State Sanctioned Marriage

I have long maintained that the state should not have the power to license or regulate marriage. Marriage, as a human institution, preceded the state and even the church and organized religion by thousands of years. The right and power of marriage rightly belongs to the people getting married. No priest, pastor or rabbi or county clerk should need to be involved except by choice of the couple marrying. If you are Christian or some other faith, you should submit to what your faith group deems right....unless you disagree with it. If that's the case, it might be time to change up churches or whatever. What about divorce? It would become a simple dissolution of a contract.

Alabama is on the verge of history. No more state issued licenses for marriage. I guess that will resolve any more gay marriage issues. There won't be any. According to The Tenth Amendment Center:

An Alabama bill that would abolish marriage licenses in the state, and effectively nullify in practice both major sides of the contentious national debate over government-sanctioned marriage, unanimously passed an important Senate committee last week.

Sen. Greg Albritton (R-Bay Minette) filed Senate Bill 20 (SB20) earlier this month. The legislation would abolish all requirements to obtain a marriage license in Alabama. Instead, probate judges would simply record civil contracts of marriage between two individuals based on signed affidavits.

“All requirements to obtain a marriage license by the State of Alabama are hereby abolished and repealed. The requirement of a ceremony of marriage to solemnized the marriage is abolished.”

The Senate Judiciary Committee passed SB20 9-0 on Feb. 23.

The proposed law would maintain a few state requirements governing marriage. Minors between the ages of 16 and 18 would have to obtain parental permission before marrying, the state would not record a marriage if either party was already married, and the parties could not be related by blood or adoption as already stipulated in state law.

Civil or religious ceremonies would have no legal effect upon the validity of the marriage. The state would only recognize the legal contract signed by the two parties entering into the marriage.

I like it. I hope they can get the bill passed. So let it be written, so let it be done. Get the state out of the marriage bed forever.