Combatting The Slippery Slope

Nearly all of the slippery slope arguments opposing homosexual marriage are illogical and ill-informed, directed at the readers’ pathos. The chief use of the slippery slope in the gay marriage debate is to frighten. If the prospect of gays marrying doesn’t make you scared, then perhaps the possibility of legalized polygamy, pedophilia, incest or bestiality will frighten you.

This is all, however, quite illogical. I have yet to see any statistics, data or even empirical evidence to suggest that legalizing gay marriage will increase rates of bestiality. The two seem utterly unconnected.

The reasoning that the government will have to officially recognize incestuous relationships is also deeply flawed. The vast majority of incestuous relationships – to the extent that we recognize them in America (commonly restricted to about direct relatives) – simply aren’t healthy, mature relationships – by any definition. The interactions between parent and offspring, between sibling and sibling – etcetera – simply precludes the healthy, natural development of a sexual relationship. Homosexuality carries none of this baggage.

The same argument holds true for pedophilia. Simply because homosexuals can legally wed, does not mean children are any more able to legally consent. Nor does it mean that they are any more capable of consenting than they are now.

Perhaps the single halfway sane slippery slope argument against homosexual marriage, is that of polygamous relationships. However it still does not stand up in the face of any sort of scrutiny. Recognizing polygamous marriages would be a far greater leap than recognizing homosexual ones. Also, it would require a large change in the definition of marriage. There has never been a strong polygamous culture in the United States. This is contrasted with the highly likely rather stable percentage of homosexuals throughout history. Besides a few odd fly by night religions, polygamy has hardly ever been even on the peripheral of western society – indeed since the biblical ages. The Church of Latter Day Saints has not officially permitted polygamy since the beginning of the 20th century – religious prosecution has little to do with the issue today. Ultimately, there is not a very strong polygamy movement in the United States. The possibility of it becoming legalized is virtually nonexistent. To try to frighten people by saying it could, should we allow homosexual marriage, is asinine.