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I was reading that President Bush has now agreed to join in the effort to protect traditional marriage by amending the Constitution.

Did you ever consider what would happen if, at some point, every young man and woman on earth would choose to enter into same-sex unions and to remain totally faithful in these unions?

Death would happen! Death to the whole human race would be the ultimate consequence because no life is generated from such joining. Human life, like most life on earth, is only regenerated by the reproductive union of the male and female of that species. Even many varieties of trees and other plants have their male and female counterparts.

When I was about 11 or 12, I once ventured into the woods in mid-winter and dug up a seedling holly tree. This baby tree had sprung up under a large, beautiful parent tree that always produced an abundant, dazzling crop of beautiful bright-red berries.

For a number of years, I had harvested boughs from that tree for Mama's Christmas decorations, and it had become a happy annual tradition.

I remember my dad coming out into the yard as I carefully nestled the roots of the little tree into the hole I'd dug in the cold soil. As he watched, I tamped the soil over the roots and then remarked, "Now, maybe one day we'll have nice Christmas holly right here in our yard."

Dad responded with a smile, "Well, we might have a pretty green holly tree, but no pretty red berries."

"Whaddya mean?" I asked, puzzled.

"Well, you see," he said, "holly trees are like people. It takes a male tree pollinating a female tree to make a baby tree, which is what the berries are. This little seedling might be a girl or a boy tree, but whatever it is, you'll have to have one of the opposite sex for them to bear fruit. I suggest that you find and plant several more little holly trees, then maybe you'll have both girl and boy trees."

I was at an age where I knew all about the birds and the bees -- more particularly, the girls and the boys -- and becoming pretty darn interested, too! But I was rather amazed that this basic law of reproduction was even in effect among the trees.

It now occurs to me that if you planted thousands of only male or female holly trees, they might grow into a forest of large adult trees, but with no baby seedlings sprouting up at their feet, one day that whole forest would just be dead and rotting trees.

Recently a well-known syndicated columnist wrote, in effect, that people should stop opposing homosexual unions and same-sex marriages because they were harming no one. Another columnist praised a retired homosexual pro-football trainer for his humility, serenity and easygoing nature, and commiserated because the man's long-time partner was dying of AIDS. That's harming no one?

It is, indeed, sad, that these same-sex partners will have no offspring of their bodies to love them, honor them and mourn them when they die. They have chosen death instead of life. They have chosen not to bear fruit.

In Genesis we read, "God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them; and God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it.'"

Some people might not believe in God or his laws, but whether they do or do not, if they choose to enter into same-sex unions, no little human seedlings will be produced. They are not choosing life.

Rush Button's column appears every Tuesday. He can be reached by e-mail at buttonrl@aol.com or by phone at 803-534-3724.

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