Option Four

THE debate over marriage does not seem to be amenable to compromise. It is one of those debates in which the contending parties disagree not only about what answer we should reach, but also about what the question is in the first place. As in the debate over abortion, the very terminology of this debate is contested. Advocates of “gay marriage” use that phrase to suggest that what they want is an end to the exclusion of a class of people from an institution. Opponents of “same-sex marriage” use that phrase to suggest that what is at stake is a redefinition of the institution: The law they defend does not examine the sexual preferences of the parties to a marriage, but merely requires that they be of opposite sexes.

But perhaps a limited compromise can be reached, if we can separate the two fundamental issues in the debate: recognition and benefits.

About the Author

Ramesh Ponnuru

Ramesh Ponnuru is the editor of National Review, a columnist for the Washington Post, and a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.

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THE debate over marriage does not seem to be amenable to compromise. It is one of those debates in which the contending parties disagree not only about what answer we should reach, but also about what the question is in the first place. As in the debate over abortion, the very terminology of this debate is contested. Advocates of “gay marriage” use that phrase to suggest that what they want is an end to the exclusion of a class of people from an institution. Opponents of “same-sex marriage” use that phrase to suggest that what is at stake is a redefinition of the institution: The law they defend does not examine the sexual preferences of the parties to a marriage, but merely requires that they be of opposite sexes.

But perhaps a limited compromise can be reached, if we can separate the two fundamental issues in the debate: recognition and benefits.