masterding
Member
- Joined
- Nov 13, 2008
- Member Type
- Student or Learner
- Native Language
- Chinese
- Home Country
- China
- Current Location
- China
Quote from a Harvard open course:
This was in the Goodwrich case, which required the state of Massachusetts to extend marriage to same sex couples. The court started out, well the court was conflicted, if you read that opinion carefully, the court was conflicted as between the two positions we’ve just been hearing, defended by Andrea and by Dan. The court begins, and this is Chief Justice Margaret Marshall’s opinion, it begins with an attempt at liberal neutrality. "Many people hold deep-seated religious, moral and ethical convictions that marriage should be limited to the union of one man and one woman and that homosexual conduct is immoral. Many hold equally strong religious, moral and ethical convictions that same sex couples are entitled to be married, that homosexual persons should be treated no differently than their heterosexual neighbors", this is the court, "neither view answers the question before us. What is at stake is quote respect for individual autonomy and equality under law. At stake is an individual freely choosing the person with whom to share an exclusive commitment".
Does 'at stake' mean 'at risk' here? It seems to me that it kind of means 'at issue'. Can 'at risk' be used in this way?
Thank you.
This was in the Goodwrich case, which required the state of Massachusetts to extend marriage to same sex couples. The court started out, well the court was conflicted, if you read that opinion carefully, the court was conflicted as between the two positions we’ve just been hearing, defended by Andrea and by Dan. The court begins, and this is Chief Justice Margaret Marshall’s opinion, it begins with an attempt at liberal neutrality. "Many people hold deep-seated religious, moral and ethical convictions that marriage should be limited to the union of one man and one woman and that homosexual conduct is immoral. Many hold equally strong religious, moral and ethical convictions that same sex couples are entitled to be married, that homosexual persons should be treated no differently than their heterosexual neighbors", this is the court, "neither view answers the question before us. What is at stake is quote respect for individual autonomy and equality under law. At stake is an individual freely choosing the person with whom to share an exclusive commitment".
Does 'at stake' mean 'at risk' here? It seems to me that it kind of means 'at issue'. Can 'at risk' be used in this way?
Thank you.