The Greater Than Alliance: Rethinking Marriage Through the Lens of Parenthood
The intersection of marriage, parenthood, and state regulation is at the heart of a new campaign led by Katy Faust, founder of Them Before Us. Her initiative, the Greater Than Alliance, aims to critically reevaluate the legal definitions and implications of marriage in the United States, emphasizing children’s rights in the process.
In a discussion with Tony Rucinski from the Coalition for Marriage, Faust described the campaign as a pioneering effort to reclaim the concept of marriage for children’s benefit, following the legalization of same-sex marriage. She argues that this shift reflects broader changes in societal views on parenthood.
Faust’s stance is clear: if one supports same-sex marriage, it implicitly suggests that both mothers and fathers might be non-essential in a child’s upbringing. She stated, “If you believe children have a right to their mother and father, benefit from their mother and father, long to be known by their mother and father, you cannot support gay marriage as policy.”
The campaign is not targeted against individuals but rather questions the legal framework defining parenthood. Faust highlighted that marriage transcends personal desires or identity, serving as a vital societal institution aimed at connecting children with their biological parents.
“You can and should love your gay family and friends, but you have to reject the idea that marriage is a vehicle of adult validation. It is not. It is and always has been the tool that nearly every society throughout history has used to unite children to their mother and father so that they can have the best shot at being safe and loved, invested in, connected to, discover their identity and maximising their development,” she explained.
Comprising around 100 organizations and individuals, the Greater Than Alliance challenges the broader legal and cultural shifts that have accompanied the acceptance of same-sex marriage.
Adoption policies also came under scrutiny during the conversation. Faust criticized the notion that adoption should prioritize adult desires for children, emphasizing that adoption should primarily focus on the child’s best interests. She stated, “Adoption doesn’t exist for adults. This is not some vehicle to have a DEI win on the registry … You talk about it [adoption] as an industry. I talk about it as an institution, an institution that is centred around the best interest of the child.”
Drawing from her personal experience as an adoptive mother, Faust stressed the importance of both maternal and paternal roles in child development. She shared insights about her son, mentioning his need for both nurturing and boundaries.
The dialogue expanded to include broader themes of parenthood, fertility laws, and state authority. Faust questioned whether parenthood should be legally observed or assigned, warning against the potential reduction of children to legal accessories when biology is disregarded in parenthood.
“Parenthood should be observed, not assigned… If biology does not matter when it comes to parenthood, you render children as legal accessories. They are now objects to be assigned to any adult,” Faust articulated, suggesting a fundamental reordering of family structures.
She cautioned that such legal detachment from biological parenthood could have far-reaching implications, influencing areas like adoption, surrogacy, and birth registration, potentially enabling the state to reassign parental rights.
Turning to the UK, Faust noted that the country has increasingly viewed parenthood through a legal rather than biological lens. She argued for a return to recognizing the “natural contours of the family” in both law and public discourse.
Faust emphasized, “We will say mothers and fathers, not guardians, not parents. We are going to say biology matters. We’re going to recognise that in our laws. We are going to say there’s something different about a procreative relationship versus a relationship that centres around adult identity. These things do different things for children.”
While legal frameworks differ between the US and UK, Faust identified shared foundational questions. “It all comes back to this child,” she said. “Where do they come from? To whom do they have a natural right? What are the conditions that lead to their flourishing?”
This article was originally written by www.christiantoday.com
