The Right to Choice of Spouse... government & laws

I declare the Right to Choice of Spouse.

Should government laws control who one can legally marry?
If there would indeed be a Right to Love,
then no government could or should legally control this through marriage laws.
Social norms, determined by family, religion, and moral beliefs,
will still control or influence who one marries.
As a right, no government should regulate who one marries.
The exception to this, I believe, would be child protection,
and be protected under the creation of the Right to Child Rights.

In a previous blog post,

I discussed the role of socio-cultural norms in controlling marriage,
when some parents may control spouse choice,

under the topic of "arranged marriage."

To comment on this specific topic, here's the link.

In this blog post, I address how government laws may control spouse choice.
 In the United States, as an example, the following history
shows how government has controlled
and limited one's "legal" spouse through law.

Any person can have any choice of spouse;
however, whether that choice can become legal is law-governed.

France, 1770:
Marie Antoinette was 14 years old when she married the future Louis XVI.
This would have been impossible if there had been
and international Right to Child Rights.

 In 2012, many U.S. states have laws that prevent

same-sex couples from creating a legal marriage,

and there are laws against polygamy (choosing multiple spouses).

Interracial marriage is now legal in all U.S. states

since the 1967 Supreme Court decision (Loving vs. Virginia)

overturned the 1883 Supreme Court decision (Pace vs. Alabama)

which allowed restriction of race in marriage.

 This 1967 decision ended all race-based legal marriage restrictions,

mostly remaining in southern and some eastern states.

In the U.S., this subject has sparked major controversy,
and there is much difference of opinion,
which varies mainly due to one's personal feelings
of how they define the term "marriage."
These multiple definitions make this topic more complex than it would seem.
Still, if this is a right, then the right comes first, before law.
Each individual, then, can act upon one's own belief,
without having a government law impose one single belief upon all.

Revision: thanks to commenters AMV, CMH.

The Right to Self-Determination... Choice of Spouse

In many cultures, marriage is family-arranged:

southeast Asian countries, such as India and Pakistan,

the Mideast, and some African countries.

Choice is based on a long list of factors:

religion,

wealth,

vocation,

family reputation,

city of residence,

age,

language,

diet,

and even horoscope.

Importance is placed on carefully thinking and planning this decision.

It is considered an act of love by the family.

The couple meets and,

 if either disagrees with the union,

 it is usually not forced.

Mutual consent is important; there is a choice.

The idea is based on cultural and family tradition---

to think with your head and not your heart.
Arranged marriage is usually not forced  marriage,
where there is no choice.

Marriage à-la-mode : The Marriage Contract  (1743)
painting, William Hogarth, National Gallery, London

In the U.S., European countries, and many other countries,

choice of spouse remains with the individual.

The idea is based on romantic love---

to think with your heart and not your head.

Author Reva Seth combines the best of both in her 2008 book,

First Comes Marriage: Modern Relationship Advice from the Wisdom of Arranged Marriages.

Seth's advice is spouse choice based on romantic love mixed with

the  success of "planned thought" of the arranged marriage model.

Arranged marriages have a shockingly low 5-7% divorce rate,

versus the U.S. non-arranged marriage average of 50%.