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Gay Marriage:
Same-sex couples having the ability to access reproductive technologies

Montel McKenzie Mrs. Verdun English IV 8th Period

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The dispute of whether or not people in same-sex relationships should be allowed to marry has been an ongoing process and isnt any kind of new occurrence. Legalizing gay marriage has sprung major controversies and riots as it goes against religious beliefs and certain traditions. The idea of them gaining access to reproductive technologies has only sparked the fuss.

Is it fair to allow same-sex to adopt children? What about having access to reproductive technologies? What makes them think that a kid would want parents of the same gender? It affects the child in many different ways, with a majority of it being negative. Wouldn't you agree that children should get their say?

With Gay Marriage being such an arguable topic, there can be no right or wrong way to go about it. In my opinion, Gay Marriage is a non-factor and shouldn't be allowed. It makes no sense why people would want to marry or even have relations with their own gender. Even the Lord himself didn't approve of it, and is why he told Moses to gather two of each animal (one male, and one female) and place them on his arc to then relocate. When it comes to same-sex couples having access to reproductive technologies it seems odd and not right. Personally, I believe it is ridiculous and should only be allowed for women in relationships with men who can no longer produce sperm or has a setback of some kind. There should be some type of rule where as if a person wants to be in a relationship it has to be with someone of the opposite gender, otherwise they can be single and just have friends. Personally, I have nothing against gay people, I McKenzie 3

simply don't approve of it and think it should be abolished. People don't take in account things like mankind and how this could seriously hurt our race in the future. Sure, there are billions of people, trillions even, in the world, but that huge number will eventually shrink if people are continuously becoming gay every day. It's a powerful thing as well. There can be a gay person that likes a straight person and will sometimes try their hardest to change that person. It may not work all the time, but it works.

With the ability of having access to reproductive technologies, there is a chance for an increase in gay couples. Before these particular advanced technologies were created or made available, many homosexuals may have been discouraged and less likely to encourage others to develop symptoms of being homosexuals as well having known they would not be able to have offspring of their own. Although, now with there being such a thing, homosexuals now feel more comfortable and it should be no surprise if there is a population increase for homosexuals and gay couples. Fertility programs, often times garner desires for treatment from single persons, unmarried heterosexual couples, and lesbian and gay couples, but not all of them accept certain patients (ASRM). For some, it is unacceptable to treat unmarried persons, whether heterosexual, gay or lesbian (ASRM). The programs that is willing to treat single women and lesbian couples will not treat single men or gay male couples who seek to have children of their own.

As stated by the ASRM, "Overall results of research suggest that the development,

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adjustment, and well-being of children with lesbian and gay parents do not differ markedly from that of children heterosexual parent." In regards to these results, there is an estimated 6 to 14 million children being raised by at least one gay or lesbian parent, usually as a result of a heterosexual relationship. Many people oppose reproduction by single persons and gay or lesbian couples out of concern for the welfare of intended offspring.

The questioning of "Would being raised by a gay parent be suitable for a child and whether gay couples should have children in the first place?" would only prove to gather many highly opinionated answers. Excessive amounts of homosexuals, whether single or apart of a relationship only tend to think about their well being. None of them takes into consideration whether the child will be happy growing up in an environment where they have to simply accept it. I believe children should have their say on whether or not they would feel comfortable entering the world until such conditions of having gay parents. These children are the future and should have some contribution to the discussion.

The children born with heterosexual parents will surely experience life problems in the future. These problems can include: Social Isolation, Gender Identity, and Sexual Orientation problems. Gender Identity and Sexual orientation problems are very similar, but Gender Identity starts earlier. As defined by (Dictionary.com), "Gender Identity is a persons inner sense of being male or female, usually developed during early childhood as a result of parental rearing practices and societal influences.", which practically gives proof that if a child has heterosexual parents, then they are at a higher McKenzie 5

risk of having gender problems because they are big time witnesses to everything their parents do, how they talk, and act.

As the child begins to make friends, he or she may be uncertain of what gender to mingle with. The child may want to do girly things such as dress up and play with Barbie dolls, while on the other hand, have an interest in playing with toy cars, getting dirty, and catching bugs. Sexual orientation problems will occur shortly after, as it refers to a person being attracted to the male or female gender. This is usually an occurrence of a confused child. The child has witnessed many love-hate relationships, gas and straights, and bisexuals so it's to the point that the child is unsure of what he or she likes. If anything, the child may question their own gender.

Social Isolation would follow after the confused kid begins to struggle making new friends and has a hard time finding common interests. At this point, the kid will be on their own and depressed. Some common occurrences at school like bullying, is very common amongst gay peers or those that may be uncertain. School would only prove to make the kid worry, emotional and hateful. Like any highly upset child against their parent, you may hear the words, "I wish I was never born! Such words would usually hurt a parent's feelings or at least make them think. Unfortunately, in todays world, none of these homosexuals appear to think far enough into what they want. Its only about them and getting what they want.

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(About.com) answered a popular question regarding the gay population in the United States. The William Institute at the UCLA School of Law, a sexual orientation law and public policy estimates that 9 million (about 3.8%) of Americans identify as gay, lesbian, bisexuals or transgender (2011). The institute also found that bisexuals make up 1.8% of the population, while 1.7% is gay or lesbian. Transgender adults make up 0.3% of the population. A staggering number of professional women without male partners have chosen to have children, sometimes with the help of donor insemination (ASRM). (ASRM) also reported that in 2011, 46% of all US births were to unmarried women.

Gay Marriage is a heavily regarded topic. There may possibly never be a true right or wrong answer as any answer would be another person's opinion. After the countless hours of gathered research, it does not appear as if homosexuals will give up any time soon until they are left treated equally. It is interesting that society sees guys as people, but overlooks them as family members in households. I'm still left puzzled as to why people would want to be gay and what seems to be breaking rules, going against God and other ideals.

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Works Cited
Allen, Katherine. (1995). The Families of Lesbians and Gay Men: A New Frontier in Family Research. Journal of Marriage and Family. Vol. 57 (No.1). "Access to Fertility Treatment by Gays, Lesbians, and Unmarried Persons: A Committee Opinion." Sart.org. American Society for Reproductive Medicine, Birmingham, Alabama, 13 June 2013. Web. 8 Mar. 2014. Berman, Jillian. "8 Ways Legalizing Same Sex Marriage Is Good For The Economy. The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 15 May 2013. Web. 12 Mar. 2014. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/15/same-sex-marriage-economy_ n_3267725.html?utm_hp_ref=gay-marriage>. Denniston, Lyle. "Fast Track for Virginia Marriage Case (FURTHER UPDATED)." SCOTUSblog RSS.Bloomberg Law, 10 Mar. 2014. Web. 12 Mar. 2014. <http://www.scotusblog.com/2014/03/fast-track-for-virginia-marriage-case/>. "Freedom To Marry." States. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2014. <http://www.freedomtomarry.org/states/>. "Gay Marriage ProCon.org." ProConorg Headlines. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2014. <http://gaymarriage.procon.org/>. "Gay Population Statistics." About.com Gay Life. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2014. Robertson, John A. "Gay and Lesbian Access to Assisted Reproductive Technologies."Http://www.utexas.edu. N.p., 21 Jan. 2005. Web. 8 Mar. 2014.