For millennia, society has recognized the unique benefits of marriage to the common good of society. Hence, society has protected legally the foundational union of man and woman as the irreplaceable basis of family life. In the American experience, the states have protected this union as the way civilization flourishes through the gift of new human life. The Supreme Court’s decision requiring that all states license and recognize marriage between two people of the same sex is tragic because it will undermine the public morality of society.