Can Same Sex Marriage save the Institution of Marriage for Heterosexuals? By Carlos T Mock.

Can Same Sex Marriage save the Institution of Marriage for Heterosexuals?
By Carlos T Mock.
December 2, 2006,

I read in an article by Molly Moore at the Washington Post (November 23, 2006) that "in France, the country that evokes more images of romance than perhaps any other, marriage has increasingly fallen out of favor. Growing numbers of couples are choosing to raise children, buy homes, and build family lives without religious or civil approval of their partnerships. In the past generation, the French marriage rate has plunged more than 30 percent, even as population and birthrates have been rising."

The article continued: "Marriage is in decline across much of northern Europe, from Scandinavia to France, a pattern some sociologists describe as a "soft revolution" in European society--a generational shift away from Old World traditions and institutions toward a greater emphasis on personal independence."

I read on November 22, 2006, an article by Mike Stobbe, an Associate Press writer, published in the Chicago Tribune that stated: "Out-of-wedlock births in the United States have climbed to an all-time high, accounting for nearly 4 in 10 babies born last year, government health officials said Tuesday." While teen births are dropping.

This brought back memories of an article published October 15, 2006 in the New York Times that said: "Married couples, whose numbers have been declining for decades as a proportion of U.S. households, have finally slipped into a minority, according to an analysis of new census figures by The New York Times."

Are all of you heterosexuals getting the picture? You have destroyed the institution of marriage all on your own. As a friend of mine told me recently: "You gays should be allowed to marry, so you can suffer with the rest of us."

So why has Freedom to Marry, the ACLU, Lambda Legal and many gay activists launched themselves to obtain the right to marry? Is it because they want to be as miserable as straight people? No, I think they truly believe they can save the institution of marriage for all heterosexuals.

Lets face it, when I was working as an Obstetrician Gynecologist in the conservative western suburbs of Chicago, not only was I in the closet, but I was working twice as hard as my straight counterparts. I took call on all the holidays (since I had no family to take care of), and I took any extra call that my equal partners did not want, simply because of my sense of insecurity drove me to be the best gynecologist in town. I felt it was my duty to overcome my "gayness" by working extra hard.

Could it be that this is the same force that is driving the GLBT movement? Tired of being denied over 1000 rights that they deserve under the 14th amendment of our Constitution which states "No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States," they are willing to take on the institution of marriage and clean it up.

In the 1999 movie American Beauty, directed by Sam Mendez, it is the best example of what I'm trying to expose. The only normal couple in the movie was the gay couple.

As we celebrate 25 of the AIDS epidemic, we have proven to ourselves that we can take care of our own. The AIDS response, led by gays and lesbians and joined by all truly caring people, demonstrated the high levels of magnificence and effectiveness of which humans are capable. That response will remain a standard for all of history to look back on with admiration and awe. Is that what we can bring into the marriage equation—a sense of commitment?

What if, like in Massachusetts, same sex marriage becomes the law of the land? Will the straight couples emulate us, just like they do on everything else that we do best: arts, decorating, hairdressing, beauty, harmony, etc.?

Is this the true motivation (other than being tired of being second class citizens) behind the same sex marriage movement?

Before you answer my question, please take a moment to examine your own heterosexual marriage and tell me how happy you are in it.