Same-sex marriage was recently legalized in all states in America. As much as this has its benefits to all the lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders, it also has major consequences, especially to the common good.

Supporters of same-sex marriage claim that the main reason behind their union is “love.” They say they deserve to be married to one another because they “love” each other, and they want to make it official through a (marriage) certificate. Is that even a reasonable answer? Just because they love someone, doesn’t give them the privilege to get married. Let’s say I love my dog very much; can I get married to my dog? The answer is clearly no, because it is naturally wrong. Just because we love someone doesn’t make it right to marry that person. This legalization has opened the door to people thinking they can get married to anyone, or anything. In fact, there are some people fighting for the legalization of polygamy. If the United States legalized same-sex marriage because of “true love,” won’t the possibility of polygamy being legalized become higher now?

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Secondly, marriage is the commitment and unity of two people (one male and one female) through the church. Through marriage, a couple give up their bodies entirely out of love for one another. They have sexual intercourse for bonding with one another and, of course, for reproduction.

Yes, same-sex couples can bond, but they can’t reproduce because it’s biologically impossible. So they resort to adoption. There is nothing wrong with adopting children; in fact, it benefits the entire society. However, the problem arises in how same-sex couples will raise their adopted children. It is proven that every child needs the loving care of a mother and a father. How can these children grow up to be normal human beings if they have parents of only one gender? Additionally, the legalization of same-sex marriage may encourage more homosexuals, especially among kids who have them as parents because they’ll think it is “okay” and normal when it’s not.

Lastly, the ruling may increase the risk of many diseases. Gays and lesbians may have a higher risk of contracting HPV, or the human papillomavirus, which causes most cases of cervical cancer in women and anal cancer in men, as well as hepatitis A, B and C, gonorrhea, syphilis, “gay bowel syndrome” (a set of sexually transmitted gastrointestinal problems), enteritis and HIV/AIDS.

In sum, same-sex marriage should never have been legalized. The US Supreme Court should have considered its ruling’s consequence to society. Even without this ruling, we have accepted homosexuals for who they are. It has been like this for the past decades. So what changed in our society that made us divorce from our history?

Angela Alvarez, 16, is in senior high school at Woodrose School in Alabang.

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