Katy Faust and the Case for Children’s Rights

Written by David E. Smith

For decades, Illinois Family Institute and many other Christian and conservative voices have sounded the alarm about the ongoing assault on children and the family.

We have warned our readers — from both a biblical and real-world perspective — that divorce, abortion, the rainbow lifestyle, and the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges — which legalized so-called same-sex “marriage” — have all contributed to serious harm to children, our society, and the nation as a whole.

We have also posted articles warning that practices such as surrogacy and IVF increasingly commodify children, treating them as disposable products to be used, abused, and discarded. God forgive us for treating the least among us — infants, toddlers, and children made in the image of Almighty God — as objects of adult desire and commercial exchange.

Decisions like Obergefell have only accelerated this trend, helping create a legal and cultural marketplace in which children are increasingly treated as commodities rather than blessings.

For a deeper discussion of these consequences, we highly recommend watching or listening to this episode of The Seth Gruber Show, featuring Seth’s interview with Katy Faust, founder of the organization Them Before Us.

In the conversation, they examine the long-term cultural and legal consequences of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges decision and how it has reshaped society’s understanding of marriage, parenthood, and the rights of children.

Katy Faust is the founder of Them Before Us, a global children’s rights nonprofit that advocates for every child’s right to be raised by their biological mother and father.

It is important to note that Faust was raised in Portland, Oregon, by her mother and her mother’s same-sex partner after her parents divorced when she was 10 years old. Despite this personal background, she has become one of the most prominent voices opposing homosexual parenting, surrogacy, and no-fault divorce — public policies that are harmful to children.

In January 2026, Faust and Them Before Us launched the Greater Than Campaign, a nationwide initiative bringing together a growing coalition of pro-family organizations. The campaign’s primary goal is to overturn the U.S. Supreme Court’s Obergefell v. Hodges decision and return the issue of marriage to the states.

Unfortunately, Illinois lawmakers had already moved to redefine marriage — which was created and defined by Almighty God long ago. Democrats in the Illinois General Assembly legalized so-called same-sex “marriage” in November 2013, with the law taking effect in June 2014.

“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. Ten years of Obergefell have shown us … that children deserve better and that they are greater than adult desires.” ~Katy Faust

AI tools assisted with proofreading and clarity;
the author made all final content decisions.