The subject of gay marriage is one that has sparked much controversy in
             recent months. Gay activists have been arguing for some time that they
             have a constitutional right to have their union recognized by the letter of
             the law. Conservative representatives however and religious leaders oppose
             any legislation that would afford gay couples the right to recognition of
             their marriage by law. Part of this opposition stems from deep seated
             religious beliefs that marriage is a sacred institution and should be
             protected as such from the government. Some have gone as far as arguing
             that the purpose of marriage is to bear children, and since gay couples
             can't do this they shouldn't marry. This controversy is explored in
             Many people have vocalized their support of legalizing gay marriage. An
             equal number of people or more oppose gay marriage. Supporters of same sex
             unions argue that a ban on gay marriage violates their constitutional right
             to equality. There is evidence indicating that many support the right of
             gay couples to wed regardless of the situation. For example, recently a
             poll revealed that Arizonans oppose an amendment to the constitution that
             would ban gay marriage (Kiefer, 2004: 1). The poll observed 600
             respondents, 51% of which were against having a ban on gay marriages
             (Kiefer, 2004: 1). The poll also revealed however that a great deal of
             people were still unsure of their opinion on the topic of gay marriage, and
             could likely be swayed one way or another. Similar polls have been
             conducted in many states, as the topic of gay marriage has fueled a great
             Those that oppose legalizing a gay union would argue that marriage is a
             sacred institution and therefore should be protected and regulated by the
             law. According to Arizona House Speaker Jake Flake, "Most of the people
             that I surround myself with agree with me that marriage is a sacred
             institution and it should be entered...