Should gay marriage be a federal issue or a state issue?

What about abortion? Should that be a federal issue or a state issue? I ask because it seems to me that too many things are becoming 'federalized';, which is NOT what our forefathers had in mind.Should gay marriage be a federal issue or a state issue?
If these fweaks want the federal government to endorse their unnatural, perverted lifestyle, then it's a federal issue.Should gay marriage be a federal issue or a state issue?
The 14th Amendment states ';All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.';





The key word in there is ';privileges.'; I never considered gov't sanctioning of marriage a Right. But it is a privilege. Furthermore, there is no mention of race in this paragraph. Simply all US Citizens. That would include gay citizens as well.





So shouldn't laws like Prop 8 in California be unconstitutional?





This is a new line of thought for me. I never considered gay marriage as a federal constitutional issue.
Gay marriage will remain a state issue for some time to come. But we are slowly moving toward a national decision on gay marriage. The first step that has to be taken is repealing the DOMA Act. When that is accomplished, and it likely will be accomplished at some point, then the Supreme Court is wide open to hear a case that will compel them to nationalize the right to gay marriage, much the same as they nationalized the right to interracial marriage in 1967.





Should it be nationalized? I do believe this should be. Mostly because it's a civil rights issue that affects citizens of the entire nation, not just certain states. Civil rights belong to us all.
It is a federal constitutional issue, period. Marriage is a fundamental right protected by the federal constitution.





Your history is also mistaken. The federalist lost when the articles of confederation failed because the states had too much power, and our government was restructured giving the federal government more power with our current constitution to overcome the problems with the articles weak central government.





Furthermore, the 14th amendment was added after the civil war for the express purpose of taking power away from the states to prevent flagrant human rights abuses such as slavery and states from attempting to leave the union. Don't discuss history unless you know something about it.
Difficult question.





Historically, this would be considered a state issue, and I tend to agree. There is precedent though, for the Federal government making law where negative rights are concerned (those rights that are thought to be held ';against the government,'; or despite the government) Freedom of marriage or free treatment of one's own body might constitutionally fall under these provisions, so I could see the argument for federal involvement.





Probably a case for the supremem court to decide, since that is more or less their job.
Right. Pretty much everything of importance in social issues are being decided by the supreme court who are no elected. Im uncomfortable with a small group having so much authoritarian power. Theyre already taken away the life, liberty, and property of the unborn. Who knows what they will do next.





Things like that should be a state issue.
Gay marriage should definitely be a federal issue, because it relates to civil rights. Not sure about abortion. But you should realize, our forefathers were living in a very different world, in which transportation and communication were quite limited. In modern times, it's not practical for each state to act like it's a country unto itself.
They should be federalized because no government, neither the state, local or federal should have the authority to force a woman to carry a pregnancy to term or to prevent two consenting adults from marring.
State.





Gay marriage, Im fine with it as long as they keep themselves out my church, call it what they want, just dont force Christians like me to accept them in my church when it is against my religion.
Our forefathers didn't have an Air Force in mind, does that mean we shouldn't have changed that part of our military?





I don't think our forefathers had a lot of 21st century issues in mind in the late 1700s.
State.





Drug policy, abortion, gay marriage, education, health, welfare, police, fire, etc. It should all be state decisions.
These are both federal issues. Should the equal rights movement have been a states rights issue? I don't think so. How can we say it is ok for a state to discriminate against one group of people? Same thing with abortion.
I think it should be a state issue, if an issue at all.





It's up to people to decide, really. I have no business butting into their personal life.
I don;t see how equal rights should be left up to the states. If gay marriage is a state issue, interracial marriage should be as well.
Both issues are states rights issues. They are not enumerated in the United States Constitution.
State.
States issues all the way.
Gay marriage is the result of a moral decay in society. We should make it legal everywhere and you should be allowed to marry animals too.