Waikato Times 22 April 2013 – Narelle Henson
Same-sex marriage is not, by its very nature, the same as heterosexual marriage. It never will be. No matter how much we fiddle with the law, or censor the use of words like “bride” and “groom”, the fact that homosexual marriage does not tend toward the conception and raising of children will forever set it apart.
That is why advocates of real marriage argued against the inclusion of same-sex couples, by law, into the definition of marriage. They understand that marriage plays an astonishingly important role in our society and that role is getting lost in all the mucking around with laws and words.
They understand that the great purpose of the institution is to provide a framework in which a family may be created, and the next generation raised.
They understand that marriage is not a “right”, just as friendship is not a “right”. Marriage is a responsibility. It is first a responsibility toward the happiness, security and trust of another, and second a responsibility to the happiness, security and trust of a child. In calling marriage a right, the advocates of same-sex marriage have turned it into an individualistic pursuit, because rights make us think about what we deserve. To call it a responsibility reminds us that true marriage is actually about what others deserve from us and, most of all, what our children deserve from us.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/opinion/8580253/Changing-a-few-words-doesn-t-make-gay-marriage-real
