Does the equal protection clause in the fourteenth amendment guarantee same-sex couples the right to marry? If same-sex marriage were to be federally legalized would the sturdy backbone of our culture be broken? Is it not morally wrong to deny the citizens of the United States of America the basic human right to marry? Is it governments place to define marriage and love? The United States of America is desperately striving to answer these intense questions but it seems that everyone has a different opinion on what is moral and what is lawful. Same-sex marriage is currently an extremely hot issue in The U.S. While the majority of younger people accept same-sex marriage and don't understand why so many people oppose it, many people oppose same-sex marriage for various reasons (To have and to hold; Gay marriage). In fact, young Americans (those ages 18-29) are some of the strongest proponents of allowing gay and lesbian couples to engage in marriage. Seventy-two percent of them support it, as do a majority of Americans ages 30-44. However, support for same-sex marriage is at 44 percent among those who are age 45-64 and drops even further to just a third of Americans age 65 and over. Fifty-six percent of seniors oppose legalizing same-sex marriage ("Poll: 51 percent support same-sex marriage."). Some people may oppose the legalization of same-sex marriage is that "traditional" marriage is between one man and one woman. Also, many fear that breaking this religious statement could lead to other movement rebelling against religion. .
However, many people find the ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional and argue that marriage is a civil right which all Americans are entitled ("Same-Sex Marriage: Overview"). Many people believe that marriage (including same-sex marriage) is an unenumerated right. Unenumerated rights are entitlements that are in addition to those that are specifically listed, or enumerated, in the Constitution.