To the editor:

I don’t see why the Kansas House and Senate would want to stop with just banning gay marriage when there are so many other types of marriages out there that might offend. What about all of those second, third and fourth marriages? Perhaps these marriages have had a negative effect on the state of the family, not to mention a negative effect on the countless children of divorce who have had stepparent after stepparent in their lives. Maybe people would work harder on their first marriage if they knew the opportunity to find a second, third or fourth spouse was being legislated by the government.

I personally think marriage at a young age is risky. We could pick an age and ban individuals below that age from marrying. What about people who marry after only knowing a potential spouse for several months? There could be an amendment declaring a suitable length of time to date before marriage. We could ban marriage between people of different faiths and races. The possibilities are endless. We could ban marriage altogether since it doesn’t seem to statistically fare too well these days.

We could force our own personal views, beliefs and preferences on our neighbors, friends and relatives, or we can be the loving, respectful people my God feels we should be, allowing individuals to make decisions for themselves regarding whom they choose to love. Please don’t cast a hurtful vote in April. Please respect all families.

Anne Tormohlen,

Lawrence