Pro-family advocates launch “Greater Than” campaign to challenge same-sex marriage, urging a return to child-centered marriage policies.
Newsroom (29/01/2026 Gaudium Press ) A coalition of advocacy groups and pro-family organizations has launched a national campaign to shift the conversation around marriage and family policy back to what they call “the rights and needs of children.”
Unveiled on January 28, the campaign — titled “Greater Than” — is spearheaded by the nonprofit Them Before Us, which describes itself as an organization “dedicated to defending every child’s natural right to their mother and father in law, culture, and policy.” The effort seeks to raise awareness of what its organizers view as the unintended consequences of legalizing same-sex marriage, citing the 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges ruling as a turning point that redefined parenthood and weakened children’s rights.
“Since the redefinition of marriage a decade ago, we’ve seen the consequences: parenthood treated as replaceable and children deprived of the unique love and guidance only a mother and father can provide,” said Katy Faust, founder and president of Them Before Us. A longtime children’s rights advocate and mother of four, Faust argues that “children deserve better and that they are greater than adult desires.”
A Decade After Obergefell
According to supporters of the campaign, the Supreme Court’s 2015 decision has eroded legal and cultural protections that once prioritized children’s connection to both biological parents. The “Greater Than” coalition now calls for overturning the landmark ruling, framing their cause as a moral and social corrective.
“This coalition of parents, faith leaders, influencers, nonprofits, and policymakers have linked arms to undo the harm of Obergefell, push SCOTUS to overturn it, and to protect the rights of children nationwide,” Faust said.
The campaign’s materials cite several high-profile cases involving in vitro fertilization (IVF) as evidence of what they describe as “systemic disregard for children’s welfare.” These include incidents in California where adults charged with abuse or neglect had obtained children through IVF. The group argues that such cases highlight the dangers of prioritizing adults’ reproductive choices over children’s rights to their biological parents.
Broad Faith-Based Support
National Catholic and evangelical organizations are backing the initiative, including Live Action, CatholicVote, the Ruth Institute, Word on Fire Institute, the American Family Association, and Focus on the Family. Each partner echoes the campaign’s call to reestablish what they see as a child-centered definition of marriage.
Jennifer Roback Morse, founder of the Ruth Institute, said the “needs of children place legitimate limits on the behavior of adults.” She emphasized that every child “has a right to know his or her genetic identity and cultural heritage,” adding that marriage’s public purpose is to unite mothers and fathers with their children.
The Catholic Church, whose teachings are cited by several campaign partners, restates that all people are called to chastity and that while homosexual acts are viewed as “contrary to the natural law,” individuals with same-sex attraction “must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity.”
Them Before Us, for its part, distinguishes between moral judgment and structural critique: “A woman who identifies as a lesbian can be a loving mother, but she cannot be a father,” its website asserts. “A gay man can be a loving father, but he cannot be a mother. Children need, deserve, and have a right to both.”
Framing the Debate Around Children
Supporters say the movement’s goal is to redirect policy discussions from adult rights toward children’s developmental needs.
“For too long, the desires of adults have driven the policy discussion surrounding the homosexual and transgender agenda,” said Walker Wildmon, vice president of the American Family Association. “It is time we refocus our attention on the needs of children. All children are created in the image of God and have a right to both a mother and father.”
Jim Daly, president of Focus on the Family, echoed that view: “When the needs of children are neglected, it’s not just the children who suffer. Families are hurt and society itself is destabilized.”
Author and speaker Lisa Bevere framed the movement in moral and spiritual terms: “If our lives are ultimately measured by how we love and protect others, then we must answer this question: Did we create communities where children were loved, valued, and protected — or did we allow cowardice and cultural confusion to leave a generation at risk?”
As the “Greater Than” campaign gains momentum, its organizers say they hope to spark a national reevaluation of marriage policy — not to punish adults, but, in their words, to put “the smallest voices — children’s voices — first again.”
- Raju Hasmukh with files from CNA
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