Imagine you are in love.  The two of you have been together for a long time and have a good relationship with each other’s families. You want to spend the rest of your lives together and get married.

However, what if you couldn’t get married? What if the law said you can’t spend the rest of your life with the one you love? If you were in this position, it would be tough.

The issue of gay marriage has been a prominent one for many years now.  On May 17, 2004, Massachusetts became the first state to recognize same-sex marriage and other states including Washington, DC and Maryland, followed.  Today 37 states recognize gay marriage, with Alabama, on February 9, 2015, joining the mix.

Marriage is an international human right for all people. If people aren’t allowed to marry who they want to, then what’s the point of “human rights” at all? According to the American Foundation for Equal Rights, “Since 1888, the U.S. Supreme Court has declared 14 times that marriage is a fundamental right for all.” They said 14 times that men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family.

Legalizing gay marriage will not harm the institution of marriage. In fact, same-sex marriages are actually slightly more stable than heterosexual marriages. A November 2011 study by UCLA’s Williams Institute reported that “the rate at which legally recognized same-sex couples… end their relationships is 1.1% on average, while 2% of married different-sex couples divorce annually.”

Some people oppose same-sex marriage because of their religion. I completely understand the moral argument of religion, but not everyone believes in the Bible or other religious texts. However, people should be able to believe what they want and not interfere with other people’s lives because it is right and that is the law.

The United States separates religion from law, and the Supreme Court has ruled fourteen times that “marriage is a fundamental right for all.” Those who still argue on religious grounds say gay marriage is contrary to the word of God and is incompatible with the beliefs, sacred texts, and traditions of many religious groups.