David Blankenhorn, The Future of Marriage

Excerpt

What is marriage? Is it essentially concerned with procreation? Or, as many now believe, is it mainly about love and “commitment” between adults? Recent court opinions put adult commitment front and center. In the words of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts ruling in favor of same-sex marriage, marriage is, in essence, “the exclusive commitment of two individuals to each other,” commitment whose purposes are “love,” “mutual support,” and a way of life conducive to social “stability.” In a similar vein, a Washington State superior judge recently defined marriage as “a close personal commitment…intended to be permanent.” In the same spirit, the Supreme Court of the State of New York has defined marriage as a public commitment “to a lifetime partnership” with “the person of one’s choosing.” …