The Catholic Current Is Gay Marriage Good for Children? (Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse) 3/3/26
Mar 3, 2026
Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse, social commentator and founder with the Ruth Institute who focuses on family policy and children's welfare. She discusses how redefining marriage affects parenthood and legal rights. She highlights research on child outcomes across family structures. She outlines campaigns and strategies aimed at restoring child-centered laws and cultural supports for traditional parenting.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
How Redefining Marriage Changes Parenthood
- Redefining marriage removes the gender requirement and severs marriage's legal basis for assigning parenting responsibility.
- Jennifer Roback Morse explains marriage traditionally assigns parentage to the biological mother and her husband, and removing sex-based roles destabilizes other sex-based norms like bathrooms and sports.
Put Children Before Adult Desires
- Prioritize children's needs over adult desires when shaping marriage policy and public education.
- The Greater Than campaign aims to overturn Obergefell-era definitions and push state strategies that center child welfare before adult preferences.
Family Structure Correlates With Child Wellbeing
- Child outcomes decline the further family structure departs from an intact biological married couple.
- Morse cites Father Paul Solins' analysis showing cohabiting couples raise risk modestly while same-sex parents showed substantially higher risks (e.g., 5.4× for serious emotional problems).