In the ancient Greek play Lysistrata women stage a sex strike to force the men to bring their sons and husbands home and end the nearly 30-year Peloponnesian War.

FORBES: Power Women

The CNN story also notes that the idea of withholding sex is not a new one the ancient Greek play, Lysistrata, tells the story of women who organized a sex strike to end a war between Athens and Sparta.

FORBES: The Change Factor: A Sex Strike

As the world has struggled to strike that balance (consider the role that same-sex marriage and abortion played in the 2012 election) so the church has found itself forced to be a combatant in the great, ugly culture war.

CNN: Why pope will be remembered for generations

The justices could strike down DOMA's limits on federal recognition of same-sex marriage without upholding Proposition 8 and knocking down state-approved same-sex marriage bans.

CNN: Same-sex marriage and the Supreme Court: Key questions

On Tuesday, they plan to be in the courtroom when their lawyer, Theodore Olson, tries to persuade the justices to strike down California's voter-approved ban on same-sex marriages and to declare that gay couples can marry nationwide.

NPR: AP Interview: Couple Reflects On Gay Marriage

The two California couples challenging the voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage in the nation's largest state are in Washington for the argument and are urging the justices to strike down not just the California provision, but constitutional amendments and statutes in every state that define marriage as the union of a man and a woman.

NPR: Calif. Gay Marriage Argument At High Court Tuesday