Should Gay Marriage be Legal? New Pro and Con Research from ProCon.org

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Sept. 21 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- ProCon.org, the premier, free, nonpartisan, public charity whose aim is to provide readers with unbiased research on the country's most debated issues has completed its authoritative pros and cons on whether or not to legalize gay marriage.

Gay Marriage ProCon.org (http://www.gaymarriage.procon.org), the 36th ProCon.org issue website, presents 26 compelling pro and con arguments related to the question "Should gay marriage be legal?" The website includes a detailed timeline of same-sex marriage, several little known "Did You Know?" facts, a 1,200+ word "Background" article, video debates, citations for all sources used, readers' comments, and more. The findings should help readers think critically about gay marriage and get all the facts about this issue without any spin.

Did You Know?

* Gay marriage is allowed in 10 countries, five US states (MA, CT, IA, VT, and NH), and the District of Columbia. 30 states have constitutional amendments banning gay marriage.

* Massachusetts, which became the first state to legalize gay marriage in 2004, had the lowest divorce rate in the country in 2008. Its divorce rate declined 21% between 2003 and 2008. Alaska, the first state to alter its constitution to prohibit gay marriage in 1998, saw a 17.2% increase in its divorce rate. The seven states with the highest divorce rates between 2003 and 2008 all had constitutional prohibitions to gay marriage.

* The Congressional Budget Office estimated on Dec. 17, 2009 that extending employment benefits to same-sex domestic partners of federal employees would cost the federal government $596 million in mandatory spending and $302 million in discretionary spending between 2010 and 2019.

* The Williams Institute at UCLA Law School estimated the positive economic impact of legalizing gay marriage in New Jersey to be $248 million over three years, creating 800 new jobs and bringing in an additional $19 million in government revenues.

* 10 out of 194 countries allow same-sex couples to marry: the Netherlands (2000), Belgium (2003), Canada (2005), Spain (2005), South Africa (2006), Norway (2009), Sweden (2009), Argentina (2010), Iceland (2010), and Portugal (2010). Gay couples are allowed to wed in parts of Australia and Mexico.

Pro

Proponents argue that same-sex couples should have access to the same civil rights, marriage benefits, and public acknowledgment enjoyed by heterosexual couples and that prohibiting gay marriage is simply unconstitutional discrimination.

Con

Opponents argue that altering the traditional definition of marriage as between a man and a woman will further weaken the threatened institution of marriage and that legalizing gay marriage is a slippery slope that may lead to polygamous and interspecies marriages.

For much more information, visit www.gaymarriage.procon.org.

About Us

ProCon.org (online at www.procon.org) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public charity whose mission is promoting critical thinking, education, and informed citizenship.  Information is presented on 36 different ProCon.org issue websites in subjects ranging from medical marijuana, abortion, and alternative energy to the death penalty, illegal immigration, and health care reform.

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SOURCE ProCon.org