Marriage solely being between a man and a women is something we have had for centuries, however, due to divorces and newer ways to have a family, our prestigious and “honorable estate” (Bennett 34) of marriage is weakened. By lumping gay marriage with traditional marriage, Bennett believes that the definition of marriage would be further weakened. If we legally allow this union to be a part of marriage, then how could we stop a less legitimate union, like incest or bigamy? Excluding marriage between a man and a woman is not discriminatory towards homosexuals, but it is protective towards our institution of
(Ivers, p.33) A legal team lead by Thomas Emerson represented Griswold and Buxton in this case. Emerson argued that the “liberty” part of the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment was too broad to encompass the right to privacy that allowed married couples to get information and use birth control. The court struck down the Connecticut law saying that it violated the right of privacy protected by the US Constitution. (Ivers, p.33) According to the 53-32 of the General Statutes of Connecticut provided that "Any person who uses any drug, medicinal article or instrument for the purpose of preventing conception shall be fined not less than fifty dollars or imprisoned not less than sixty days nor more than one year or be both fined and imprisoned." and 54-196 of the General Statutes of Connecticut states “Any person who assists, abets, counsels, causes, hires or commands another to commit any offense may be prosecuted and punished as if he were the principal offender."
This line sets the stage for his entire argument, giving the reader an idea of his stance on divorce from a personal perspective. Duchaine claims that divorce should have never been generalized as an acceptable life choice, with the exception of abusive relationships or unfaithful partners. In the occurrence of these mishaps, Duchaine argues that divorce is understandable and acceptable. Duchaine states the effects of divorce on children and gives statistics as well to add to his stance on divorce, stating “children who have divorced parents before age 16 are 67% more likely to be divorced from a partner later in life” (2). Because of the wide variety of substance Duchaine adds to his article, it makes it more reader-friendly and more relatable to a broader range of people.
There are many cases that indicate that the Court often takes the easy way out by listening to public opinion rather than truly upholding the Constitution (Bartee, 2006). This is why the Poe v. Ullman case, 367 U.S. 497 (1961), was quickly made invalid just a few short years after it was decided. When the Court makes a decision that does violate privacy rights, groups of American citizens get together to protest and find ways to influence the Court to overturn those decisions (Bartee, 2006). Therefore, in some instances the Court does overstep its boundaries as it did when it made birth control pills illegal. However, it backed down a few years later by changing the decision based largely on public opinion.
Writer John J. Macionis explains the misconceptions about rape. Date Rape: Exposing Dangerous Myths, he stresses around citizens of the United States are victims to a sexual attack and never report the incident. John J. Macionis writes about how woman misinterpret the understandings of what rape is even classified, and if it is even is important to discuss to the authorities. Rape is considered forced without the consent. Many women experience this gruesome incident and have hard times after the condition and don’t know who to speak out to, but John J. Macionis helps to clarify the common myths that misconceive the meanings of rape.
Review of Chet Meeks’ and Arlene Stein’s Article “Refiguring the Family: Towards a Post-Queer Politics of Gay and Lesbian Marriage” While same-sex relationships have been recognized in countries like Europe, South Africa, Australia, and North America, America banned same-sex marriage one year after a Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples were entitled to equal rights. In Refiguring the Family: Towards a Post-Queer Politics of Gay and Lesbian Marriage, the authors Chet Meeks and Arlene Stein focus not on the resistance to lesbian and gay marriage by the American mainstream, but on the opinions within the lesbian and gay community, since the lesbian and gay communities have been divided in the United States about the issue. Meeks and
Virginia governor, Bob McDonnell, was open to this shameful procedure and pushed for it to be adopted in his state. It is completely and medically unnecessary and its invasive characteristics have been prevented from becoming the law for now. However, the massive amounts of protestors have not swayed certain politicians from continuing their unimpeded fight to control women’s bodies. Mandatory abdominal ultrasounds are currently in effect in nine states, including Virginia, which with being unable to convince the legislature to pass the invasive bill, settled for a more tolerable one ("An Overview of Abortion Laws.") Women across the country who must go through the traumatizing horrors of abortion are often categorized as shameful.
According to Becky Lockwood, the associate director at a center for women, this causes people to see sex as a commodity, making them think it is okay to do whatever they deem necessary to acquire it, even if that means violence. Another factor of rape culture is that even though rape is legally a crime, it is the one crime in which such a large majority of survivors don’t feel like they can speak out and the only one where such a large majority of those that do are questioned about whether or not a crime was actually committed. People do not ask the
Unique Characteristics of Domestic Violence Cases Derived from English common law, the American legal system had a long tradition of regarding domestic violence as a private family matter, not subject to criminal prosecution. Early American courts held that husbands acted within their rights when they beat and abused their wives in response to what husbands described as their wives’ ‘‘misbehavior.’’ This view of domestic violence as a private family matter stemmed from a larger body of law and social custom that denied women a separate identity of their own. Indeed, the American legal system did not criminalize domestic violence until the late nineteenth century. It was not until 1871 that a state court, the Supreme Court of Alabama, in Fulgham v. State, determined for the first time that a husband did not have the right to beat his wife. In the years following this decision, several states began adopting laws against domestic violence that made wife beating a crime.
Therefore, marital rape exemption under Section 375 of Indian Penal Code is a clear infringement of Article 14 and 21 of Indian Constitution. Article 14 safegurads a person’s right to equality. The exception under Section 375 is clearly discriminates a wife when it comes to safeguarding them from rape. It is also mentioned under Article 51A (e) that it is fundamental duty of every citizen of India decry practices that are derogatory to the dignity women. The part of the state in a democratic libertarian culture is to secure and advance the privileges of its residents paying no respect to their sex or societal position.