Homosexuals testify that marriage makes them happier and does not hurt anyone, so how can this be wrong?
Reducing morality to the avoidance of harm is dangerous because it tends to reduce harm to that which is immediately identifiable in an individual's experience or in society at large.
Legalizing same-sex marriage does not mean the heterosexual couple next door will experience immediate harm. It does mean marriage as an institution is harmed, however, which weakens the social cohesiveness and health of the entire society. The problem with arguments concerning the morality of harm is that much of what causes the most devastating and lasting harm is not readily apparent. In many aspects, the law recognizes that reality by establishing patterns of right behavior. The violation of these patterns would cause no immediate harm to a specific individual, but the lack of them would weaken the entire society.
