The Relationship between Marriage and Motherhood

Introduction 

Against Marriage and Motherhood by Claudia Card's article looks into the advocacy and legality of gay and lesbian marriage. Gay and lesbian legal rights on parenthood and marriage criticize motherhood and marriage insufficiently as currently structured and practiced by Northern legal institutions. 1 . The article title is deliberately provocative to avoid the radical perspective of feminism on motherhood and marriage since in the quest for equal rights, they are at risk of being lost. Despite many being okay with motherhood and marriage as it exists, it is essential that legal marriage be a way that gay and lesbian lovers to have a supportive environment with their children. However, the idea of a legal marriage of gay and lesbians providing a supportive environment must not override women's struggles in the quest for a better-trying set. While Claudia focuses on marriage and motherhood, Immanuel Kant, in his journal, focuses on the body duties regarding sexual impulse. The article notes that each human body is an enjoyment object of the other, a human being's inclination. Sexual urge is where a man desires satisfaction from another man’s body with their consent. However, human beings cannot be made indulgence objects of others since it is only possible through sexual impulse. Pure human love does not consider age or the type of person, while love originating from sexual interaction or attraction is not true love but sexual appetite towards others. 2 . Love brings happiness to people, while sex appetite after the need is satisfied. This essay focuses on the relationship between marriage, motherhood, and parenting concerning heterosexuals and relationships of similar gender compared to moral and ethics of sexuality. 

Marriage and Motherhood 

Claudia that the existing perspective in this journal is influenced by other analyses and writing and the background she was brought up in. There are various types of child-rearing, such as community-based care where even if one doesn't have kids or is not married can rare the children with their society. 3 . Therefore, mothering can be regarded as a social institution within which a child has specific values and perspectives influenced by the parenting figure. Over a decade now, lesbian/gay activists and feminist philosophers have had optimism legitimated motherhood and legal marriage potentialities. Claudia suggests that marriage isn't long-term relationships and intimacy oppositions but a relationship within which the essential third party is the State. Intimacy, either short or long-term, does not define a marriage even if the connection has been in existence for long. Marriage previously in the Northern democracies between heterosexuals was only for the propertied or with social power individuals is currently available to any adult gay or lesbian couples. The opposition to motherhood is that motherhood is not providing education, caretaking, and guidance for children or creating many bonds between adults and children. Feminists have highly opposed motherhood and marriage since patriarchy's modern history has been oppressive and mandatory to women. Even though households of gay and lesbian partnerships refer to themselves as family, they are not sanctified not accepted by legal marriage and patriarchal stereotypes. Families are contractual; thus, groups in no contractual relationships cannot be regarded as family. Since a legal marriage sets a background for motherhood and family is legitimated, more focus is on marriage. 

Gay AND Lesbian Marriages 

There is no consensus on the vantage point of experience specializing in gay and lesbian legitimacy and whether legal rights for same-sex marriages should be pursued. Heterosexuals consider two factors when they think of marriage, including whether they should marry and the consequences of the union to the kids they will raise or have 4 . As heterosexual marriages face significant opposition with societies even though it’s legal, it is still a dilemma to lesbian and gay lovers whether they should or not marry as it mostly happens between people of the opposite sex. Lousy treatment by society does not mean that heterosexuals should pursue marriage as the question of marriage rights pursing whether the law is correct or not to deny similar sex marriages. The marriage of same-sex partners can be compared to prostitution; thus, acts like sodomy should be discriminated according to the author. Marriage rights should legally enable sexual intercourse between partners and reduce same-sex partners' oppression. Gays and lesbians must eliminate barriers in the same enjoyment of marriage rights while not discriminating against those who choose not to get married as the State uses marriage to make a union between two legitimate. 

As a result of lack of freedom in the marriage setting, marriages face challenges, most of which are remediable though they would reduce people's urge to get married. Many employers prefer married individuals, while married individuals have many spousal benefits. Many are forced to get married for economic sustenance, especially women. Even though a divorce is consented to between the partners, it has many consequences later on. Divorced people, especially the wealthy ones, are at risk of been sued for financial support, which their divorced partners do not deserve. One of the significant challenges that face heterosexuals is that legal marriage requires that an individual be married to one partner at a time. The most strict rule of marriage that an individual upon marriage possesses each other property, persons' and lives exposes either of the partners to rape, torture, stalking, mayhem, battery, and even murder. Murder cases are rampant in many parts of the world, let alone the USA. It's not that all marriages are violent, but the marriage body exposes the spouses to such dangers. Gay and lesbian when unmarried, are not protected by the law from the battery, which is typically between heterosexual relationships 5 . Considering the dangers of marriage, legalizing gay and lesbian marriage is not a good idea since many heterosexuals are better off legally unmarried. However, people believe that marriage gives children a good environment, thus requiring many to be married to adopt kids, predominantly gay and lesbian partners. 

Why Motherhood 

'Mother' is an ambiguous term between parenting and giving birth to children. TheThe woman who bears a child doesn't have to be the woman who brings up the child. Historically, a child has to be born in a marriage setting for the father to be responsible, while if an unmarried woman bares a child, it is their responsibility to rare the child. Despite the patriarchal beliefs, children have been brought in different sets rather than the motherhood ideology. Today, not many married partners rare their children directly as they subject their kids to caretaking centers. The caregivers' relationship with kids could be better compared with the parent's one since they are the ones that are the children. A single household doesn't mean that the child-rearing will be good, as has been proven by many divorce cases where children have to be indifferent households. Kids are also brought up in orphanages and boarding schools there not mothers, and the raring is still thriving. The notion that Children need adult intimate bonds that are stable, education, healthcare, a variety of relations with others, and supervision is not precisely accurate. The upbringing setting environment is good but does not always work. Contrasting the idea, children reared by gay and lesbians parents are more likely in relationships affirmed and chosen by their caregivers. Despite a special bond existing between a blood mother and the children, upbringing plays a big part in a child's relations. In the current world, motherhood at times is not necessary as children may be suffering abuse from drug-abusing mothers, lack of affection, and lack of upbringing due to work. 

Sexual Morality 

Comparatively, Kant uses a different approach to explain love and sexuality, forming a relationship. The sexual attraction is just a desire to use another person's body to satisfy one's needs. True human love includes bring joy to others, affection, goodwill, and promoting happiness with others. Even though sex is a component resulting from pure love, a sex-based relationship does not have love as when the desire of a human body is satisfied, the interaction ends. The desire for sex that a man possesses is because she is a female and not based on being a human being since her sex is the desired object. Human beings, for this reason, work more towards making their sex more alluring and their human nature. Through stimulation, two individuals with equal sexual desire to satisfy their needs make humanity a satisfaction instrument; thus, human beings are sex sacrificed. 

Comparing to Claudia's article, where sexuality should be based on the willingness or bound by a relationship between two partners despite their gender, Kant suggests that sexuality raises a question of how far human beings are willing to go to satisfy their needs or let partners satisfy their needs on them. For this reason, philosophers argue that there must be a restraining basis of sexual freedom to uphold morality. 6 . A human being does not own their body and cannot do what they please with their bodies, such as using their bodies as objects to satisfy others' needs for financial gains. 7 . Vaga libido is where a man makes themselves an object of satisfaction is immoral. However, when two people surrender to each other willingly for sexual satisfaction alone, moral. However, concubinage is not legitimate when it is viewed from the perspective of the initiator of the sexual activity still made themselves an object. Organa sexualia only allows an individual to surrender a part of the body and not the whole body. 

Nevertheless, owning one's whole body is only allowed in marriage as in the ideas in Card's article whereupon marriage and sexual intercourse, the partners own the entire body of their partners. It is moral for each partner being each other's object of satisfaction in a marriage as it a commitment one makes upon marriage. Incest is immoral sexual intercourse involving people who are related to engaging in intercourse. It involves sexual l interactions between siblings or parents and children, which should not be advocated for. However, some cultures allow incest as intermarriages occur between cousins or inherited wives. Nature has made sexuality a human desire that subjects us to much immoral conduct. Knowingly or unknowingly, human beings are objects of satisfaction, either in a married or not. Love and sexuality are almost similar, just that once a sexual desire is fully filled, the relationship ends, while when love comes, it lasts. 

Conclusion 

Does moral and sexual ethics advocate for heterosexual relationships? Many philosophers, feminists, and heterosexual activists have different opinions on the same. A marriage is considered a legal setting within which lovers, whether of the same or different sexes, are recognized by the government. As a result of marriage, it is assumed that the family provides an environment where motherhood is practice properly. Children are delicate and have to be brought up in a stable household where they are educated, provided with healthcare, love, and guidance. However, Claudia argues that motherhood is unnecessary in the current world we live in. Also, marriage is not necessary for recognition and children's raring. Most heterosexuals prefer not to be married but want to have children they bring up. On the other hand, Kant focuses on human beings' sexuality. Human beings are subjects of sexual satisfaction. Every normal human being has sexual desires but must be satisfied through the proper channels where the partners both willing to meet each other's wants. The best method for moral sexual satisfaction is through marriage since partners are obligated to satisfy each other. In the world we are living, LGBTQ sexual interactions are accepted and legitimate since sexual attraction can either be towards a different gender or similar sex. 

References 

Card, Claudia. "Against marriage and motherhood."  Hypatia  11, no. 3 (1996): 1-23. 

Kant, Immanuel.  Duties towards the body in respect of sexual impulse . na, 1963. 

Llewellyn, Cheryl. "Captive While Waiting to Be Free: Legal Violence and LGBTQ Asylum Applicant Experiences in the USA."  Sexuality Research and Social Policy  18, no. 1 (2021): 202-212.