The Senate Judiciary Committee has passed a bill that would ban discrimination based on sexual orientation, according to Julia Silverman of the Associated Press in today’s Oregonian. Okay.
The story goes on to talk about gay unions (marriage). Of course, this is opposed by the religious right, which is reduced to whining that churches that refuse to perform the ceremony might get sued.
As soon as I see the words “churches” and “laws” and “beliefs” and “unconstitutional” in the same sentence, I get vertigo. The whole argument is based on a crock of goulash.
Government has no valid role in the religious beliefs or ceremonies surrounding marriage, period, gay or straight or celestial. The problems we face on this issue are not because of too little involvement by government but too much.
If the government wants to allow partners to make decisions about the rights, desires, insurance and deathbed wishes of each other, so be it. Let them sign a contract with each other that is recognized by the State.
Instead of creating another from of “marriage” in the model of “Vermont-style civil unions,” Oregon needs to abolish its marriage statutes altogether and replace them with a new contract under the law, a registration, if you will, that applies to everyone who wants to be part of a couple.
The “Coupled Contract,” if the term doesn’t have too much preloaded visualization.
If someone also wants to get “married” and regards that as a spiritual or religious right of passage, great. Find a church that agrees with your beliefs and go for it. You can marry your car, for all I’m concerned.
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