The earth shook and the ground caved in on a bedrock Kentucky institution today. But the story of the sinkhole that developed under the refined ground of the Corvette Museum is the second most important event in today’s news. The federal judge that struck down part of Kentucky’s marriage law that defines marriage exclusively between one man and one woman, tops the list.
U.S. District Judge John G. Heyburn II ruled that “Kentucky’s laws treat gay and lesbian persons differently in a way that demeans them.” The ruling amounts to a social earthquake that rattles Kentucky’s familial epicenter—marriage and our understanding of it.
Eight classic cars that were swallowed up by the sinkhole in Bowling Green can be recovered and possibly repaired. But tinkering with the definition of marriage will leave greater scars on generations of children who will permanently be deprived of having either a mother or father. “No one has offered any evidence that recognizing same-sex marriages will harm opposite-sex marriages,” said Heyburn. Problem is, there is plenty of evidence pointing to the need for children to have both a mother and father in their lives for healthy development.
In 2004, Nearly 75 percent of Kentucky voters amended the state Constitution to preserve natural marriage. Just a few hours ago, one judge decided over one million of them were wrong.
A car falling into a sinkhole is unfortunate. A civilization that throws away the rules of marriage is sinking its future.