Chandra Washington

FHS 2400
Landes
10/27/15
U1 Essay 2

OPTION C: POLYGAMY & CIVIL UNIONS

Imagine that you are a state legislator and that you are required to vote on a bill legalizing civil
unions for same-sex partners. How would you vote? What explanation would you give to your
constituents when asked to defend your vote? A month later you are asked to vote on a bill
legalizing polygamy. How would you vote? What explanation would you give to your
constituents when asked to defend your vote?

Answer:
My vote would be yes to same-sex marriage. Over the years, not only in my opinion but
statistics also, marriage has lost its value. Yes it has been said for years that civil union should
only be between a man and a woman, but our society has evolved so much over time with samesex partners; it is no longer in hiding. There are many factors behind why people become gays
or lesbians, and being a homosexual is not something that can be cured. So what gives
someone the right to ban a person to spend eternity with the person that they have fallen in love
with? Now, I have heard people before say that well if two men can get married, then why cant
I marry my dog? well simply because two humans belong to the same species. Another
opposing argument that I have heard is that homosexuals cannot procreate, therefore it is not
normal for them to wed. In this case I disagree because there are many heterosexual couples that
cannot procreate as well due to unfortunate circumstances like infertility. It has been contended
that a child needs to be raised by a mother and a father, not two mothers or two fathers; but what
about the single family homes that constantly occur or the homes where either the mother or

father abuses the children. I would rather see a child in a loving home where they feel protected
even if their parents are different than their peers parents.
My vote for Polygamy is would be no. My previous answer may come off contradicting
because yes I believe that anyone should be able to marry who they want but the definition of
marriage is- a legally recognized union between two people in which they are united sexually,
cooperate economically, and may give birth to, adopt, or rear children(Strong, DeVault, Cohen,
2011, pg.5). In my opinion I find it disturbing for a grown man to become intimate with a child.
Having multiple wives is not something that I can be a part of, but for cultural reasons like in
Africa I can understand the differences. However, I do not condone a child/adult sexual
relationship. In other countries they arrange marriages as young as birth, but sexual activity
doesnt occur until they are adults; this I can understand due to my open mind. Polygamy
became recognized in the 1800s by Joseph Smith whom had a wife as young as fourteen years
old; I just find it immoral for a grown man to get intimately involved with a girl. Not only do I
find it abnormal for these relationships to occur, but also there are risks that are involved with
teen pregnancy. These risks that include, but are not limited, low birth weight, iron deficiency,
organ dysfunctions, and pre-mature birth the baby. It is recommended that young teens should
refrain from pregnancy if possible; I couldnt agree more. My final point that I wanted to make
as well, is that there is a high divorce rate within the Polygamy community; probably due to
unwanted marriages that were happening with non-consenting children.

Works Cited
"Gay Marriage ProCon.org." ProConorg Headlines. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Oct. 2015.
"Relationships/Monogamy and Polygamy." - Wikibooks, Open Books for an Open World. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2015.
Strong, Bryan, Christine DeVault, and Theodore F. Cohen. The Marriage and
Family Experience: Intimate Relationships in a Changing Society. Belmont, CA:
Wadsworth/Cengage Learning, 2011. Print.
"Teen Pregnancy & Health Risks to the Baby." - Teen Pregnancy. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2015.