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Marriage in sentence

1638 examples of Marriage in a sentence

The parliamentary debate that has preceded the likely passage of this legislation revealed a classic case of an institution (marriage) coming into conflict with a cause (human rights).
Both opponents and supporters of the bill concede that marriage has changed in various ways over time.
The chief argument of those opposed to the bill is that marriage has always meant a lifelong union aimed at procreation and child-rearing.
As such, marriage is inescapably to a member of the opposite sex.
Against this, supporters of same-sex marriage argue that the one constant that defines the married state is a loving couple’s commitment to “share their journey.”
It is simply unfair to withhold the status of marriage from those who want to make this public vow.
In the House of Lords, Lord Mackay of Clashfern, a former Lord Chancellor, moved an amendment requiring the bill to distinguish between marriage (same sex) and marriage (opposite sex).
The common word marriage, he argued, would remove any discrimination, but the brackets would recognize that the two states were different.
Supporters of the bill allowing same-sex marriage pooh-poohed “marriage in brackets.”
Churches would not be required to consecrate same-sex unions, or teachers to promote them (against their conscience); but, as far as the state is concerned, marriage would be gender-blind.
But, as I have sat and listened to the debate, I cannot help wondering what a break it is in human history for so much intellect and feeling to be focused on such a small matter as the state’s withholding of a word, marriage, but not its substance.
On the lexicographic point, opponents of same-sex marriage are surely right.
Historically, marriage has not been, as one peer described it, an “elongated envelope,” into which any expression of love and commitment can be packed.
But there is a glaring weakness in the arguments of the bill’s opponents: while they hint darkly at the “unintended consequences” of legalizing same-sex marriage, they cannot spell out exactly what these consequences would be.
It is not obvious that “normal” marriage, procreation, or child-rearing would be threatened by this “add on.”
In fact, opponents of the bill fail to mention that traditional marriage is in a fairly advanced state of decay in Western societies.
Fewer and fewer people are bothering to get married, and marriage is regarded less and less as a lifelong union.
But the very longevity of an institution like marriage is some mark of its worth.
For many conservative Catholics, same-sex marriage was a tipping point, while left-wing Catholics find themselves being crowded out by the right.
It is also a struggle to end girls’ exploitation at work and in domestic service, and to end the oppression of child marriage and child trafficking, which remain all too common in Africa and Asia.
Compared to respondents in the other Middle Eastern countries, Saudis were less religious overall, and their attitudes toward democracy and arranged marriage also indicate a moderate undercurrent.
Even on marriage, many Saudis expressed surprisingly liberal views.
Respondents were nearly evenly split on the question of arranged marriages, with half supporting the idea that marriage should be based on parental consent, while 48% preferred love as the basis of matrimony.
Yet there are major barriers to boosting school enrollment – beginning with the persistence of child marriage.
Every year, 15 million girls are married before they reach the age of 18 – one every two seconds – with early or forced child marriage affecting about a quarter of girls worldwide.
Beyond increasing the probability that a girl will suffer violence, early marriage boosts girls’ chances of early pregnancy by 90%.
In Uganda, Favourite Regina is keeping refugee girls out of early marriage and pregnancy, as part of an initiative led by CIYOTA, a youth-led, volunteer-based organization established in the Kyangwali refugee settlement.
Abuse in all of its forms – whether torture, rape, forced marriage, or forced labor – does more than cause physical damage.
These disabilities extend to victims’ participation in marriage and family.
It also means upholding sexual and reproductive rights and combating sexual and gender-based violence, including harmful practices like child, early, or forced marriage.
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