I think we pick and choose what we are “allowed” by the federal government to do and what we are not allowed to do. Sorry. I don’t see any difference. Of course its for the betterment of the nation to forbid the southern states to secede. The southern states through their conservative voting somewhat keeps the feds in check. The sparsely populated western states (Bless them) couldn’t do it on their own. In 2008, the usually conservative states deviated somewhat and voila! We got Obama.
We pick and choose what we are allowed in society and family as well as politically. That is an unavoidable fact of life.