World Family Policy Center Newsletter

* News relative to protecting the family worldwide *

 

Volume 3 Issue 35 - October 5, 2004

 

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Quote of the Day: “Give people a fact, and you enlighten

their minds; tell them a story, and you touch their souls.” 

                                           — Hasidic Jewish Proverb

       

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Today’s Contents:

 

A. Featured Articles:

 

       1. UVSC Honors First Lady of Kyrgyzstan

 

       2. Philadelphia's Church-School Experiment

 

       3. Poll Indicates Parents Want to Know About Abortion Plans

 

       4. House Defeats Anti-Gay Marriage Amendment

Related Article: In Defense of Marriage Reverend Resigns Government Position in Nova Scotia

          Related Article:  Hispanic Leaders Lobby for Marriage Protection

         

       5. Marriage, Divorce Bills Pass Senate

 

       6. California Governor OKs So-called 'Pedophile Protection Act'

 

B. Coming Events

 

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FEATURED ARTICLES

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1. UVSC Honors First Lady of Kyrgyzstan

 

Tammy McPherson

Daily Herald

September 28, 2004   |

 

Utah Valley State College presented the first lady of Kyrgyzstan with an honorary doctorate of humane letters as she and her husband, the president of the small country bordering China, visited the campus Monday.

 

UVSC usually only gives out honorary doctorates during commencement exercises, but the college also gives them out on special occasions, said UVSC spokesman Derek Hall.

 

"This is a great honor for me and a great responsibility," First Lady Mairam Akaeva said in Russian during the presentation, her words translated into English by a translator.

 

Kyrgyzstan's first lady is known internationally for her work with women and children through the Meerim International Charity Fund of the Support of Childhood and Maternity, which she founded in 1993. She is the president of the SOS Children's Villages in Kyrgyzstan and has helped start more than 52 educational and social centers for youth, including specialized centers for orphaned and disabled children.

 

Akaeva said education is one of her country's biggest priorities, and as a result the Kyrgyz Republic has a 98 percent

literacy rate.

 

To read entire article:

http://www.harktheherald.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=35898&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0

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2. Philadelphia's Church_School Experiment

By Mary Beth Mccauley

The Christian Science Monitor

September 28, 2004 edition

 

PHILADELPHIA – Paul Vallas has been spending Sunday mornings in the pulpit recently, but he's no preacher. As CEO of the 210,000-student School District of Philadelphia, he's been speaking at weekend services in houses of worship across Philadelphia, extolling the potential of the school-faith partnership, and asking congregants for help with everything from tutoring and mentoring to hallway patrols and discipline.

 

Vallas's goal is to have each of the district's 276 schools adopted by at least one nearby church, synagogue, mosque, or temple, which he expects will bring moral heft, human capital, and familiarity with the streets to the job of educating the city's children.

 

 

http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0928/p11s02_legn.html

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3. Poll Indicates Parents Want to Know About Abortion Plans

By Patrick Goodenough

CNSNews.com Pacific Rim Bureau Chief

September 29, 2004

 

Pacific Rim Bureau (CNSNews.com) _ An opinion poll in New Zealand has found substantial support for parents' right to know if their underage daughter wants to have an abortion. The poll sends a strong signal to a liberal government that critics accuse of pursuing a politically-correct agenda.

 

A proposed piece of legislation called the Care of Children Bill entrenches an existing situation that allows girls of any age to have an abortion without their parents' knowledge or consent.

 

Opposition politicians are pressing for the provision to be changed, pointing out that parents are required to give their consent for their children to undergo any non-urgent medical procedure  apart from an abortion.

 

Many parents are horrified at the notion of school staff whisking their under_16 year old daughters off for an abortion during school hours, leaving parents out of the loop in what is likely to be the most traumatic decision their child has ever made.

 

To read entire article:

http://www.cnsnews.com//ViewCulture.asp?Page=\Culture\archive\200409\CUL20040929a.html

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4. House Defeats Anti_Gay Marriage Amendment

Friday, October 01, 2004

 

 

WASHINGTON — The House emphatically rejected a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage (search) Thursday, the latest in a string of conservative pet causes advanced by Republican leaders in the run-up to Election Day.

 

The vote was 227-186, 49 votes shy of the two-thirds needed for approval of an amendment that President Bush backed but the Senate had previously scuttled.

 

"God created Adam and Eve, He didn't create Adam and Steve," said Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (search), R-Md., on behalf of a measure that supporters said accused GOP leaders of "raw political cynicism" and said they hoped to "create the fodder for a demagogic political ad."

 

Bush issued a statement expressing disappointment with the vote's outcome.

 

"Because activist judges and local officials in some parts of the country are seeking to redefine marriage for the rest of the country, we must remain vigilant in defending traditional marriage," the president said.

 

To read entire article:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,134134,00.html

 

Related Article: In Defense of Marriage Reverend Resigns Government Position in Nova ScotiaA Letter by The Reverend Lewis H. How, M.A. M.Div. B.Ed. B.A.

Rector, Parish of Saint George,

The Anglican Catholic Church of Canada

Wolfville, Nova Scotia

 

September 24th, The Year of our Lord 2004

Elizabeth Crawley-Mhar

Deputy Registrar General, Vital Statistics,

Province of Nova Scotia

P.O. Box 157, Halifax, Nova Scotia

B3J 2M9

 

Dear Ms. Crawley-Mhar

In response to the ruling today by the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia against the Institution of Holy Matrimony and your government’s dereliction of duty in failing to oppose it, I write to inform you that where as I will not be a party to this violation of God’s first Institution; from this court decision forward I do hereby cease to act as the Government’s agent for registration of any marriages I may hereafter solemnize in this Province. 

 

The illogical and destructive promulgation of “same sex marriage” is a contradiction in terms, making marriage irrelevant within the institution of government by opening a Pandora’s box of change that will deconstruct the Institution of the Family, thereby devastating the social bedrock of society for our posterity. Holy Matrimony has never been in essence, the province of political institutions, but rather has from time immemorial been its own Institution under Divine Creation. [Genesis 1:26_28] The Nova Scotia Supreme Court has therefore acted ultra vires with this decision, presumptuously contradicting God’s will, as well as the Constitution of Canada, where the clause “sexual orientation”, which has been the lever for this agenda, was written in by an illegal act of the Supreme Court of Canada against the expressed will of Parliament. 

 

To read entire letter:

http://us.f118.mail.yahoo.com/ym/ShowLetter?box=Inbox&MsgId=8834_9342362_171823_1417_10260_0_21238_37337_3288242576&bodyPart=2&tnef=&YY=60798&order=down&sort=date&pos=0&view=a&head=b&ViewAttach=1

 

September 29, 2004

 

Related Article:  Hispanic Leaders Lobby for Marriage Protection

by Keith Peters, Washington, D.C., correspondent

 

Latinos tell Capitol Hill that marriage must be defined as between one man and one woman.

 

As the House prepares to vote on the federal marriage amendment (FMA) tomorrow, a group of Hispanic leaders took a message to Capitol Hill: "Protect 'La Familia' by voting yes on FMA."

 

The leaders want Congress to know that support for traditional marriage crosses all racial and ethnic lines, according to Fred Estrada, who is with the group Esperanza USA, one of the largest Hispanic youth organizations in the country.

 

"La Familia, headed by a mother and a father, is the very backbone of our identity as a people and therefore our community," Estrada said. " 'Mami y papi y ninos' (mom and dad and children) are the heart and soul of our community."

 

To read entire article:

http://www.family.org/cforum/fnif/news/A0033924.cfm

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5. Marriage, Divorce Bills Pass Senate

Goals: Stronger unions, help for kids

September 30, 2004

 

ASSOCIATED PRESS -  Couples would be encouraged to receive premarital education, and those with children would be required to take a class when divorcing, under legislation the state Senate approved Wednesday.

 

The package of bills would grant couples a marriage license after three days — the current waiting time — if they get counseling. If they refuse, they would have to wait 28 days.

 

The Senate passed the premarital counseling measure 23-14, mostly along party lines, despite objections from Democrats and some Republicans who said it would intrude into people's lives.

 

The House was expected to send the legislation to Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm later Wednesday. Granholm spokeswoman Mary Dettloff said the administration agrees with only part of the 13_bill package, which includes a bill that would allow retired clergy to counsel troubled families.

 

To read entire article:

http://www.freep.com/news/locmac/divorce30e_20040930.htm

 

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6.  California Governor OKs So-called 'Pedophile Protection Act'

Critics say new measure gives more opportunity for molesters

October 1, 2004

WorldNetDaily.com

 

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed a bill dubbed by critics as "The Pedophile Protection Act."

 

Authored by state Sen. Sheila Kuehl, the new law drastically reduces requirements for mandatory reporting of the known or suspected sexual, physical and emotional abuse of children.

 

Opponents, who are urging constituents to contact the governor, also say it creates a loophole for abortion providers, such as Planned Parenthood, to be exempted from reporting statutory rape, molestation and sexual abuse and gives molesters greater opportunity to be involved with the caregiving of children.

 

To read entire article:

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=40703

 

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COMING EVENTS   

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October 11-13, 2004

The Asian/Pacific Dialogue

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

 

A gathering of renowned speakers including researchers, academicians, policy makers and programme implementers from more than 20 countries in the Asia Pacific Region and other parts of the world will be invited to present their views on family issues in preparation for The Doha International Conference for the Family. 

 

Some of the speakers who will be presenting at the plenary session and workshops are:

 

Dr. Huang Wei-Jen, USA         YM Dr. Tengku Aizan Tengku Abdul Hamid

Dr. Don Browning, USA                    Malaysia

Prof. Ilhan Yildiz, Turkey          Dr. Euston Quah, Singapoer

Prof. Cristian Conen, Mexico              Dr. Eun Ki Soo, South Korea

Mr. Paul Henderson, New Zealand      Dr. Ekawati S.  Wahiuni, Indonesia

Dr. Gavin Jones, Singapore                 Dr. John Keown, UK

Dr. John Harvey, USA

 

Who should attend:

 

Researchers and academicians

Policy analysts and programme implementers

Social Services professionals and Family experts

Counsellors and Educators

Representatives of social and community support groups

Members of the community committed to family issues

 

To register online: www.lppkn.gov.my/apfd

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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.

 

To register online: www.dicf.org.qa

 

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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

 

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