So in your world, should older couples who cannot procreate be banned from marriage?
Cheney is correct on this issue and is clearly in support of federalism, something conservatives used to support
Your question is the same question Democrats always ask. The answer: There are many younger heterosexual couples who cannot have biological children together, too. But, they DO fit the model of procreation: one man, one woman.
Cheney is correct on this issue and is clearly in support of federalism, something conservatives used to suppor
Cheney is wrong, and I suspect his logic is being clouded by emotion on this issue.
I DO support the right of states to define marriage. That's why I support DOMA and, if possible, more importantly, a constitutional amendment stating the federal government recognizes only marriages between one man and one woman. Without DOMA or an amendment, one state alone could dictate to all the others. If only one state alone redefined marriage, all the others would have to accept that one state's definition.
The federal government has a stake in marriage, too, because entitlements such as social security extend to a person's spouse.
“So in your world, should older couples who cannot procreate be banned from marriage?”
Don’t be so glib. Governments are set up to deal with general problems. Men and women are the ones that reproduce, so those are the couples that are treated as a special class. If not all men and women reproduce, well, at least we tried.
To be frank, marriage does not exist for childless couples. They might as well have private commitments, the same as gays. It’s just too complicated to be worth it to root them out of the system. If they’re physically able but choose not to, they could change their minds at some point. If they’re physically unable, they could still adopt. Gay people can adopt, too. But that’s another thing most people aren’t in a hurry to promote.
The institution of marriage isn’t about individuals, who are free to marry and divorce, reproduce or not reproduce, at will. It’s about the class of people known as “breeders,” whether or not individual members of that class actually breed. What matters is that most, or almost all, people marry in order to start a family. And that’s the sort of thing that religion, society, governments, tradition, etc. have decided is important to promote.