The Politics of Marriage

The politics of marriage are quite complex. People often shy away from them, since they have become such a controversial issue. In many ways taking a stand in one way or another regarding the marriage issue is a sort of litmus test of one's overall worldview and philosophy.

We will discuss many issues, such as:

  • DOMA (the Defense of Marriage Act). Democratic president Bill Clinton signed this federal act in 1996, which defined marriage as the union between one man and one woman.

  • Proposition 8 in California. Voters approved this measure in 2008, which defined marriage as between one man and one woman.

  • Presidential candidates and others involved in the politics of marriage. We will be discussing many interesting people, such as Ron Paul, Newt Gingrich, David Blankenhorn, Ruben Diaz, and many others.

  • We will address the Libertarian position on marriage, and why we believe the official Libertarian position on marriage equality will result in MORE government interference in families lives, not less.

  • Various legal cases, such as Perry v. Schwarzenegger, Lawrence v. Texas, and others.

  • Various state battles regarding marriage. We'll discuss marriage decisions in Washington state, Rhode Island, Minnesota, and others places.

  • How other governments deal with the marriage issue, such as countries in Europe where marriage has been redefined to include people of the same sex.

Other related subjects are no fault divorce, religious freedom, and privatizing marriage. Below you will find articles from Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse, Carolyn Moynihan, Maggie Gallagher, and others.

About Us

Our intention here at Marriage-Ecosystem.org (a project of the Ruth Institute) is to educate people about the sociological effects of marriage. Personal reasons for marriage are important of course. But we believe that personal reasons for marriage are insufficient for understanding the entire ecology of marriage. Our large-scale approach is unique. Most resources that address the marriage issue take personal, small scale reasons and try to apply them to the larger scale. This does not work and is a recipe for disaster. Supporting marriage from a larger scale, a sociological scale, requires different reasons. This is why we created this site - to help people understand marriage in a new way.

Learn about Preserving the Ecosystem of Marriage.

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Inspiring People
to Defend
the Marriage Ecosystem

Our goal is to help everybody think about marriage in a new way, from a holistic, organic, and natural perspective. This perspective supports a free society for all, including future generations.

Personal reasons for marriage (such as love) are valid as personal reasons, but they serve as a poor foundation for public policies about marriage.

Donations from people like you help defend the ecosystem of marriage! Your tax-deductible donation gets you:

  • Our weekly e-newsletter, packed with information about the marriage movement
  • Our printed educational mailings, designed to keep you updated on important developments regarding marriage
  • Donations of $100-$999 receive our Ambassadors Packet, packed with educational materials about marriage, freedom and society.
  • Donations of $1,000 or more become Friends of Ruth and receive all of the above and more!

Donate at our main website, RuthInstitute.org:

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What are others reading?
Top pages are:

1. Part 5 of the Libertarian Case for Man/Woman Marriage: Marriage Laws & the Proper Role of the State

2. Part 3 of the Libertarian Case for Man/Woman Marriage: Gay Marriage Facts

3. Our page about Preserving the Ecosystem of marriage

4. Our page about how contraception harms the marriage ecosystem

5. Part 1 of the Libertarian Case for Man/Woman Marriage, Definition of Marriage



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