Monday, July 28, 2014

A societal perspective on article 377

The debate on article 377 must be framed in terms of individual rights v/s societal well being. Take the example of drugs such as cocaine or marijuana. These items have been banned because they not only harm an individual’s health but also because their acceptance in society leads to overall decrease in productivity and efficiency, straining of social relations and surge in crime. In other words an individual may well be within his rights to indulge in drugs but he isn’t allowed to do so, for his action surely sets a trend which is detrimental for the society at large. Similar case can be made for homosexuality. Examples of instances of homosexuality in ancient South Asian literature notwithstanding, it’s the rapid urbanization, modernity and electronic media boom that has lead the spread and acceptance of homosexual relations. Otherwise we still abhor practices such as incest or bestiality (sex with animals), which are thankfully still illegal. For those of us who consider the traditional family system essential for proper uprising of children and a healthy society, legalization of homosexuality spells disaster. It means rise in sexually transmitted diseases such as AIDS, denial of balanced fatherly / motherly care for children and rupture of social fabric. In the West rapid sexual freedom has resulted in innumerous social problems such as ever increasing divorce rates, teenage pregnancies, single mothers, adultery, dysfunctional families and subsequent rise in crimes. There are things humanity has always kept sacrosanct. Let’s keep them that way for our own well being.

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