, will do no damage to anyone else? Not just because they have always lacked that right in the past, for sure: until the late 1960s, in some American states it was illegal for black adults to marry white ones, but precious few would defend that ban now on grounds that it was “traditional”.     
26 Feb 2004   Source
United States President 2009-
When it comes to federal rights, the over 1,100 rights that right now are not being given to same sex couples, I think that's unacceptable, and as president of the United States, I am going to fight hard to make sure that those rights are available.     
09 Aug 2007   Source
US Judicial Body
The dissimilitude between the terms ‘civil marriage’ and ‘civil union’ is not innocuous; it is a considered choice of language that reflects a demonstrable assigning of same-sex, largely homosexual, couples to second-class status’.     
11 Oct 2008   Source
Australian Prime Minister, 2007-
...marriage is between a man and a woman. And I made that commitment before the last election. We will honour that commitment. We support the removal of discrimination from same sex couples and from de-facto heterosexual couples when it comes to basic, basic arrangements in terms of tax, superannuation and the rest, and also a nationally consistent relationships register. But [...] civil unions mean the effective amendment of the marriage act, and that is something we don’t support.     
02 May 2008   Source
Disagree
AnswerExpert
Quote
Bible for Jews and Christians
If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.     
Before 100 A.D.   Source
Christian Church headed by the Pope, Vatican City
[Homosexual acts] are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved.     
11 Oct 1992   Source
United States President 2001-2008
Ages of experience have taught humanity that the commitment of a husband and wife to love and to serve one another promotes the welfare of children and the stability of society. Marriage cannot be severed from its cultural, religious and natural roots without weakening the good influence of society. Government, by recognizing and protecting marriage, serves the interests of all.     
24 Feb 2004   Source
Governor of Alaska (Republican)
Gov. Sarah Palin said Wednesday that she will comply with an Alaska Supreme Court order issued Tuesday to offer health and retiree benefits to same-sex partners of state employees starting Jan. 1. "We believe that we have no more judicial options to pursue. So we may disagree with kind of the foundation there, the rationale behind the ruling, but our responsibility is to proceed forward with the law and abide by the constitution"     
21 Dec 2006   Source
U.S. Senator, Republican
I think that gay marriage should be allowed if there's a ceremony kind of thing if you want to call it that. I don't have a problem with that. ...[but] I don't believe that gay marriage should be legal.     
11 Feb 2007   Source