Today, the United States Supreme Court declined to hear several appeals regarding same-sex marriage, allowing the decisions of lower courts (who overturned same-sex marriage bans) to become the de facto law of the land in several U.S. states. This is troubling to many of us — but we want to reassure our readers that the fight is far, far from over.
Not only did the Supreme Court decline to rule on the matter, but the debate is alive and well in many U.S. states and in many countries. Further, if the Sixth Circuit upholds traditional marriage, the Supreme Court will likely revisit these cases. Nothing is locked in stone (or will ever be).
Further, did the fight over abortion (and its societal consequences) end, simply because the Supreme Court declared it legal? Not at all — rather, the fight against abortion has picked up steam in recent decades, and public opinion has shifted towards the pro-life movement.
Do not stop standing up for your beliefs about marriage, civilly and respectfully. We won’t. People will tell you that the debate is over, and that you should stop opposing the inevitable. However, while same-sex marriage may indeed be formalized in many (or all) U.S. states, this does not change the essential nature of marriage as a *procreative* institution, nor does it change the societal consequences of abandoning this understanding of marriage.
Check out the Objection from Bandwagon at Discussing Marriage for more.
Even if the Supreme Court heard the case, the issue would not be over — not now or ever.
If the Supreme Court ruled against traditional marriage laws, we would still fight to preserve marriage culture and help people understand its purposes as a civil institution. If the Supreme Court ruled in favor of traditional marriage laws, we would still need to help people understand and support such laws through the democratic processes. In other words, in either case, the conversation would continue, and our voices will still be needed.
I think people are tired of the issue; they want to lay it aside, and move on. They are tired of having to defend their beliefs, and want the Supreme Court to decide for them. But we cannot lay the issue aside, no matter what the Supreme Court does, because the most important battle is not in the courtrooms, but in the hearts of people.
The reason people have flocked to support same-sex marriage is because we have — as a people — forgotten (or never learned) what civil marriage really is, and what it is for. We think marriage is primarily about adult romance and domestic partnerships, and do not realize the vital role it serves in connecting generations and preserving parent-child relationships. We do not realize why norms of permanence, fidelity, exclusivity are important to marriage beyond matters of personal preference (hint: potential for procreation, and the weighty responsibilities and obligations that potential bestows upon marriage partners). Regardless of what the Supreme Court does, we must still undertake the monumental (but doable) task of correcting this, and that will require decades of dedicated, committed effort.