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Amendments will continue to be passed as America progresses into adolescence. It appears as though our streak of amendments has slowed since the twentieth century, however this is not the case. America is in a key point of debate regarding many constitutionally controversial issues, two most prominent of which are marriage rights and abortion. The supreme court must hear a case regarding these topics, allowing the emotions stirred with frustration to die down. It must be the supreme court who takes the initiative in these topics, only then will the possibility of an amendment be seen.
I. Previous amendments have started with the people voicing their opinion, and this will be no different.
A. Examples of law changing action by the people
1. Suffrage parade 1913 (http://www.loc.gov/loc/lcib/9803/suffrage.html)
2. 15,000 person march, NY, protest lynchings and racial discrimination (http://www.now.org/history/protests.html)
3. I have a dream speech, Martin Luther King Jr. Washington
B. Governmental reaction to such events
1. In most cases the government neglected to provide action for some time
2. The persistence in these protests allowed the difference to be made
II. The importance of these topics differs to previous ones because they do not apply directly to as many people
A. Abortion is very situational and a convoluted issue
B. Gay marriage rights is very straight forward
C. Both rely heavily on morality, which is different from previous cases of needed legislature
III. There are many sides to each of these topics, unlike some previous cases
A. Abortion:
1. The government should not have any say
2. The government should promote one, but not enforce
3. The government should strictly enforce against it
B. Gay rights:
1. The government should legally recognize gay marriage
a) Allow (marriage/civil unions)
b) Restrict (marriage/civil unions)
2. The government should not legally recognize gay marriage at all
a) Allow society to form what is accepted without government intervention
C. In terms of gay rights, 79% of the population is against gay marriage. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/06/13/opinion/polls/main4180335.shtml
D. In terms of Abortion, 41% believes it should be generally available (main argument behind it is that if it must be done in collusion, a risk for harm to mother and child arises), 35% believe in stricter limits (moral on the line/leaning against it), and 20% believe in the complete illegalization (strongly against, moral issue).