OP/ED: A Case For Genuine Marriage

By Karen Testerman

In the Declaration of Independence it states that our inalienable rights are “endowed by our Creator.” They come from God, not a king, dictator or some elite group, but from God. These are rights that should be protected. Among those rights are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It is the role of government to protect those rights. In life we were made male and female and we are to be fruitful and to multiply if we are to continue to exist. If we are to protect life then we must also protect the institution where life begins, marriage between one man and one woman.

Likewise, human nature is not perfect and there are times when people lack self-governance. The vacuum that is created is when government steps in.  Government needs people entering into marriage – monogamous relationship between one man and one woman – to insure that the mother AND more importantly, the father acknowledges and accepts the responsibility for their children; to insure that the male who impregnates a woman is responsible for the woman and is also responsible for the well being of their children.

The Public Good of Marriage

If we are to exist as a nation we must reproduce. For a society just to continue without growing there must be on average 2.1 children born for every woman.  Scientifically a child can only occur with the sexual union of one man and one woman. It is also important that the environment for the development of the next generation be the best possible. Research continues to demonstrate that the best environment is with both the biological mother and father who are in a lifelong committed relationship. This is genuine marriage that serves a public good.

On the other hand counterfeit marriage is focused on the perceived rights of the individual, allowing a “loving relationship” to be legitimized. There is no biological way for two of the same sex to reproduce in a counterfeit marriage without introducing another individual resulting in confusion and added burdens to society. There is no public benefit from counterfeit marriage. Additionally, a whole new level of government regulation and enforcement will be created to secure the rights and privileges of this special class.

It’s for our children

Regarding our next generation, every child has a mother and a father and every child deserves to live and be raised by both their mother and father. We as Americans should not deny a child their relationship with both their mother and their father. Biologically there are physiological happenings when that child relates to the presence of each parent that are vital to the healthy development of the child. When either role is missing the child often seeks to fulfill that vacancy in the form of gangs, unwed motherhood, drugs and alcohol abuse, etc.  Most of our government support programs are in existence to help fix the fallout that occurs from fractured families.

When a married mother and father raise the children they produce, the children are healthier and less likely to be involved with law enforcement or become an unwed mother. These factors alone put less of a financial burden on society. Seventy percent of the boys in juvenile justice have no father in the home.  When a person graduates from high school, gets a full time job and gets married before they have children, they are 70 percent less likely to be in poverty. It is in the family that one learns to live with others, their work ethic, and other valuable life skills that translate into the broader communities that comprise America.  Married couples earn more than other family forms. The economic wealth of nations is directly linked to the health of genuine marriage in the nation.  According to the Heritage Foundation “Research shows that good policy places marriage and the family at the center, working to promote and strengthen this long-established institution.”

Denying the Rights of Others

Creating an unnatural class like counterfeit marriage denies the rights of others.  As the government attempts to regulate that unnatural class, we infringe on the rights of conscience of individuals that affect their income and remove free speech and association. In Massachusetts and California, parents cannot exercise their freedom to educate their children in their ideology. A church in Connecticut cannot exercise their freedom to rent to whom they choose. In Arizona, a photographer is not allowed to exercise her freedom to provide her services to clientele she chooses. A 15-year-old writes a paper supporting natural mother-father adoption and is censored.

The Real Questions

Will the Legislature pass HB 437 to restore genuine marriage in New Hampshire?  Will the Legislature trust the people of New Hampshire and give them an opportunity to vote on a constitutional amendment to define marriage?

is the former executive director of the Cornerstone Policy Research and a 2010 Republican candidate for governor.