Marriage laws designed to serve its public purpose

Contrary to the writer’s views in “Marriage equality is a rights issue” (Oct 7, online), I see no compelling reason for the definition of a fundamental social institution to be changed by legalising same-sex unions.

The state confers benefits on marriage because marriage confers benefits to the state. The union of man and woman creates life and connects those children to their mother and father, thereby laying the foundation for the next generation.

Individuals may marry for many private reasons, but society creates laws governing marriage because of its public purpose: Responsible procreation.

While heterosexual marriages without children are the exceptions, a homosexual union is without exception unable to produce biological children. The compatibility of the union of man and woman is obvious and unique.

Since a mother and a father are indispensable to a child, and society has no special interest in sanctioning every romantic relationship, there is no compulsion to promote homosexual unions or other forms of union.