Fight For The Family
Posted: April 26th, 2011, 2:33 pm
Sharon Slater is doing a great service defending the family at the United Nations. There is a war going on to destroy all that is good and decent. Satan is doing all that he can to destroy the family world wide. Help Sharon in any way that you can.
(Link to the website is at the bottom.)
Significant Victories for the Family
at UN Last Week!
Dear Supporter of the Family,
The Family Watch team spent another grueling week at the United Nations actively participating at the Commission on Population and Development. Nations locked horns over a long list of topics including the definition of the family, sexual rights, sexuality education, respect for national sovereignty, religious and cultural values, abstinence and fidelity, abortion, parental rights, and the evolving definition of “reproductive rights.”
As is our tradition after each UN conference, we will report on the results—the good, the bad and the just plain ugly.
The Good
Pro-family countries scored one of the most significant victories at this conference on the final day following late night negotiations, when they succeeded in inserting a paragraph reaffirming “the sovereign right of each country to implement recommendations of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development” or other proposals in the resolution being negotiated, “consistent with national laws” and with “full respect for the various religious and ethical values and cultural backgrounds of its people.”
Another victory on parental rights came after much heated debate. A strong reference was adopted recognizing “the rights, duties and responsibilities of parents and other persons legally responsible for adolescents to provide, in a manner consistent with the evolving capacities of the adolescent, appropriate direction and guidance in sexual and reproductive matters.”
The deletion of multiple references in the proposed outcome document to “sexual rights” is also a significant victory. The term “sexual rights” has never been accepted in a UN consensus document, and keeping it out of this one was essential. An alliance of pro-family delegations, primarily Arab countries and some African countries, joined by the Holy See, Malta, Russia, Iran and Pakistan, refused to succumb to intense pressure from the majority of European countries joined by Brazil and a number of Latin American countries to accept this term throughout the document.
The pro-family side also gained some positive references to abstinence and fidelity, and references discouraging prenatal sex selection, and the use of girls in prostitution and pornography.
Family Watch spent long hours supporting UN delegates with research and family-supportive language that was used by a number of them to bring about these significant pro-family victories.
Luis and Amelia Belchior, the AIDS orphans our family adopted three years ago, were given an opportunity to speak during the plenary session of the Commission. They shared the microphone and delivered a moving speech, bringing some to tears, as they spoke out about how a promiscuous lifestyle caused their parents and brother to die of AIDS. They then blasted the UN for promoting the dangerous “sexual rights” agenda that promotes illicit sex, which in Africa can mean a death sentence from AIDS for many.
Click here to watch a video of the speech. This link also has the text of their speech posted.
Finally, the Ambassador from Swaziland gave an excellent talk during the plenary session challenging those promoting access to abortion, contraception, comprehensive sex and sexuality education as international human rights that must be guaranteed and often funded by governments. You can read excerpts of his talk here.
The Bad
In the end, all positive references to the family were omitted from the text. The Russian delegate chastised the group for refusing to accept any positive references to “the family,” clearly baffled at the hostility shown by delegations who insisted the term was too controversial and undefined. Instead the term “the family” was replaced with “households” or “families,” which some delegations consider to be more inclusive terms that do not necessarily exclude same-sex couples.
One delegate reported that during this debate, the representative of Brazil stated that he could not accept the term as his country’s definition of the family was anyone residing in the same household “regardless of family ties.” It was also reported that the delegate from Zambia (joined by the delegate from Brazil) refused to accept a reference to encouraging marriage, calling it “very scary” and an assault on “personal liberty” for governments to encourage marriage in any way. Hard as it might be for the average person to believe, this is the kind of thinking we are increasingly having to confront at the international level.
To our great disappointment, even though several dozen countries opposed the inclusion of the terms “sexuality education” because of the graphic and inappropriate sexuality programs being promoted by the UN (click here to see our brief), several references to this controversial education were included in the final document.
Similarly, several dozen delegations vigorously opposed references to “reproductive rights” and “reproductive health services,” which many countries consider to include abortion, and yet these terms, and others specifically referring to abortion made it into the final document. On the whole, this document was aggressively pro-abortion.
The Ugly
The ugly aspects of this conference were truly disturbing. As in previous conferences, it was obvious that the facilitator, who was from a liberal western European nation, was obviously biased against most, if not all of the pro-family positions.
As in the previous several conferences, the facilitator of this conference “ran out the clock” on the negotiations. He presented his own version of what was supposed to be a neutral consensus draft of the out come document only twenty minutes before the final negotiating session on the last day. His “facilitator’s text” contained most of the elements that dozens of countries had strongly objected to during the negotiations, and he then limited further negotiation to only two issues, effectively ramming through many of the bad provisions.
Noting that only the pro-family delegations were frantically searching through the supposed consensus document in the twenty minutes before the final negotiation session began, one delegate said it seemed clear to her that the liberal anti-family delegations had gotten copies of the document earlier than the rest of the delegations, and she wondered if they had even had a hand in helping draft the biased facilitator’s text.
This bias and manipulation was so blatant at this meeting and made such a mockery of honest and open debate and the effort to achieve real consensus that it appears to have stimulated an effort by some countries to prevent it from happening in future CPD meetings.
While this meeting produced mixed results, it does at least provide important strong language on national sovereignty and parental rights that we can build on in future meetings.
We are now gearing up for the next major conference, the UN’s High Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS to be held June 8-10. This is the last of what has been an exhausting round of critical UN meetings the first half of this year.
Covering these meetings has depleted our financial resources.
If you appreciate our work to defend the family in these international conferences that establish policies that affect your family and the whole world, please consider making a generous donation. We really need your support.
We do not have any major sources of funding but rely on the generosity of people like you from around the world who appreciate what we do. Click here to contribute safely and easily on line. Contributions are tax deductible for U.S. taxpayers.
Thank you for whatever you can do to help.
Sincerely,
Sharon Slater
President
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We Urgently Need Your Help!
We have never faced greater challenges to the family and family values than we do now and there is no doubt these challenges will only increase in the months ahead. Not only do we face more threats at the UN than ever before but at the national level we are fighting to defend marriage in the U.S., prevent the liberalization of abortion and dealing with other issues as well. As a result, our budget is stretched to the breaking point.
Please help in this effort to defend the family and family values by making the most generous contribution you can. Contributions are tax-deductible for U.S. taxpayers and any amount you contribute will be used effectively and efficiently. You can easily make a secure contribution on line here or print out a form to mail in a contribution.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
News Items of Interest
Abortion
Hungary Approves Conservative Constitution. The new constitution includes a ban on same-sex marriage and protects life from the moment of conception. Groups that claim that abortion and homosexual marriage are “rights” opposed it. Prime Minister Viktor Orban stated that with the new constitution he hoped to complete the transition to a democracy. Read more here.
Adoption
Arizona Bill Gives Married Couples Adoption Priority. State lawmakers voted 37-20 to give married couples preference when adopting children. The bill does not prohibit adoption by a single person or an unmarried couple, but if all other factors are equal, the Department of Economic Security and private adoption agencies must place a child with a married couple. Read more here.
Arkansas Court Rules Adoption Law Unconstitutional. The voter-passed law limited foster care and adoption to married couples and single individuals and would have prevented same-sex couples or unmarried couples from adopting children. The Supreme Court’s decision was unanimous. Read more here.
Homosexuality Related
Number of Homosexuals in United States Estimated. A demographer with the Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation Law and Public Policy has estimated that there are about 4 million adults, or 1.7 percent of the U.S. population, who consider themselves homosexual. Demographer Gary Gates’ estimate is based on five studies, and the derived figure is much lower than the previously accepted figure of 3 to 5 percent of the population. Read more here.
Malaysian Boys Receive Counseling. Authorities in Malaysia have sent 66 Muslim schoolboys aged 13-17 who were identified as effeminate by their teachers to a four-day camp where they will be counseled on masculine behavior in an effort to prevent them from becoming homosexual. The boys were invited to attend the camp but were not forced to do so. Read more here.
Marriage Related
Delaware Becomes Eighth U.S. State to Legalize Same-sex Civil Unions. Governor Jack Markell is expected to sign the bill, which will take effect January 1, 2012. The new law will allow same-sex couples to receive benefits that include health insurance coverage. Read more here.
U.S. House Republicans Hire DOMA Counsel. Former U.S. Solicitor General Paul D. Clement has been hired to defend the Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage as between one man and one woman in federal law. U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced earlier this year that the Obama administration would no longer defend the law in court. Read more here.
Prop 8 Judge Likely Had Conflict of Interest. Judge Vaughn Walker overturned California’s Prop 8 legalizing same-sex marriage. The recently retired federal judge is involved in a longstanding homosexual relationship and many believe he should have recused himself from the case because Judge Walker could directly benefit from his own ruling. Read more here.
Family Life Collapsing in the UK. According to research by the Centre for Social Justice, births outside marriage in the UK are at the highest level in two hundred years. Nine out of ten couples live together before marriage and nearly one half of children will see their parents separate by the time they are 16 years old. Read more here.
Divorces Rising in India. A booming economy and other factors have contributed to the increase in divorce rates. Until recently divorce was rare in the socially conservative country. India does not track divorce statistics, but estimates are that one in every 100 marriages in India end in divorce, low by U.S. standards where almost half of marriages end in divorce. Read more here.
CNN Poll Finds Majority Support for Same-sex Marriage in America. The poll found that a narrow majority, 51 percent, of Americans believes same-sex marriage should be legalized nationally. This is an increase from 44 percent in 2009. The margin of error is +/- 3.5 percentage points. Read more here.
News Items of General Interest
Children in UK Gender Identity Study Take Drugs to Prevent Puberty. The National Research Ethics Service has approved monthly injections that prevent puberty for children who struggle with Gender Identity Disorder. The treatment will allow these children time to consider decisions regarding permanent surgical sex changes. Critics claim this will cause further harm to these already confused individuals. Read more here.
Australian Court Approves Sex Change for 10-Year-Old Boy. Family Court Justice Linda Dessau ruled that the boy, who has been living as a girl for the past two years, can begin drug therapy to stop puberty. When he turns 16 the court will determine if he can begin taking female hormones. Read more here.
Study Finds Rise in Oral Contraceptive Use Among U.S. Teens. The study by Thomson Reuters found that in 2009 18 percent of U.S. teens ages 13 to 18 were given prescriptions for oral contraceptives through commercial and Medicaid insurance. This represents an increase of 50 percent for commercially insured teens and 29 percent for Medicaid insured teens from 2002 to 2009. Read more here.
Study Finds Fertility Rates in Europe Still Low. The study published by the European commission confirmed that the low fertility rates combined with an aging population will cause major economic challenges in European countries. The study found that the number of children per woman has increased from 1.45 children in 2008 to 1.6 children, but is still well below the replacement rate of 2.1 children required to maintain a stable population. Read more here.
Gender to be Defined as a Social Construct in Europe. The Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute reports that the 47 Member States of the council of Europe may soon be finalizing a new convention that defines gender as a social construct rather than a biological reality. The convention on eliminating violence against women states that gender “shall mean the socially constructed roles, behaviors, activities and attributes that a given society considers appropriate for women and men.” Read more here.
French Court Rules Against Surrogacy Citizenship. France’s top court, the Court of Cassation, refused to grant citizenship to 10-year old twin girls who were born to a surrogate mother in the United States. The French man and woman were deemed the legal parents of the girls in California. France legally bans surrogacy. Read more here.
http://www.familywatchinternational.org ... r/0521.cfm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
(Link to the website is at the bottom.)
Significant Victories for the Family
at UN Last Week!
Dear Supporter of the Family,
The Family Watch team spent another grueling week at the United Nations actively participating at the Commission on Population and Development. Nations locked horns over a long list of topics including the definition of the family, sexual rights, sexuality education, respect for national sovereignty, religious and cultural values, abstinence and fidelity, abortion, parental rights, and the evolving definition of “reproductive rights.”
As is our tradition after each UN conference, we will report on the results—the good, the bad and the just plain ugly.
The Good
Pro-family countries scored one of the most significant victories at this conference on the final day following late night negotiations, when they succeeded in inserting a paragraph reaffirming “the sovereign right of each country to implement recommendations of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development” or other proposals in the resolution being negotiated, “consistent with national laws” and with “full respect for the various religious and ethical values and cultural backgrounds of its people.”
Another victory on parental rights came after much heated debate. A strong reference was adopted recognizing “the rights, duties and responsibilities of parents and other persons legally responsible for adolescents to provide, in a manner consistent with the evolving capacities of the adolescent, appropriate direction and guidance in sexual and reproductive matters.”
The deletion of multiple references in the proposed outcome document to “sexual rights” is also a significant victory. The term “sexual rights” has never been accepted in a UN consensus document, and keeping it out of this one was essential. An alliance of pro-family delegations, primarily Arab countries and some African countries, joined by the Holy See, Malta, Russia, Iran and Pakistan, refused to succumb to intense pressure from the majority of European countries joined by Brazil and a number of Latin American countries to accept this term throughout the document.
The pro-family side also gained some positive references to abstinence and fidelity, and references discouraging prenatal sex selection, and the use of girls in prostitution and pornography.
Family Watch spent long hours supporting UN delegates with research and family-supportive language that was used by a number of them to bring about these significant pro-family victories.
Luis and Amelia Belchior, the AIDS orphans our family adopted three years ago, were given an opportunity to speak during the plenary session of the Commission. They shared the microphone and delivered a moving speech, bringing some to tears, as they spoke out about how a promiscuous lifestyle caused their parents and brother to die of AIDS. They then blasted the UN for promoting the dangerous “sexual rights” agenda that promotes illicit sex, which in Africa can mean a death sentence from AIDS for many.
Click here to watch a video of the speech. This link also has the text of their speech posted.
Finally, the Ambassador from Swaziland gave an excellent talk during the plenary session challenging those promoting access to abortion, contraception, comprehensive sex and sexuality education as international human rights that must be guaranteed and often funded by governments. You can read excerpts of his talk here.
The Bad
In the end, all positive references to the family were omitted from the text. The Russian delegate chastised the group for refusing to accept any positive references to “the family,” clearly baffled at the hostility shown by delegations who insisted the term was too controversial and undefined. Instead the term “the family” was replaced with “households” or “families,” which some delegations consider to be more inclusive terms that do not necessarily exclude same-sex couples.
One delegate reported that during this debate, the representative of Brazil stated that he could not accept the term as his country’s definition of the family was anyone residing in the same household “regardless of family ties.” It was also reported that the delegate from Zambia (joined by the delegate from Brazil) refused to accept a reference to encouraging marriage, calling it “very scary” and an assault on “personal liberty” for governments to encourage marriage in any way. Hard as it might be for the average person to believe, this is the kind of thinking we are increasingly having to confront at the international level.
To our great disappointment, even though several dozen countries opposed the inclusion of the terms “sexuality education” because of the graphic and inappropriate sexuality programs being promoted by the UN (click here to see our brief), several references to this controversial education were included in the final document.
Similarly, several dozen delegations vigorously opposed references to “reproductive rights” and “reproductive health services,” which many countries consider to include abortion, and yet these terms, and others specifically referring to abortion made it into the final document. On the whole, this document was aggressively pro-abortion.
The Ugly
The ugly aspects of this conference were truly disturbing. As in previous conferences, it was obvious that the facilitator, who was from a liberal western European nation, was obviously biased against most, if not all of the pro-family positions.
As in the previous several conferences, the facilitator of this conference “ran out the clock” on the negotiations. He presented his own version of what was supposed to be a neutral consensus draft of the out come document only twenty minutes before the final negotiating session on the last day. His “facilitator’s text” contained most of the elements that dozens of countries had strongly objected to during the negotiations, and he then limited further negotiation to only two issues, effectively ramming through many of the bad provisions.
Noting that only the pro-family delegations were frantically searching through the supposed consensus document in the twenty minutes before the final negotiation session began, one delegate said it seemed clear to her that the liberal anti-family delegations had gotten copies of the document earlier than the rest of the delegations, and she wondered if they had even had a hand in helping draft the biased facilitator’s text.
This bias and manipulation was so blatant at this meeting and made such a mockery of honest and open debate and the effort to achieve real consensus that it appears to have stimulated an effort by some countries to prevent it from happening in future CPD meetings.
While this meeting produced mixed results, it does at least provide important strong language on national sovereignty and parental rights that we can build on in future meetings.
We are now gearing up for the next major conference, the UN’s High Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS to be held June 8-10. This is the last of what has been an exhausting round of critical UN meetings the first half of this year.
Covering these meetings has depleted our financial resources.
If you appreciate our work to defend the family in these international conferences that establish policies that affect your family and the whole world, please consider making a generous donation. We really need your support.
We do not have any major sources of funding but rely on the generosity of people like you from around the world who appreciate what we do. Click here to contribute safely and easily on line. Contributions are tax deductible for U.S. taxpayers.
Thank you for whatever you can do to help.
Sincerely,
Sharon Slater
President
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We Urgently Need Your Help!
We have never faced greater challenges to the family and family values than we do now and there is no doubt these challenges will only increase in the months ahead. Not only do we face more threats at the UN than ever before but at the national level we are fighting to defend marriage in the U.S., prevent the liberalization of abortion and dealing with other issues as well. As a result, our budget is stretched to the breaking point.
Please help in this effort to defend the family and family values by making the most generous contribution you can. Contributions are tax-deductible for U.S. taxpayers and any amount you contribute will be used effectively and efficiently. You can easily make a secure contribution on line here or print out a form to mail in a contribution.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
News Items of Interest
Abortion
Hungary Approves Conservative Constitution. The new constitution includes a ban on same-sex marriage and protects life from the moment of conception. Groups that claim that abortion and homosexual marriage are “rights” opposed it. Prime Minister Viktor Orban stated that with the new constitution he hoped to complete the transition to a democracy. Read more here.
Adoption
Arizona Bill Gives Married Couples Adoption Priority. State lawmakers voted 37-20 to give married couples preference when adopting children. The bill does not prohibit adoption by a single person or an unmarried couple, but if all other factors are equal, the Department of Economic Security and private adoption agencies must place a child with a married couple. Read more here.
Arkansas Court Rules Adoption Law Unconstitutional. The voter-passed law limited foster care and adoption to married couples and single individuals and would have prevented same-sex couples or unmarried couples from adopting children. The Supreme Court’s decision was unanimous. Read more here.
Homosexuality Related
Number of Homosexuals in United States Estimated. A demographer with the Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation Law and Public Policy has estimated that there are about 4 million adults, or 1.7 percent of the U.S. population, who consider themselves homosexual. Demographer Gary Gates’ estimate is based on five studies, and the derived figure is much lower than the previously accepted figure of 3 to 5 percent of the population. Read more here.
Malaysian Boys Receive Counseling. Authorities in Malaysia have sent 66 Muslim schoolboys aged 13-17 who were identified as effeminate by their teachers to a four-day camp where they will be counseled on masculine behavior in an effort to prevent them from becoming homosexual. The boys were invited to attend the camp but were not forced to do so. Read more here.
Marriage Related
Delaware Becomes Eighth U.S. State to Legalize Same-sex Civil Unions. Governor Jack Markell is expected to sign the bill, which will take effect January 1, 2012. The new law will allow same-sex couples to receive benefits that include health insurance coverage. Read more here.
U.S. House Republicans Hire DOMA Counsel. Former U.S. Solicitor General Paul D. Clement has been hired to defend the Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage as between one man and one woman in federal law. U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced earlier this year that the Obama administration would no longer defend the law in court. Read more here.
Prop 8 Judge Likely Had Conflict of Interest. Judge Vaughn Walker overturned California’s Prop 8 legalizing same-sex marriage. The recently retired federal judge is involved in a longstanding homosexual relationship and many believe he should have recused himself from the case because Judge Walker could directly benefit from his own ruling. Read more here.
Family Life Collapsing in the UK. According to research by the Centre for Social Justice, births outside marriage in the UK are at the highest level in two hundred years. Nine out of ten couples live together before marriage and nearly one half of children will see their parents separate by the time they are 16 years old. Read more here.
Divorces Rising in India. A booming economy and other factors have contributed to the increase in divorce rates. Until recently divorce was rare in the socially conservative country. India does not track divorce statistics, but estimates are that one in every 100 marriages in India end in divorce, low by U.S. standards where almost half of marriages end in divorce. Read more here.
CNN Poll Finds Majority Support for Same-sex Marriage in America. The poll found that a narrow majority, 51 percent, of Americans believes same-sex marriage should be legalized nationally. This is an increase from 44 percent in 2009. The margin of error is +/- 3.5 percentage points. Read more here.
News Items of General Interest
Children in UK Gender Identity Study Take Drugs to Prevent Puberty. The National Research Ethics Service has approved monthly injections that prevent puberty for children who struggle with Gender Identity Disorder. The treatment will allow these children time to consider decisions regarding permanent surgical sex changes. Critics claim this will cause further harm to these already confused individuals. Read more here.
Australian Court Approves Sex Change for 10-Year-Old Boy. Family Court Justice Linda Dessau ruled that the boy, who has been living as a girl for the past two years, can begin drug therapy to stop puberty. When he turns 16 the court will determine if he can begin taking female hormones. Read more here.
Study Finds Rise in Oral Contraceptive Use Among U.S. Teens. The study by Thomson Reuters found that in 2009 18 percent of U.S. teens ages 13 to 18 were given prescriptions for oral contraceptives through commercial and Medicaid insurance. This represents an increase of 50 percent for commercially insured teens and 29 percent for Medicaid insured teens from 2002 to 2009. Read more here.
Study Finds Fertility Rates in Europe Still Low. The study published by the European commission confirmed that the low fertility rates combined with an aging population will cause major economic challenges in European countries. The study found that the number of children per woman has increased from 1.45 children in 2008 to 1.6 children, but is still well below the replacement rate of 2.1 children required to maintain a stable population. Read more here.
Gender to be Defined as a Social Construct in Europe. The Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute reports that the 47 Member States of the council of Europe may soon be finalizing a new convention that defines gender as a social construct rather than a biological reality. The convention on eliminating violence against women states that gender “shall mean the socially constructed roles, behaviors, activities and attributes that a given society considers appropriate for women and men.” Read more here.
French Court Rules Against Surrogacy Citizenship. France’s top court, the Court of Cassation, refused to grant citizenship to 10-year old twin girls who were born to a surrogate mother in the United States. The French man and woman were deemed the legal parents of the girls in California. France legally bans surrogacy. Read more here.
http://www.familywatchinternational.org ... r/0521.cfm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;