This is in response to Ruth Oakley (Oct. 28) and others who use “natural law” as an argument against same-sex marriage.

Let’s not forget that natural law is the same argument that was used to condone slavery and prohibit interracial marriage. It is the same argument that pushes an unhealthy “separate but equal” stance. In the nation’s not-so-distant past, separate but equal ideology produced separate water fountains for whites and for blacks.

These examples that have used the natural law argument contradict the teachings of Jesus. Let’s learn from history and not repeat that unhealthy pattern.

Given his living example of how to conduct ourselves before God, Jesus taught people that traditions must be adjusted when they do not hold others in equality. The Gospels are clear on that message.

The tradition of civil marriage should be adjusted in a way that provides equal rights for all.

Elizabeth Henry, Auburn