Earlier this month, Democrat Rep. Linda Duba tried to redefine marriage by replacing the words “between one man and one woman” with “between two persons” in South Dakota law. She also attempted to remove a statement in the law that says a “marriage” between two persons of the same gender isn’t valid. Thankfully, the House State Affairs Committee defeated the bill in a 7-5 vote. 

FHA executive director Norman Woods testified against the bill, explaining that a child is safest in a home with his or her married mother and father. 

“HB 1092 says that moms and dads are optional. Any two persons is just as good as mom and dad…We know from studying how families work and what’s best for kids that that’s simply not accurate,” said Norman. 

In response, one member of the committee, Representative Erin Healy, labeled FHA an “extremist group,” simply for speaking up for children’s rights.

“Extremist group Family Heritage Alliance said this morning that the safest place for kids are in families that have a married mom and dad. What a dangerous and un-American belief,” she tweeted.

Katy Faust responded to Rep. Healy on Twitter, saying “Family Heritage Alliance is following the science (and biology, and natural law, and data and the stories of kids from broken homes themselves.) Apparently something that is quite difficult for some Twitter users.”

Brad Wilcox also responded, saying “Actually, when it comes to abuse, the safest place for kids is an intact, biological married family.” He included a federal report on child abuse and neglect.

Faust and Wilcox are right. Marriage is a stabilizing force for society. Statistically, a family with a married mother and father is the safest place for children and the only family structure that upholds children’s rights. It also provides security and protection for women while civilizing men. 

A child born into the home of his/her married mother and father “will receive the complimentary love of a mom and dad,” noted Katy Faust in an interview with Family Research Council’s Tony Perkins. 

On the other hand, children born outside God’s design of a life-long heterosexual union are at greater risk for homelessness, drug use, child poverty, teen suicide, academic failure, teen pregnancy, and more. “Every social ill we are facing today is because this country, culturally and legally, is getting the family wrong,” says Faust. 

Further, a recent study found that children raised in stable homes with a mother and father are “more likely to flourish economically, educationally, and socially.” Allowing children to grow up in a home with a married mother and father is the best way to provide them with the tools they need for success. 

We can sympathize with adults who have homosexual desires or those struggling in their marriage while prioritizing the fact that a child’s natural, God-given right to both a mother and father is more important than adult desires.

Marriage is not only the bedrock of society, but it is a sacred institution designed by God for our good. The true definition of marriage, a union between one man and one woman, must be the law of the land for families and society at large to flourish. 

The real extremists are those trying to dismantle societal norms at the expense of children’s well-being.