The recent $50 million lawsuit against ESPN personality Shannon Sharpe, filed by his former girlfriend Gabriella Zuniga, an OnlyFans model, has ignited a firestorm of online controversy. Allegations of sexual assault, battery, and emotional distress have had pundits from every side of the political spectrum weighing in on the case. Most of these consider whether Sharpe is innocent or guilty of the legal allegations against him. Sharpe’s defense involves pointing to texts that seem to suggest Zuniga was consenting to the sexual behavior.

Sharpe vehemently denies the claims, calling the lawsuit a “shakedown.” But, regardless of the outcome of the legal case, the situation highlights a much deeper problem in our culture. Namely, our society’s current standard is that the only meaningful boundary for sex is that it be consensual and between two adults; this standard is at the heart of countless other issues within American society. Fractured families form out-of-wedlock children, increased crime rates from broken homes, massive abortion mills for unwanted pregnancies, and young people forsaking the intent of marriage altogether have spelled out rapid social decay, all because we have embraced this as the only agreed-upon sexual ethic.

Consider the statistics, which clearly show that when sex is detached from commitment, responsibility, and the family unit, the fallout is staggering. In 2023, 40 percent of children in the United States were born to unmarried mothers, a sharp rise from 17 percent in 1980. Single-parent households, which mothers overwhelmingly lead, are linked to higher rates of poverty and crime. Children raised in single-parent homes are 4 times more likely to live below the poverty line than those in two-parent households. Moreover, a 2021 study found that young men from fatherless homes are 20 times more likely to end up incarcerated than their peers from intact families.

The ripple effects don’t stop there. The erosion of family structure correlates with the skyrocketing abortion rate, with over 600,000 abortions performed annually in the U.S. as of 2022. Many of these procedures stem from unplanned pregnancies outside of stable, committed relationships. The cultural acceptance of casual sex has also contributed to a generation increasingly detached from the concept of a healthy family unit. A 2024 Pew Research Center survey revealed that only 43% of Millennials and Gen Z view marriage as essential to a fulfilling life, down from 67% among Baby Boomers. This shift reflects a broader rejection of the family as society’s cornerstone, with devastating consequences for social cohesion.

Sharpe’s case, whether the allegations prove true or false, exemplifies the chaos that ensues when sexual boundaries are reduced to mere consent. A relationship marked by explicit role-playing, recorded encounters, and public exposure on platforms like OnlyFans is a far cry from the mutual respect and commitment that should define intimacy. The fact that such a relationship could spiral into a high-profile legal battle underscores the fragility of connections built on fleeting desires rather than enduring principles.

There is only one fix: to return to principles that have been abandoned. Men and women must once again reserve sex for the marriage bed and remember that it is sacred. Sex is the act that creates life, and treating it as a means for hedonistic pleasure leads to the destruction of both self and others. But, when put inside the bounds of marriage, sex builds the family, the building block of society.

It is within the family that children learn values, discipline, and love. Inside the family, we hand down knowledge, wisdom, and tradition. We train and civilize the next generation while being refined and civilized ourselves. When families break down, so does the social fabric. The rise in crime, poverty, and mental health crises can only be honestly dealt with by a return to the family unit. Restoring the family as society’s foundation requires a cultural shift toward honoring sex within marriage as the only sexual ethic worthy of celebration. This isn’t about prudishness; it’s about recognizing that sex is not a recreational act but a profound one with the power to create life and bind families together.

“Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure” (Hebrews 13:4). It fosters trust, mutual sacrifice, and a shared vision for the future—qualities sorely lacking in the hookup culture that dominates today.

This is why, politically, we must also embrace pro-family policies. President Donald Trump’s proposed $5,000 per child tax credit, if limited to married mothers and fathers, is one such policy. In general, we should pursue policies that incentivize stable, two-parent households. Shannon Sharpe’s legal saga is a symptom of a society that has lost its way. We cannot allow the left to win by accepting their destructive premise. We must restore marriage as a socially acceptable sexual ethic. It is the only way. We can rebuild what has been broken by prioritizing the family and incentivizing marriage through culture and policy. The stakes are too high to do otherwise.