Why supporters of same-sex marriage call it ‘marriage equality’

Oct 17, 2016 by

by Margaret Somerville, MercatorNet:

In a recent press conference, it was striking how often Opposition Leader Bill Shorten used the term “marriage equality” and, equally striking, that not even once did he refer to “same-sex marriage” in criticizing the Government for not allowing a vote on this issue in Parliament, but insisting on a plebiscite.

We know that our choice of words affects our emotional responses and intuitions, including moral intuitions, all of which are important in deciding about ethics and values.

Striking examples of the impact of different words can be seen in surveys of the general public on euthanasia: when the words “assisted suicide” and “euthanasia” are used, far fewer people approve of these interventions than when they are described as “medically assisted death” – after all, we all want medical assistance when we are dying – or the “final act of good palliative care.”

So why are same-sex marriage advocates using the term “marriage equality”?

First, because equal treatment is often associated with fairness – sometimes mistakenly – “marriage equality” powerfully conveys the message that limiting marriage to a man and a woman is unfair and most people rightly recoil from acting unfairly.

Second, the call for “marriage equality” links same-sex couples’ claims to the right to marry to racial minorities’ claims to “racial equality” and the now universally recognized wrongs of breaches of human rights and of discrimination on the basis of race. This linking strategy was a powerful force in the legalization of same-sex marriage in North America.

But is this analogy to racial discrimination correct?

Read here

 

Related Posts

Tags

Share This