Marriages for sex don't happen in modern days

To the editors:

Sichel’s column, “The Joys of Sex” (Opinion, Oct. 8) relies on a faulty premise, and thus, her conclusions against the conservative preservation of marriage are faulty too. Her idea that fulfillment of sexual desire is an incentive for marriage just doesn’t hold water. I don’t know of and can’t imagine anybody who wants to get married to sanctify his or her sexuality. If such people do exist, they are rare and are not representitive of the American public at large, and so such people shouldn’t be used as the principal example against the preservation of marriage as is the case in Sichel’s column. Furthermore, it would seem that the vast majority of newly-wed couples have “explored” (as new-age libertines are wont to say) each other’s sexual ability way before the ceremony and were logically not inclined to get married to sanctify something they already did.

The argument that should be pursued, though, is whether marriage benefits children who are fostered in it. For us conservatives, the answer is obviously yes. But perhaps the collegiate libertines might have an alternative that would better suit their insouciant (but secretly enthusiastic) attitude regarding sex.

TROY MESTLER ‘07

October 8