World Family Policy Center Newsletter

* News relative to protecting the family worldwide *

Volume 4 Issue 6 - February 7, 2005

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Quote of the Day: “It always grieves me to contemplate the initiation of children into the ways of life when they are scarcely more than infants. ... It checks their confidence and simplicity, two of the best qualitites that heaven gives them, and demands that they share our sorrows before they are capable of entering into our enjoyments.” —Charles Dickens

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Today’s Contents:

A. Featured Articles:

1. Unmarried Families Are More Likely to Fall Apart

2. MTV Targets Kids with Sex and Filth, Study Says

3. Same-Sex Bill Hits House - Religious Group Warns MPs of Political Price

Related Article: Kansas sets April vote on marriage

Related Article: Connecticut Lawmakers Want Same-Sex 'Marriage' Legalized

4. Australia: Defect risk Is 40pc Higher with IVF

5. Kids' Antidepressant Use Declines

B. Coming Events

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FEATURED ARTICLES

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1. Unmarried Families Are More Likely to Fall Apart

Britain

The London Times - Front Page article

February 05, 2005

By Alexandra Frean, Social Affairs Correspondent

THREE QUARTERS of all family breakdowns affecting young children now involve unmarried parents, new research suggests.

The findings indicate that family breakdown is no longer driven by divorce,

but by the collapse of unmarried partnerships.

An estimated 88,000 children aged under 5 were affected by the separation of

their unmarried parents in 2003, compared with about 31,000 children under 5

whose married parents divorced, the research concludes. According to the 2001 census, 59 per cent of households with children are married, 11 per cent are co-habiting and 22 per cent lone parent families.

The study is likely to provoke heated discussion among family policy specialists. While it argues for the Government to do more actively to promote marriage, critics say that encouraging parents who do not want to marry to do so simply does not work.

Harry Benson, author of the research and director of the Bristol Community

Family Trust, an independent relationship education and research body, based

his findings on Office for National Statistics data on divorce and jointly registered births, together with ONS research on the ratio between breakdown

rates for married and unmarried families.

To read entire article from SmartMarriages:

http://archives.his.com/smartmarriages/2005-February/msg00005.html

To read original article at London Times Online requires a subscription fee: http://www.timesonline.co.uk

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2. MTV Targets Kids with Sex and Filth, Study Says

by Keith Peters

Washington, D.C., correspondent

February 2, 2005

There is a good reason why a lot of parents won't let their children watch the popular cable network.

A new study from the Parents Television Council (PTC) finds that MTV—far more than any other network—targets children with primetime programs featuring sex and foul language.

When MTV first hit television sets it was known for playing music videos, but today it's hard to find any music on the channel, according to PTC President Brent Bozell, who said sex has taken its place.

"Children watching MTV are viewing an average of nine sexual scenes per hour," he said, "with approximately 18 sexual depictions and 17 instances of sexual dialogue or innuendo."

And when the language turns raunchy, don't expect it to be censored.

"Young children watching MTV are subjected to roughly 8.9 un-bleeped profanities per hour, and an additional 18.3 bleeped profanities per hour," Bozell said.

And plenty of kids are watching—73 percent of boys and 78 percent of girls 12 to 19—a fact Bozell said MTV's marketers are well aware of.

"This is from their marketing materials," he said. " 'Young adults 15 to 17 are excited consumers and extremely impressionable. Now is the time to influence their choices.' "

To read entire article:

http://www.family.org/cforum/fnif/news/a0035402.cfm

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3. Same-Sex Bill Hits House - Religious Group Warns MPs of Political Price

Cristin Schmitz; with files from Elizabeth Thompson and James Gordon

CanWest News Service

February 01, 2005

OTTAWA - The Justice Minister will introduce today a three-paragraph bill that, if passed into law as expected, will make Canada just the third country in the world to allow same-sex civil marriage.

Irwin Cotler confirmed yesterday he would be tabling the historic and divisive legislation at 10 a.m. today, but he refused to disclose any details of the bill.

Joe Comartin, the NDP justice critic, who was briefed on the legislation yesterday, said it includes an unusually long preamble that sets out the history of the legislation, as well as the government's intention not to use the Constitution's notwithstanding clause to maintain the current, opposite-sex definition of marriage.

"There's three paragraphs, so I think one will be the new definition amending the Marriage Act, one will be protecting freedom of religion, and I assume the balance will be one clause that deals with all the consequential amendments and then about a page of preamble," Mr. Comartin said.

He said he believes the third clause in the proposed law will specifically recognize the right of religious organizations and groups not to perform same-sex marriages.

Those guarantees do not appear to satisfy religious groups, some of which continued yesterday to organize opposition to the same-sex bill.

To read entire article:

http://www.canada.com/national/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=37622865-5fb2-47c3-9a19-9be5ef9b45a2

Related Article: Kansas sets April vote on marriage

By Cheryl Wetzstein

The Washington Times

The Kansas House of Representatives yesterday approved a constitutional amendment that defines marriage only as the union of one man and one woman, and outlaws civil unions.

The amendment, which cleared the state Senate last month, goes before Kansas voters April 5.

If it passes, Kansas would become the 18th state with a constitutional marriage amendment.

Supporters of traditional values were pleased by the vote.

"What a great victory for traditional values," said Tamara Cooper, executive director of the Kansas Republican Assembly, on the group's Web site after Kansas House members approved the amendment 86-37.

Kansas state Rep. Bill McCreary said yesterday he expects it to pass "by an overwhelming margin."

"This is a very conservative state, and I think they deserve the right to vote on this issue," he said.

Related Article: Connecticut Lawmakers Want Same-Sex 'Marriage' Legalized

By Jody Brown and Bill Fancher

February 2, 2005

(AgapePress) - Maybe it has something to do with being a New England state. In 2000, Vermont legalized same-sex "civil unions." Massachusetts followed that up by legalizing homosexual "marriage" last May. Now, apparently, Connecticut wants to hop on the bandwagon. The authors of a pro-homosexual Senate bill in that state are making their intentions perfectly clear: "to authorize persons of the same sex to enter into marriage."

The measure is called "An Act Concerning Marriage Equality" (S.B. 963). If approved, it would remove the words "bride and groom" from the current statute governing marriage, and replace them with "both persons." Further, it would require that statutes using such terms as "husband," "wife," "groom," "bride," "widow," or "widower" be deemed to include one partner to a marriage between two persons of the same sex. The measure asks that the changes be effective October 1, 2005.

To read entire article:

http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/2/afa/22005e.asp

To read entire article:

http://www.washtimes.com/national/20050202-114922-9215r.htm

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4. Australia: Defect risk Is 40pc Higher with IVF

Clara Pirani, Medical reporter

January 28, 2005

BABIES conceived through IVF are up to 40 per cent more likely to suffer birth defects including cleft palate, spina bifida and heart problems.

Researchers at the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research in Perth analysed 25 studies from around the world and concluded that IVF babies consistently showed a 25 to 40 per cent greater risk of abnormalities. However, the researchers do not know why the birth defects are more common among IVF babies.

Researcher Michelle Hansen said the defects could be caused by the IVF procedure, or couples who struggle to become pregnant could have an underlying medical condition that caused birth defects.

"We don't know why yet, because it's very difficult to tease out the fact they come in with an underlying cause of infertility anyway," Ms Hansen told The Australian.

To read entire article:

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,12074304%255E23289,00.html

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5. Kids' Antidepressant Use Declines

By Marilyn Elias, USA TODAY

February 1, 2005

Massive publicity about antidepressants causing suicidal behavior in children is prompting more parents and doctors to hesitate longer or "just say no" to giving kids the pills, suggest new prescription records and interviews with doctors.

In the last three months of 2004, the rate of patients under 18 who got antidepressant prescriptions dropped 16% compared with the same time period in 2003, according to pharmacy benefit managers Medco Health Solutions. There was a 19% drop in the third quarter of 2004 compared with the same time frame in 2003.

In October, the Food and Drug Administration ordered "black box" labels, the most severe warning, on all antidepressants. The labels aren't expected to start appearing until this month, but their impact is already evident. (Related story: Teen uses Zoloft defense in murder case)

When pediatricians or primary doctors refer kids to a child psychiatrist, fewer parents agree to go, says Ujwala Dixit, a child psychiatrist in Media, Penn. And fewer parents are willing to have their kids take the drugs when they're recommended, she says.

To read entire article:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2005-01-31-antidepressant-inside_x.htm

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COMING EVENTS

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Please note:

FORTY-NINTH SESSION

OF THE COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN

will convene at the United Nations, New York City, NY

28 February to 11 March 2005

The Commission will be focusing on two thematic issues as outlined in its multi-year programme of work:

1. Review of the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action and the outcome documents of the special session of the General Assembly entitled "Women 2000: gender equality, development and peace for the twenty-first century"; and

2. Current challenges and forward looking strategies for the advancement and empowerment of women and girls

For more information: http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/csw/49sess.htm

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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

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