Where does CatholicVote stand on marriage?

Marriage has always been, and always will be, the permanent, exclusive, complementary union of one man and one woman. As Catholics, we defend the dignity of every human person and believe that children deserve both a mother and a father.  Restricting marriage to one man and one woman does not constitute a form of discrimination, but rather insures the wellbeing of children and encourages fidelity and stable families.  CV opposes unjust discrimination against those with a same-sex attraction and believes it is possible to define marriage while protecting both the civil liberties of same-sex persons and those that believe in marriage.

What does the Catholic Church teach about Marriage?

Marriage, “by which a man and a woman establish between themselves a partnership of the whole of life, is by its nature ordered toward the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of offspring.” (CCC 1601)

What do I need to know about the redefinition of marriage in the U.S.?

Removing permanence, exclusivity, and denying male-female complementarity weakens the institution of marriage and the protection it provides to children. Children are the primary victims of a failing marriage culture.

Marriage is no longer a permanent union under the law. Beginning in 1970, no-fault divorce laws spread through the states. These laws permit married couples to legally divorce for any reason, with children suffering the consequences.

Marriage is no longer a complimentary union under the law. In June 2015, the Supreme Court bent to pressures of radical LGBT activists and redefined marriage in a 5-4 vote. Read: Obergefell v. Hodges.

A few things the Court got wrong in Obergefell v. Hodges:

  1. SCOTUS did not respect the democratic process, or the Constitution. By imposing a social agenda on the entire country from the bench, the Justices cut off all debate on an issue that was still hotly contested in the states — and will continue to be contested like abortion.

Read: Obergefell v. Hodges: Lots of Noise, Not Much Law.”

  1. Redefining marriage redefines parenting, and prioritizes the feelings of adults over the needs of children. Who gets hurt when children are treated like commodities? You guessed it: the kids.

Read: “The Protohomosexual.”

Why does redefining marriage matter?

When the definition of marriage is weakened or altered in the law to satisfy adult emotional needs, children are hurt the most. Separating sex from babies, babies from marriage, and mothers from fathers only continues the cultural trend that children are commodities, and that adults have rights to another human being.

Video: Ryan Anderson debunks so-called ‘marriage equality’

How does redefining marriage affect children?

A growing body of social science data demonstrates that kids do best when raised in a household with their biological mother and father. Redefining marriage institutionalizes a missing parent.  We have only begun to experiment with the real world impact of children raised by same-sex couples — with many of the long term consequences not yet known.

Read: “The Kids Aren’t All Right: New Family Structures and the ‘No Differences’ Claim”

Bobby Lopez is the leader of a growing movement of children’s rights advocates who speak out against same-sex ‘marriage’ based on their personal experiences growing up in same-sex households.

Read: “Growing Up With Two Moms: The Untold Children’s View

Katy Faust, a woman who was raised by two moms, is part of this new movement. She says kids should be with their mother and a father whenever possible.

Read: “Open Letter to Justice Kennedy”

Relying on minimal research and only a handful of studies to overturn the millennia-old institution of marriage is irresponsible and unfair to children.

Read: Obergefell v. Hodges is a continuation of the “inhumanity” of Roe v. Wade

What can I do?

The debate is not over. Here are a few things we can do:

1. Protect religious liberty

2. Protect motherhood. A direct result of redefining marriage is the redefinition of parenthood — which opens up a pandora’s box of ethical and practical problems including the “renting” of women’s bodies for surrogacy and the freezing of unborn children through in vitro fertilization. Surrogacy contracts are exploitative of women and a form of child abuse.

3. Push back against the validity of Obergefell v. Hodges as a legitimate interpretation of the Constitution. Like the decades old fight to protect the sanctity of life, we must work to rebuild a culture of marriage that will one day be respected again in law.

4. Strengthen marriage, family, community, and faith organizations.  Live your marriage well. Encourage, applaud and affirm those that defend the institution of marriage.

Ryan Anderson, a leading figure in the pro-marriage movement, published an excellent book about the importance of marriage for children and society.

Buy: Ryan Anderson’s “Truth Overruled: The Future of Marriage and Religious Freedom”