In regard to gay marriage and whether it should be allowed, I will tell you why I believe it should be. My wife passed away in 2007 of lung cancer after a 13-month battle. After 35 years of marriage, we had often had the "what-if" talks, so I was well aware of her wishes. As her husband, I had total control, legally, of helping her fulfill those wishes, to her end.

If a gay couple faces these same circumstances, the surviving partner does not have the same rights to choose, even if he or she also knows those wishes. The ill person's closest relative would have those rights, and may not even know what the ill person's desire is. Gay marriage, or at least a legal civil union, should be allowed for these reasons. After all, they are people, too.

It is time to get past our prejudices, quit flaunting Jesus and the Bible as your reasons, and allow these people to live and die as they prefer. It's their decisions that should be honored, not yours!

Ronald E. Simmons

Spotsylvania