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This article deals with the evolution of the concepts of "family life" and marriage in the Jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights. Its genre is a case note of Re Schalk and Kopf (24/6/2010). The Court redefines family life to include that of same sex couples. It holds nonetheless, that the definition of marriage as a heterosexual institution is not discriminatory. However, the argumentation of the votes is a contradictory one, raising doubts about the possibility of upholding this ruling in the near future. An analysis on the precedents of the Court concerning family issues exposes a trend to deconstruct the definition of marriage and turn family into a diluted concept. We observe a parallel progression in the rulings of the Courts involving the main topics of family law. The article ends with a small reference to the jurisprudence of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and a short notice about the legalization of same sex marriage in Argentina. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]