Why This New Campaign Wants to Overturn Same-Sex Marriage Ruling Obergefell

A new campaign and coalition launched by child rights advocate Katy Faust seeks to make children’s needs Greater Than adult desires. The primary aim? End Obergefell. 

The Greater Than campaign seeks to elevate children’s rights by reframing prevailing views of marriage and family in both culture and policy. It targets three core spheres, public opinion, law, and the Church, with its message that marriage and family serve as stabilizing institutions in which children have an inherent right to their mother and father, rather than civil unions built on the desires of adults.

Conservative influencers, think tanks, and advocates have joined Faust, the Founder and President of Them Before Us to form the coalition. Supporters and allies include organizations such as the Colson Center, Family Research Council, and Center for Biblical Unity as well as individuals like Allie Beth Stuckey and Albert Mohler.

Why Obergefell? 

In 2015, the Supreme Court’s Obergefell v. Hodges decision legalized same-sex marriage nationwide. Faust argues that this redefinition of marriage reframes parenthood in a way that harms children. “If you redefine marriage, you will redefine parenthood,” she says.

The Greater Than campaign contends that the understanding of marriage established by Obergefell - as a civil union in which “the reasons marriage is fundamental under the Constitution apply with equal force to same-sex couples” - prioritizes adult desires over children’s rights and protection. The coalition argues that this approach is not neutral but in direct tension with children’s rights.

How Will the Campaign Challenge Obergefell?

The campaign’s primary aim rests on the premise that since this redefinition of marriage is enshrined in Obergefell, overturning the decision is vital to restoring children’s rights. Yet coalition leaders emphasize that on-the-ground advocacy at the state level, targeting the practical effects of Obergefell, is necessary to pose a challenge to the ruling both legally and in the court of public opinion. 

For example, they note that the legal definition of marriage established by Obergefell has created environments where legal forms no longer reference mothers and fathers, but use gender-neutral terms such as “parents” or “guardians.” Challenging this wording at the state level could prompt a legal challenge to Obergefell while also shedding light on how such phrasing positions the roles of mother and father as interchangeable in society. Such advocacy on a range of children’s rights issues will shift public opinion and strengthen the church’s understanding of the issues at stake, and support the broader legal challenge.

Worldview Roundup

In the majority opinion in the Obergefell v. Hodges decision, Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote, “Changed understandings of marriage are characteristic of a Nation where new dimensions of freedom become apparent to new generations.” Christians must ask: What new dimensions of freedom are we as a nation recognizing?

American ideals, and more importantly, Christians affirming the tenets of historic Christianity, have often led the charge on civil and human rights issues in which the broader culture perpetuated a lie about God’s world and how it operates. For example, William Wilberforce was instrumental in abolishing slavery and the slave trade in Britain. Christians in ancient Rome were fundamentally different in their treatment of children thought of by the broader culture as unwanted. It is true throughout history that where Christians live out conviction human rights thrive.

The convictions that drive those actions matter deeply. Changed understandings of marriage that conflate genders and commodify children do not produce new dimensions of freedom that lead to a flourishing society. As Christians, we must define marriage how God sees it and uphold children as His image bearers.