PHILOSOPHICAL

A key component of morality or what tends to be moral has become quite contentious and topical in the 21st century due to the ever increasing number of persons who are involved in some same relationship or marriage. The 21st century has witnessed a rapid increase on the concepts of marriage that calls for gender neutrality rather than gender specification. There are so many philosophical (favorable and others against) arguments about the practice of same-sex marriage, ranging from religious, cultural, legal, and political grounds. Supporters pose that there is nothing immoral or abstract about it as long as it backed by the human rights doctrine. This work adopts the analytical methodology to rresearch into extant statutes vis-a-vis African traditional ethical values on marriage/family. The work discovers that whereas in western consideration, the concept of same-sex marriage contradicts the law (since the statutory definition of marriage has not been abdicated); and that, the concept contravenes the norms and ethical values of traditional Africa. Besides, this study will serve as an additional study material on the issue of same-sexmarriage, its ethical values if there is and its effect on modern day society. Hence the work suggests that concerning same-sex unions, the law should be silent; i.e., same sex relationships should not be outlawed– for persons have the right to freedom of association; nor should it be legalized– for it will introduce a burden on the law to develop its principles of such marriage. By and large, same-sex relationship offends
the basic moral ideal of human rational power higher and over bestiality.