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Page Number: 9

4 

OBERGEFELL v. HODGES 

Opinion of the Court 

and  faiths,  as  well  as  in  art  and  literature  in  all  their 
forms.  It  is  fair  and  necessary  to  say  these  references 
were based on the understanding that marriage is a union
between two persons of the opposite sex. 

That  history  is  the  beginning  of  these  cases.    The  re-
spondents  say  it  should  be  the  end  as  well.    To  them,  it 
would  demean  a  timeless  institution  if  the  concept  and 
lawful status of marriage were extended to two persons of 
the  same  sex.  Marriage,  in  their  view,  is  by  its  nature  a 
gender-differentiated union of man and woman.  This view 
long  has  been  held—and  continues  to  be  held—in  good 
faith  by  reasonable  and  sincere  people  here  and  through-
out the world. 

The  petitioners  acknowledge  this  history  but  contend
that  these  cases  cannot  end  there.    Were  their  intent  to 
demean  the  revered  idea  and  reality  of  marriage,  the
petitioners’ claims would be of a different order.  But that 
is  neither  their  purpose  nor  their  submission.    To  the 
contrary,  it  is  the  enduring  importance  of  marriage  that
underlies  the  petitioners’  contentions.  This,  they  say,  is
their whole point.  Far from seeking to devalue marriage,
the  petitioners  seek  it  for  themselves  because  of  their 
respect—and  need—for  its  privileges  and  responsibilities.
And  their  immutable  nature  dictates  that  same-sex  mar-
riage is their only real path to this profound commitment.

Recounting  the  circumstances  of  three  of  these  cases 
illustrates the urgency of the petitioners’ cause from their 
perspective.  Petitioner James Obergefell, a plaintiff in the 
Ohio  case,  met  John  Arthur  over  two  decades  ago.    They 
fell in love and started a life together, establishing a last-
ing,  committed  relation.  In  2011,  however,  Arthur  was 
diagnosed  with  amyotrophic  lateral  sclerosis,  or  ALS.
This  debilitating  disease  is  progressive,  with  no  known 
cure.  Two  years  ago,  Obergefell  and  Arthur  decided  to
commit  to  one  another,  resolving  to  marry  before  Arthur
died.  To  fulfill  their  mutual  promise,  they  traveled  from