What Is Hurting Marriage?

Silver looks at divorce rates in states with gay marriage bans:

Over the past decade or so, divorce has gradually become more uncommon in the United States. Since 2003, however, the decline in divorce rates has been largely confined to states which have not passed a state constitutional ban on gay marriage. These states saw their divorce rates decrease by an average of 8 percent between 2003 and 2008. States which had passed a same-sex marriage ban as of January 1, 2008, however, saw their divorce rates rise by about 1 percent over the same period.

Maybe not allowing gays to marry accelerates the decline of heterosexual marriage? Of course, these things are almost certainly unrelated. But federalism is working its magic, allowing us to assess the reality of marriage equality. The reality is: the notion that it will in any way undermine heterosexual marriage is a total canard. But then I haven't heard a peep out of Stanley Kurtz in quite a while.