In My Terms
Jessica Knapp
The Communicator

The surprising success of California’s Proposition 8 banning same-sex marriages has left many Americans asking the question: How, exactly, does society define marriage?

Marriage defined by Washington state law under RCW 26.04.010 (amended in 1998) is permitted to a man and women over the age of 18 that are not otherwise married, “nearer of kin than second cousins,” and male and female. According to Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary (copyright 1983), marriage is defined as “the state of being married” whereas being married is defined as “united in wedlock; wedded.”

The real debate is where, and for whom, marriage should be recognized, not its definition.  Marriage is not just a set of laws defined by the state, but a religious institution, sacred in all ways, lasting eternally and to most Christians a man and a woman.  The problem is that if churches exclusively define marriage, the government cannot continue to do the same.  It is the government’s responsibility to see that Americans are governed accordingly.  This includes recognizing the laws governing those who choose to enter into marriage or those that choose to enter into a partnership with another.

Churches need to remove themselves from government’s laws altogether.  This is consequently what our forefathers, when writing the constitution, had in mind as well.

In order for the government to remove its beliefs on marriage from laws, the word marriage must entirely be taken away, with “civil union” or “domestic partnership” laws replacing marriage laws.  This way, those wishing to enter into a union together would be given necessary rights such as ones governing medical rights, and inheritance rights as well as insurance issues.

In 2007, the state of Washington passed legislation allowing for domestic partnerships, giving same-sex partners or heterosexual partners over the age of 62, medical and inheritance right.  Just this year, the state legislature was expanded to allow almost identical rights to domestic partners as legally married couples. Oregon and California have similar domestic partnership laws while New Jersey, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Connecticut have passed civil union laws, being closer to marriage than partnership.  

This movement is great for gay rights and same-sex marriage proponents.  But the only way that equality will take place within unions between two people, is to leave marriages to the church and the rights of two people deciding to be together forever up to the state. 

For a person who is engaged to be “married,” who decides to spend the rest of his/her life as the life partner of another person, the thought of abolishing marriage was a scary one at first.  Yet it only makes sense to let the church decide whether or not this person is united under God. It is up to the government to give this couple the rights they deserve. 

It is up to our generation to change our government to one that our forefathers not only intended it to be but would be proud to see, including keeping churches ideals and state’s laws separate. 

You can contact the writer at staffwriter@spokanefalls.edu