Argument #1
Marriages provide an abundance of legal, financial, and social benefits. By denying certain people the right to enter into marriage Massachusetts treats them as second-class citizens and denies them these benefits. All the same-sex couples should be able to publicly affirm their committed relationships and secure related benefits for themselves and their children.

Argument #2
The Massachusetts Constitution does not guarantee the fundamental right to marry a person of the same sex. The institution of marriage is a stabilizing social structure and only the Legislature can control and define its boundaries, not the judiciary. Allowing same-sex marriages would mean the court is creating a right that doesn't exist. There is a rational and historical basis for defining marriage as between one man and one woman.