ETHICS IN THE NEWS: Should state license a private matter? With same-sex marriage so much in the news, I thought it would be good to take a look at the deeper ethical issue that is too often overlooked. Sometimes a concept like licensing can be made clearer by looking at its opposite side and this may be a useful way to begin this commentary on marriage licenses. To have the power to grant a license for something is to also have the power to prohibit it. Consider the fact that your own marriage could be prohibited by law. I suspect that most of us would agree that for the government to assume such sweeping power over people's private lives and choices they ought to have some very convincing reasons. | 