re: gay marriage - I never seem to get an answer on this.

[ulysses]

While I'm not gay, my wife and I share one aspect of life with gay couples - we cannot conceive a child.

In our case, this is because I had Hodgkin's lymphoma when I was eleven. Hodgkin's treatment in 1980 was not as advanced as it is now, and they essentially threw the book at me. Given the effect of large doses of chemotherapy (adriamycin, vincristine, prednisone, a couple of others I forget now for those in the know - A-COPP was the regimen's acronym) on developing testes, I'm incapable of biologically fathering a child.

A common argument (even here!) against gay marriage is that gays cannot conceive a child, thus failing to continue the species and support for Social Security, etc. Here's the question - if this is a valid argument against gay marriage, then should Ms Uly and I not have gotten married? Should marriage by any infertile couple be disallowed?

[rbnyc]

1. I think people use this argument as a cover...

...for a deeper bias. It's a crazy argument in so many ways. First, the world is overpopulated, and couples that don't have kids, or at least don't have more than one kid, are pretty much doing us a favor, despite social security issues.

Second, the idea that the only purpose of marriage, or that the only purpose of sex, is to procreate is just archaic.

Anyway, sorry to hear about your ordeal with Hodgkin's.

[Sequoia]

2. What a stumper!

Gays aren't infertile, they can find a host mother. As to your question, even infertile people should marry if they want to. Many who are fertile chose not to have children. Loving someone doesn't mean you have to have children. Having kids seem to stem from some form of religion. Some religions only allow sex just to make babies.

[Q3JR4]

3. Taken to their logical conclusion

such conservative arguments would probably have kept you from marrying.

But since you and your Ms. meet the requisite one-man-one-woman requirement set forth by God itself (so we've been told), you have nothing to worry about and the argument doesn't apply in your case.

The fact that the "facts" and arguments applied to each person's case change with the case gives us more proof the the term "logical conservative" will never be a facet of our American way of life.

[Maeve]

4. It used to be that way on the books in some states

And used as a reason for an anullment for marriages before divorce became legal and acceptable. (recalling that an anullment means there never was a "real" marriage)

Stupid-ass laws. Society finally realized how much they were hurting good people who just wanted to share their love and their lives.

[ulysses]

5. yeah, I know.

It strikes me every so often that we're just not as advanced as we like to tell ourselves that we are.

[DrWeird]

6. You don't really expect an answer, do you?

Bigotry is never logical.

[ulysses]

8. not really, no.

Still, I'd really like to see one of these folks defend the point to it's logical conclusion.

[duhneece]

7. And that would mean no woman past menopause should get married

And all of the couples who are in their 50's 60's 70's should not be allowed to marry....and there are alot of them.
Really dumb argument.
I am mostly reminded of the miscegenation laws when I hear arguments against gays marrying. Only then, one of the real 'horror's of a mixed marriage was because they COULD produce children.

[DuctapeFatwa]

9. And criminally absurd when you consider the number of children who

languish in warehouses and foster homes, who need parents, for whom loving parents could make the difference between a life that benefits future generations as opposed to one that benefits the thriving prison industry.

While not all gay couples want kids, many of those who do will adopt. Even if only half do, how many millions of prospective loving 2 parent families do the anti-equal protection bunch seek to keep from giving how many kids a future?

[achtung_circus]

10. I considered telling attractive women that since it was God's will that

humans reproduce, they should be having as much sex as possible during their fertile periods.

To do otherwise is to thwart God's will.

"By the way, here I am"

I couldn't and didn't but it demonstrates the fallicy of the argument.