What is morality?

Every society that has ever existed has had a system of morals that people abide by. But beliefs held in societies are constantly changing with time. According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, morality is defined as “beliefs about what is right behavior and what is wrong behavior; the degree to which something is right and good; the moral goodness or badness of something”. So the question is what is really right or wrong if morality is always changing in our culture? I will argue that morality is based off what authorities in power within a culture declare is socially acceptable or moral and that morality is shaped in our culture by awareness of human rights. This can be exemplified in this government’s laws and actions regarding same-sex marriage.

In America, homosexuality had been frowned upon for centuries. Rooted from Christianity and the Bible, ideas about it in the Bible created the belief that homosexuality was immoral. States in the south, being predominantly conservative, had very strict same sex marriage laws, including states like Tennessee. In 2006, the state of Tennessee passed the Same-Sex Marriage Ban which stated,"The historical institution and legal contract solemnizing the relationship of one (1) man and one (1) woman shall be the only legally recognized marital contract in this state… If another state or foreign jurisdiction issues a license for persons to marry and if such marriage is prohibited in this state by the provisions of this section, then the marriage shall be void and unenforceable in this state." (ballotpedia.org). The Tennessee state government believed that the only form of marriage should be between man and woman, so they passed a law that prohibited same-sex marriage and would not recognize marriage performed in another state. This shows that the Tennessee state government promoted inequality for gay people. Because it was promoted by the government, people believed same-sex marriage was immoral. Soon, the laws changed with one essential landmark case: Obergefell v. Hodges.

After nearly 9 years the Same-Sex Marriage Ban in Tennessee passed, the case Obergefell v. Hodges changed everything. On June 26, 2015, the Supreme Court’s opinion stated,"The Court, in this decision, holds same-sex couples may exercise the fundamental right to marry in all States. It follows that the Court also must hold—and it now does hold—that there is no lawful basis for a State to refuse to recognize a lawful same-sex marriage performed in another State on the ground of its same-sex character… It is so ordered," (supreme court.gov). After years of the LGBT community fighting for their rights and being discriminated against, the Supreme Court finally ruled that same-sex marriage would be legal nationwide. The government was convinced by the people to change their morals and grant the homosexuals the right to marry.

Overtime, after so much attention was brought to gay rights, people within the U.S. government ultimately recognized that gay marriage was morally right. Because our nation’s government recognized the human right to marry anyone, it is now socially acceptable.

Works Cited:

Image: https://www.theodysseyonline.com/morality-part-1-david-hume

1) http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/morality

2) https://ballotpedia.org/Tennessee_Same-Sex_Marriage_Ban,_Amendment_1_(2006)

3) https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/14pdf/14-556_3204.pdf