Rather than galvanizing Americans into a unified body, the Obergefell decision has left U.S. citizens more divided than ever on the question of gay marriage, after the court itself showed a deep divide on the issue. In an unprecedented move, the four opposing justices each published an independent dissent, leaving a mine of legal reasoning contrary to the majority opinion.The AP poll reveals that 42% of Americans favor legal gay marriage, while a similar poll carried out last April showed 48% in favor. Moreover, in conflicts between the interests of same-sex couples and those of religious liberty, a majority of Americans (56%) believe that government should rule in favor of religious freedom.Specifically, more Americans believe that local officials with religious objections should be exempted from issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples, with 49% siding with the exemption and 47% saying they should be obliged to comply with the law. Moreover, an increasing number of U.S. citizens believe that wedding-related businesses with religious objections should be allowed to refuse service to gay and lesbian couples. Whereas in April 52% thought they should be accorded this option, the number was up to 59% in the recent poll.
“What the Supreme Court did is jeopardize our religious freedoms,” said Michael Boehm, 61, an industrial controls engineer from the Detroit area who describes himself as a conservative-leaning independent.“You’re going to see a conflict between civil law and people who want to live their lives according to their faiths,” Boehm said.
So not everyone among the cattle-masses of post-America is on board with the idea that you can just, using some kind of extra-Constitutional appeal to "dignity," change the millennia-old definition of one of the most basic words in the universe of human languages.
Laying down the law is never unifying. If a matter gets all the way to the Supreme Court it's anything but unanimous all the way there. Remember bussing?
ReplyDeleteYeah, that was a real fine moment in our nation's history / (sarc)
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