*WHY MARRIAGE IS REGULATED BY THE STATE

In a 2004 article entitled "The Secular Case Against Gay Marriage," Adam Kolasinski discusses the state's interest in the regulation of marriage. The state's primary interest in marriage lies in the protection of the needs and rights of the children who may be created from a heterosexual union.

Kolasinski indicates that there is no universal right to marry, even among heterosexuals. Interestingly, he contrasts homosexual marriage with interracial marriage, which was at one time legally prohibited in parts of the United States:

"Some have compared the prohibition of homosexual marriage to the prohibition of interracial marriage. This analogy fails because fertility does not depend on race, making race irrelevant to the state’s interest in marriage. By contrast, homosexuality is highly relevant because it precludes procreation."

For the full text of this enlightening article, please visit:
http://tech.mit.edu/V124/N5/kolasinski.5c.html