World Family Policy Center Newsletter

* News relative to protecting the family worldwide *

Volume 3 Issue 28 - August 9, 2004

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QUOTE OF THE DAY: : "Now more than ever the people are

responsible for the character of their Congress. If that body be

ignorant, reckless, and corrupt, it is because the people

tolerate ignorance, recklessness, and corruption. If it be intelligent,

brave, and pure, it is because the people demand these high

qualities to represent them in the national legislature."

— James Garfield, US President, 1877

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Today’s Contents:

A. Editorial: Geneva Conference

B. Featured Articles:

1. Message of Voters in Missouri Against Gay Marriage

Leaves Backers Discouraged

Related Information: For a copy of the Washington state court

decision striking down the state DOMA

Related Article: In Utah Court, Lawyers Argue that Polygamy Is Legal

Related Article: Judge in Seattle Rules Gay Couples Can Wed

2. Australian Report: Homosexuals are Excluding Themselves

from Marriage, Family'

3. The Positive Effects of Marriage: A Book of Charts

4. Patients with H.I.V. Seen as Separated by a Racial Divide

C. Coming Events

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EDITORIAL: Geneva Conference - Register now to attend The

European Family Dialogue August 23-25, 2004 in Geneva, Switzerland

A gathering of invited international scholars will present their

research on issues concerning marriage and the family in preparation

for The Doha International Conference for the Family. For a list

of presenters, please visit www.worldfamilypolicy.org/wfpc/geneva.htm

Non-government organizations (NGOs) and private citizens may pre-register

for the conference at www.worldfamilypolicy.org/wfpc/geneva.htm.

Registration is $50.00 USD per person. We encourage you to pre-register.

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FEATURED ARTICLES

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1. Message of Voters in Missouri Against Gay Marriage

Leaves Backers Discouraged

By MONICA DAVEY

New York Times

August 5, 2004

ST. LOUIS - Missouri voters' overwhelming decision to bar gay

marriage with a constitutional amendment has sent a resounding

message around the country.

With at least nine other states expected to vote on similar amendments

this fall, including four swing states in the presidential race, leaders on

each side of the issue viewed Missouri's 70 percent approval of the

amendment on Tuesday as a glimpse of what might lie ahead.

Supporters of amendments to ban gay marriage in states like Ohio

pointed to Missouri's record election turnout - 41 percent in a primary

election that in most years draws 15 percent to 25 percent - as

a clear and exhilarating sign that the issue will lure their voters to the

polls.

To read entire article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/05/politics/campaign/05gays.html

Related Information: For a copy of the Washington state court

decision striking down the state DOMA: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/news/local/gaymarriage/downing_opinion.pdf

Related Article: In Utah Court, Lawyers Argue that Polygamy Is Legal

Associated Press

Aug. 4, 2004

SALT LAKE CITY - If Texas cannot criminalize sodomy, Utah should

not be able to criminalize polygamy, argued the attorney for three adults

who want to live together as husband and wives.

The three filed a lawsuit after they were denied a marriage license by the

Salt Lake County Clerk's Office in December.

They ask that the county clerk be required to issue the marriage license,

and they seek a declaration that the state's criminal and civil bans of

polygamy are unconstitutional.

To read entire article:

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0804Polygamy-Challenge-ON.html

Related Article: Judge in Seattle Rules Gay Couples Can Wed

Wednesday, August 04, 2004

FoxNews.com

SEATTLE — A King County Superior Court judge in

Seattle ruled Wednesday that gay couples can marry, saying

that denying their right to do so would be a violation of their

constitutional rights.

"The denial to the plaintiffs of the right to marry constitutes a denial

of substantive due process," Judge William L. Downing said in his

ruling.

The decision is stayed until the state Supreme Court reviews the case,

said Jennifer Pizer, lead counsel for Lambda Legal Defense in the

case. The stay means no marriage licenses can be issued until the

high court's decision.

To read entire article:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,128041,00.html

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2. Australian Report: Homosexuals are Excluding Themselves

from Marriage, Family'

By Patrick Goodenough

CNSNews.com Pacific Rim Bureau Chief

August 06, 2004

Australia - Homosexuals and lesbians charge that laws seeking to

ban same-sex "marriage" and adoption are discriminatory, but they

are themselves responsible for their exclusion from marriage and

family, according to an Australian medical ethics campaigner.

"By its very nature, homosexuality has excluded itself," Dr. David van

Gend told a national marriage forum in Canberra this week. "It has

stepped outside the circle of life -- the timeless, endless natural circle

of male and female, parent and offspring."

Lesbians and homosexuals could, however, "rejoin the circle of

life," he said, pointing to "the growing number of ex-gays."

To read entire article:

http://www.cnsnews.com//ViewCulture.asp?Page=\Culture\archive\200408\CUL20040806a.html

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3. The Positive Effects of Marriage: A Book of Charts

by Patrick F. Fagan, Robert E. Rector, Kirk A. Johnson, Ph.D. and

America Peterson

The Heritage Foundation

The following charts, based on the government surveys and independent

studies listed in Appendix A, are offered to policymakers and decision

makers to aid in their discussions of pro-marriage policies. They are

presented in sections that highlight both the decline of marriage and

its effects on children and adults compared with the numerous

benefits that marriage offers. An explanation of the data source for each

chart and a list of additional resources for more information and analysis

of the issues raised in these charts may be found in the appendices.

To access charts:

http://www.heritage.org/research/features/marriage/index.cfm

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4. Patients with H.I.V. Seen as Separated by a Racial Divide

By LINDA VILLAROSA

New York Times

August 7, 2004

In 2002, almost twice as many blacks with AIDS died compared with whites, a gap that has been increasing since 1998. Researchers say the reasons include late diagnoses and inferior care, along with complications because blacks are more likely than whites to suffer from other illnesses.

As a result, health experts say, many blacks in the United States have far more in common with their counterparts in Africa than they do with white patients.

"The area my clinic's in is essentially a suburb of the third world," said Dr. Joseph C. Gathe Jr., an infectious-disease physician in Houston and director of a nonprofit AIDS clinic. "It's a shame no one seems to know that the problem in Africa looks like the problem in inner-city Houston, Chicago and New York."

Though African-Americans make up just over 12 percent of the United States population, they accounted for 54 percent of the 40,000 new diagnoses of H.I.V./AIDS in 2002, the most recent year for which statistics were available, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Of the estimated 385,000 people living with AIDS, 42 percent were African-American. For them, the disease leads disproportionately to death.

Among black men ages 25 to 44, the death rate from H.I.V./AIDS was more than six times greater than for whites. For black women in the same age group, the numbers are even more startling: the death rate is more than 13 times greater than for whites. The most common method of transmission has been from infected sexual partners, followed by transmission through injected drugs.

To read entire article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/07/national/07deaths.html

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COMING EVENTS

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August 23-25m, 2004

The European Family Dialogue

Geneva, Switzerland

A gathering of invited international scholars will present their research

on issues concerning marriage and the family in preparation

for The Doha International Conference for the Family.

LOCATION:

The conference will be held at the International Conference Center

(www.cicg.ch) near United Nations Geneva.

PROGRAM:

Distinguished scholars from Austria, Canada, the Czech Republic,

Germany, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom,

the United States, and Uruguay will present papers on the above

topics with a focus on the European Region and how these issues

can be applied worldwide. For a list of presenters,

please visit www.worldfamilypolicy.org/wfpc/geneva.htm

REGISTRATION:

Registration will begin Monday, August 23, 7:30 AM. The sessions

Monday and Tuesday will start at 8:30 AM and go until 6:00 PM.

Wednesday’s session will start at 8:30 AM and go until 2:30 PM.

An open reception will follow Wednesday’s session.

Non-government organizations (NGOs) and private citizens may

pre-register for the conference at

www.worldfamilypolicy.org/wfpc/geneva.htm. Registration is

$50.00 USD per person. We encourage you to pre-register.

DISPLAYS

A display table may be reserved, one per each NGO. The fee for a

display table is $150.00 USD.

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October 11-13, 2004

The Asian/Pacific Dialogue

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

A gathering of invited scholars will present their research on issues

concerning marriage and the family in preparation for The Doha

International Conference for the Family.

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November 29_30, 2004

The Doha International Conference for the Family

Doha, Qatar

The Doha International Conference for the Family follows upon the

celebration of the International Year of the Family and will be a

two-day conference in Doha, Qatar, under the patronage of Her

Highness Sheikha Mouza Bint Nasser Al-Misnad., Consort of His

Highness The Emir of Qatar and President of Supreme Council for

Family Affairs, State of Qatar.

The conference represents an international assemblage, bringing

together international VIPs, governmental and non-governmental

organizations (NGOs), scholars, academicians, and civil society

leaders who will be invited by the State of Qatar to participate in

a family conference. This conference will call upon all nations of

the world to restate the principles related to family life embodied

in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and to adhere to

values and endeavor to promote the role of the family as it is the

natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to

protection by society and state.

Announcing Other Family Conferences Around the World

Worldwide Organization for Women (WOW)

Friday, September 17, 2004

Salt Lake City, Utah

“Women and Their Influence for Good”

• Morning Keynote speakers:

1.Ambassador Ellen Sauerbrey, US Representative to the UN Commission

on the Status of Women: “Women’s Role in Securing Human Rights and

Fundamental Freedoms for Herself and Family Members”

2. Serena S. Wilson, a descendent of freed slaves, who assisted in the

Underground Railroad through directions found hidden in quilt blocks -

“Women’s Role in Securing Freedom and Family Unity for

African/American Slaves.” See display of 40 quilts.

3. Laurie Seron, a descendent of those providing Safe Houses on the

Underground Railroad, member of WOW executive board. - “Women’s

Role in Providing Safe Houses for Children and Families Then and Now.”

• Afternoon Breakout Sessions featuring well-known speakers on issues relating to women and families.

For more information and to register click here: http://www.wowinfo.org

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Note: The preceding article excerpts are highlights of current events and

do not necessarily represent the views of the World Family Policy Center

or Brigham Young University.

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Newsletter created and distributed by:

World Family Policy Center

J. Reuben Clark Law School

Brigham Young University

Managing Director: Richard Wilkins

Executive Director: A. Scott Loveless

Newsletter Editors: Joy S. Lundberg and Gary B. Lundberg

If you have any articles, editorials, or papers you would like

circulated through the WFPC News network, you may submit them to

lundberg@lawgate.byu.edu

If you do not wish to receive a copy of WFPC News you may unsubscribe

by sending an email to listserv@listserv.byu.edu. The subject should be

left blank and the body should read, "unsubscribe wfpc_news".