by Issues and Controversies on File

About the author: Issues and Controversies on File is a semimonthly digest published by Facts On File.

Almost unimaginable in the 1970s, legally sanctioned marriages between two people of the same sex have become a very real possibility as a result of a 1993 ruling by the Hawaii Supreme Court. In its controversial Baehr v. Lewin decision, the Hawaii court ruled that barring same-sex marriages was tantamount to sex discrimination. The case was sent back to a lower Hawaii court, which must decide if there is a compelling state interest in denying marriage licenses to same-sex couples. . . . The possibility that gays and lesbians could get married in Hawaii and have their marriages become legally recognized in every other state has alarmed many conservatives and galvanized gay-rights groups.

The Arguments

Opponents of same-sex marriage include...