Megan's Critique. Census Bureau Counting Same-Sex Couples.

In blog “Gay Marriage Being Counted in the Census Bureau,” fellow blogger Danielle is adamant of her opposition of same-sex marriages, not just that the Census Bureau is recognizing same-sex couples on the 2010 Census.

Same-sex couples being able to be counted as a “married” couple, conservatives, including Danielle, state this is just another step towards “redefining marriage.” What I have a hard time grasping is why is “redefining marriage” wrong? Danielle quotes this portion of our pledge of allegiance “one nation under God” and continues on with “God created marriage to be man with women.” But what about the bible commending slavery? Our Constitution in 1865 was amended “neither slavery nor involuntary servitude….shall exist within the United States….” So because it is commended in the bible, that is okay? Obviously not, because I couldn’t imagine anyone today being “for” slavery regardless what the book teaches us.

Over many decades, people of our country have overcome so much, it saddens me that even with such groundbreaking events, such as the end of slavery and segregation, all U.S. citizens granted the option to vote regardless of “race, color, sex or previous condition,” and electing a non-Caucasian president (and very close to electing a female one too), that there is still such opposition when it comes to same-sex couples (and even abortion).

I agree only with Danielle’s statement “people do have the freedom to love whoever,” but in my opinion they should also have the freedom to be counted just like everyone else, because they are a part of this country just like everyone else. Same-sex couples pay taxes, serve in our military and vote, so they too deserve equality, just like the slaves did, just like women and African-Americans did when we they were granted the right to vote and just like African-Americans did when they were allowed to sit at the front of a bus and attend “all white” schools, and just like when it became a woman’s right to choose.

Dear Government, Can I leave my house today?

I don’t follow the news often, it’s typically filled with jargon that I don’t understand or doesn’t seem to peek my interest, honestly there are only a couple issues that I feel compelled to be involved in. The most controversial in my opinion, government and the woman’s right to choose.

The hot topic? Should abortion be illegal? No way Jose. Why should our government mandate our bodies? They shouldn’t! Basically their goal, unless it’s medically necessary or involves rape or incest, it shouldn’t be funded. Their argument, “why should people who are against abortion have to use their tax dollars?” I’d have to ask the same thing towards Health Reform.

To me it seems pretty simple, women should have the right to choose. Period. I am a responsible adult, who made a decision long ago to not have children and I take all the precautions, but if something ever did happen, I want to know that I have the right to choose, not the government telling me I can’t because I wasn’t raped, or it’s not medically necessary. And that’s what it boils down to, it’s my body it should be my right.

The last thing our country needs is more unwanted babies, or babies that are brought into this world in a non-loving family, or a family that doesn’t have the means to take care of them. Making abortions illegal doesn’t mean they’ll go away, it would mean more “back alley” abortions will pop up, which would lead to an increase in women becoming infertile and even dying.

It seems bizarre to me that our country can overcome something as horrifying as slavery, and discrimination in schools, churches, restaurants, and so on, but abortion and same sex marriage is still such a heated debate. It worries me with the Health Reform talks that our clocks will start going backwards and the next thing you know, it will be 2011, but yet we’d be back in a time before Roe vs Wade.

What’s next Mr. Government? Pretty soon no matter if a person wants insurance or not, they’ll be required to have it, abortions will eventually be illegal again, marriage will always be between and man and a woman, sounds like the path you’re leading us down, by the time I’m 40 I won’t have any rights. Does this mean I’ll have to start wearing sunscreen daily, you know since the sun can cause skin cancer?