----- Original Message -----
Sent: Thursday, October 09, 2003 3:34
PM
Subject: [Sndbox] Group Calls for
De-Legalization of Marriage
Group Calls for De-Legalization of Marriage
Thursday, October 09, 2003
By Steve Brown
CHICAGO — Marriage (search) has its advantages -- but some think the
nation’s laws give married couples too much favorable treatment, and the only
way to even the playing field is to de-legalize the institution.
A group of legal scholars and gay advocacy groups are calling for marriage
to be de-legalized in order to make the distribution of benefits more fair for
people who aren’t married, including gay couples.
University of Houston (search ) Law School professor Victor Flatt cites social
security, immigration, tax benefits and travel benefits as some of the
perks married couples receive.
"Their idea is why should you be treated differently by the law just
because you're married," said David Blankenhorn at the Institute for
American Values (search). "Why should society hold up one particular family
form and say we protect and support this family form but not others. That
would be their main argument."
But opponents say the idea of de-legalizing marriage is a ploy by gay
rights advocates.
"There's no lengths to which they won't go,” said Sandy Rios
of Concerned Women for America (search). “And of course it undermines traditional marriage
and we cannot allow them to do that."
Yet Rios is adamant about keeping one form of marriage de-legalized --
gay marriage. Later this year conservative groups hope to introduce an
amendment to the Constitution that would not only define marriage as a union
between a man and a woman but would also nullify state laws that grant gay
couples equal status to heterosexual married couples.
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