Douthat's grim prediction on the crusade for acceptance of same-sex marriage

By Phil Lawler ( bio - articles - email ) | Mar 03, 2014

Here’s an insightful and sobering op-ed column by Ross Douthat of the New York Times, who fears that the US Supreme Court will eventually follow “the logic of its own jurisprudence” and redefine marriage to include same-sex couples.

Starting out from that grim prediction, Douthat predicts that the court’s decision will leave the country severely divided on the definition of marriage. As the Roe v. Wade decision showed, the court’s ruling may settle the question of law (at least temporarily), but it will not settle the public debate, and it will spawn dozens of ancillary legal cases.

The biggest question, Douthat says, will be whether those who reject same-sex marriage will be allowed to live in peace, or subjected to constantly mounting pressure to accept both the new definition of marriage and the acceptability of homosexual affairs. He fears that the latter possibility looms much larger this week, after the appalling drive in Arizona to scuttle legislation that would have protected the religious freedom of those who objected to same-sex unions. That debate was appalling, Douthat adds, in large part because of the horrible press coverage—“which was mendacious and hysterical—evincing no familiarity with the legal issues, and endlessly parroting the line that the bill would institute ‘Jim Crow’ for gays.”

If there’s a silver lining in the cloud, it is this: It’s a New York Times columnist who is making his harsh but accurate judgment of his journalistic colleagues, and speaking the truth about a campaign of distortion.