Why does Giorgio Germont ask Violetta to leave Alfredo?

In Giuseppe Verdi's La traviata, Giorgio Germont asks Violetta to leave his son, Alfredo, to protect his family's reputation and future. Specifically, he explains that his young daughter is about to marry a respectable man, and the scandal of Alfredo’s relationship with a woman of Violetta's past would jeopardize that union.1

Germont argues that because their relationship is not blessed by God and because he believes Alfredo will eventually grow bored of her, Violetta must make the sacrifice of leaving him forever to act as a "consoling angel" to his family. Despite her deep love for Alfredo, Violetta ultimately yields to Germont's request, viewing it as a necessary sacrifice for the sake of his daughter.1