World Family Policy Center Newsletter
* News
relative to protecting the family worldwide *
Volume 4 Issue 3 - January 17, 2005
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Quote of the Day: “When
it comes to leaders we have, if anything, a superabundance—hundreds of Pied
Pipers . . . —ready and anxious to lead the population. They are scurrying around, collecting
consensus, gathering as wide an acceptance as possible. But what they are not
doing, very notably, is standing still and saying, ‘This is what I
believe. This I will do and that I will
not do. This is my code of behavior and
that is outside it. This is excellent
and that is trash.’ There is an
abdication of moral leadership in the sense of a general unwillingness to state
standards.”
—Barbara
W. Tuchman, Pulitzer Prize-winning
historian, from her article “The Missing
Element—Moral Courage,” McCall’s June 1967, 28
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Today’s Contents:
A. Featured Articles:
1. News
for Immediate Release- Two Proclamations from President of US
2. U.N.
Offers 'Reproductive' Aid to Tsunami Victims
Related Article: United Nations' cartoon
condoms
3. Child
Porn Reports on the Rise
4.
Newdow's anti-prayer challenge 'legally flawed'
Related Article: President outlines role of
his faith
Related Article: Bible ordered removed from
courthouse display
5. High court
lets stand ban on gay adoption
Related Article: Lutheran decision splits on
gay clergy
Related Article: 22 gay, lesbian groups reset
priorities in wake of losses
6. Pope Reiterates Church's Moral Positions
7. Are
Dems Ready to Elect Pro-Life Party Chairman?
8. Dutch
Euthanasia Doctors May Now Kill Perfectly Healthy Adults
B. Coming Events
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FEATURED ARTICLES
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1.
News for Immediate Release- Two Proclamations from President of US
January 15, 2005
National Sanctity of Human Life Day, 2005
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
The Declaration of Independence proclaimed that all
Americans are endowed by the Creator with the unalienable rights to life,
liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. On National Sanctity of Human Life Day,
we celebrate the sacred gift of life.
We have a responsibility in America to defend the life
of the innocent and the powerless. Our Nation has made significant progress in
recent years toward building a culture of life. Last year, I signed into law
the Unborn Victims of Violence Act of 2004, which provides that any person who
causes death or injury to a pregnant woman commits two separate offenses. I
worked with members of both parties to ban the brutal practice of partial-birth
abortion, and I signed the Born-Alive Infants Protection Act. Working with the
Congress, my Administration has halted spending of taxpayers' money on
international programs that promote abortions overseas. We continue to promote
abstinence education, adoption programs, crisis pregnancy programs, and other
efforts to help protect life.
To read entire proclamation:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/01/20050115-1.html
Religious Freedom Day, 2005
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
George Washington wrote, "The liberty enjoyed by
the people of these States, of worshipping Almighty God agreeably to their
consciences, is not only among the choicest of their blessings, but also of
their rights." On Religious Freedom Day, Americans commemorate the passage
of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom in 1786, which helped set the
course for freedom of religion to be included in the First Amendment to our
Constitution.
Our Founding Fathers knew the importance of freedom of
religion to a stable and lasting Union. Our Constitution protects individuals'
rights to worship as they choose. Today, we continue to welcome the important
contributions of people of faith in our society. We reject religious bigotry in
every form, striving for a society that honors the life and faith of every
person. As we maintain the vitality of a pluralistic society, we work to ensure
equal treatment of faith-based organizations and people of faith.
As the United States advances the cause of liberty, we
remember that freedom is not America's gift to the world, but God's gift to
each man and woman in this world. This truth drives our efforts to help people
everywhere achieve freedom of religion and establish a better, brighter, and
more peaceful future for all.
To read entire proclamation:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/01/20050115-3.html
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2. U.N. Offers 'Reproductive' Aid to
Tsunami Victims
by Stuart Shepard
January 10, 2005
What kind of aid is headed for Southeast Asia? The
United Nations has some strange ideas on what those affected need.
What kind of help does Southeast Asia need to recover
from the tidal wave that swamped the region and killed tens of thousands? It's
likely your list won't include condoms and portable abortion devices—but that's
part of the aid being sent by the United Nations.
The United Nations Population Fund, known as UNFPA,
has requested $28 million for tsunami assistance, part of which will go toward
what it euphemistically calls "reproductive health essentials,"
according to Thomas Jacobson, who keeps track of U.N. action for Focus on the
Family.
"It is an obsession (for the U.N. to provide
contraceptive and abortion services)," Jacobson said. "It really
ignores the people whom they should be helping."
History, Jacobson added, makes it clear what the
mildly cryptic language means.
"I have spoken with people in Latin America and
Africa whose nations faced tragedies and crises, whose people needed food,
clean water shelter and medicine immediately," Jacobson said. "But
the UNFPA was there with condoms, IUDs, morning-after pills and their manual
vacuum aspirators for abortions."
To read entire article:
http://www.family.org/cforum/fnif/news/a0035135.cfm
Related Article: United Nations' cartoon
condoms
January 13, 2005
WorldNetDaily.com
The United Nations has launched a series of 20
animated TV ads to stop the spread of AIDS, featuring cartoon condoms named
Shaft, Stretch and Dick.
The U.N. is trying to help stop the spread of HIV with
'The Three Amigos,' who appear in this spot called 'Talk.'
Available in 41 languages, the U.N. calls The Three
Amigos ad campaign the "start of the world's largest integrated behavior
modification program."
"We're using humor to stop the spread of
AIDS," Canadian producer-director Firdaus Kharas told reporters.
The program has a potential reach of approximately 80
percent of the world's population, the U.N. said.
The condom characters are pictured in a variety of
settings, including a spaceship, soccer field and casino.
To read entire article:
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=42353
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3. Child Porn Reports on the Rise
by Stuart Shepard
Focus on the Family
There was a drastic increase in the number of online
child porn complaints last year. But there's something positive in the
disturbing news.
Reports of online child pornography increased
dramatically last year—and while it's hard to find a silver lining in that kind
of news, experts say one reason for the huge increase is a new law that could
ultimately put many of the smut peddlers behind bars.
The number of child pornography reports made to the
government Web site cybertipline.com last year increased nearly 40 percent—to
more than 106,000—according to Michelle Collins, with the National Center for
Missing and Exploited Children.
"The biggest reason that the increase has
occurred," Collins said, "is the fact that there is now a federal law
that mandates that electronic service providers in the United States, if they
have knowledge of child pornography on their servers, report it to
cybertipline.com."
To read entire article:
http://www.family.org/cforum/fnif/news/a0035190.cfm
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4. Newdow's anti-prayer challenge 'legally flawed'
ACLJ argues invocation at Bush inaugural 'time-honored
tradition'
January 11, 2005
WorldNetDaily.com
California atheist Michael Newdow's lawsuit to block
prayer at President Bush's inauguration has no merit, contends the American
Center for Law and Justice, which filed a friend-of-the-court brief arguing the
religious invocation is constitutional.
Jay Sekulow, chief counsel of the ACLJ, called
Newdow's challenge a "legally flawed" attempt to "remove a
time-honored tradition going back to the nation's first president."
"The expression of prayer at the presidential
inauguration is not only constitutional, but an important part of the history
and heritage of this nation," he said.
The official inauguration website indicates the
president will chose a minister to "deliver an invocation" before he
takes the oath of office Jan. 20.
To read entire article:
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=42314
Related Article: President outlines role
of his faith
By James G. Lakely
The Washington Times
President Bush said yesterday that he doesn't
"see how you can be president without a relationship with the Lord,"
but that he is always mindful to protect the right of others to worship or not
worship.
Mr. Bush told editors and reporters of The Washington
Times yesterday in an interview in the Oval Office that many in the public
misunderstand the role of faith in his life and his view of the proper
relationship between religion and the government.
"I think people attack me because they are
fearful that I will then say that you're not equally as patriotic if you're not
a religious person," Mr. Bush said. "I've never said that. I've never
acted like that. I think that's just the way it is.
"On the other hand, I think more and more people
understand the importance of faith in their life," he said. "America
is a remarkable place when it comes to religion and faith. We had people come
to our rallies who were there specifically to say, 'I'm here to pray for you,
let you know I'm praying for you.' And I was very grateful about that."
Liberals have challenged his faith-based initiative,
which allows religious organizations to apply for government funds to
administer social services such as drug rehabilitation and food banks.
The president said there is no reason to fear his conspicuous
practice of his Methodist faith or his approval of religious expression in the
public square.
Mr. Bush said he leans heavily on his religion every
day that he is in the Oval Office and cannot imagine any man handling the
pressures of the job without leaning on God.
To read entire article:
http://www.washtimes.com/national/20050111-101004-3771r.htm
Related Article: Bible ordered removed
from courthouse display
Houston homeless mission's monument embroiled in legal
struggle
The Associated Press
Jan. 11, 2005
HOUSTON - A Bible was removed from a monument outside
a downtown courthouse Monday while local officials appeal a federal judge’s
ruling that the display is unconstitutional.
The action came after the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of
Appeals in New Orleans lifted its block of the judge’s order in August to
remove the Bible.
Kay Staley, a real estate broker and lawyer, had sued
Harris County on grounds the display was offensive to non-Christians.
The appeals court did not address the merits of the
case, but said Monday the Bible must be removed. The court also refused to
allow the homeless mission responsible for the display to intervene in the
appeal.
To read entire article:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6810844/
...............
5. High court lets stand ban on gay adoption
By Cheryl Wetzstein
The Washington Times
January 11, 2005
The U.S. Supreme Court yesterday declined without
comment to hear a challenge to a 1977 Florida law that prevents homosexuals
from adopting children.
The rejection means that Florida's uniquely worded law
— "no person eligible to adopt under this statute may adopt if that person
is a homosexual" — will stand.
It dashes hopes by homosexual rights groups that the
high court would review the state law, which clearly discriminates against
homosexuals.
To read entire article:
http://www.washtimes.com/national/20050111-122644-9224r.htm
Related Article: Lutheran decision splits
on gay clergy
By Julia Duin
The Washington Times
A Lutheran task force handed a victory to homosexual
rights groups yesterday by recommending that although the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America should not change its policy against ordaining homosexual
clergy, it should not censure churches that break the rule.
But "those who feel conscience-bound to call
people [as pastors] in committed same-sex unions should refrain from making the
call a media event either as an act of defiance or with the presumption of
being prophetic," the task force warned.
The 14-member task force pronounced itself conflicted
and unable to agree about how the ELCA should proceed.
To read entire article:
http://www.washtimes.com/national/20050114-121259-8502r.htm
Related Article: 22 gay, lesbian groups
reset priorities in wake of losses
Carolyn Lochhead
San Francisco Chronicle
January 13, 2005
Washington -- Twenty-two gay and lesbian rights
groups, smarting in the aftermath of the November election and bracing for
President Bush's second inaugural, issued a unity statement Wednesday insisting
they are not backing off marriage equality but will simultaneously push for
other "common priorities."
To read entire article:
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/01/13/MNG1OAPG4D1.DTL
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6.
Pope Reiterates Church's Moral Positions
Jan 10, 2005
By Frances D'emilio
VATICAN CITY (AP) - Pope John Paul II put lobbying
against gay marriage at the top of the Vatican's agenda for 2005 and also urged
politicians in prosperous nations Monday to do more for the millions of hungry
people around the globe.
In a speech to the diplomats accredited to the
Vatican, the ailing, 84-year-old pontiff laid out the Roman Catholic Church's
priorities for the new year, making clear he intended to use his energies to
tackle what he called "challenges of life" issues - abortion,
cloning, gay marriage, assisted procreation and embryonic stem cell use. . . . .
In an obvious reference to laws permitting marriage
between homosexuals or equating the social rights of unwed couples to married
ones, John Paul said that in some countries, the family's "natural
structure" has been challenged.
Families "must necessarily be that of a union
between a man and a woman founded on marriage," he said.
John Paul also reasserted the church's opposition to
abortion, assisted procreation and scientific research on human embryonic stem
cells.
To read entire article:
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20050110/D87HDLOG0.html
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7. Are Dems Ready to Elect Pro-Life Party
Chairman?
By Kathleen Rhodes
CNSNews.com
January 12, 2005
(CNSNews.com) - Having lost the last two presidential
contests as well as important congressional seats in 2002, Democrats may be
ready to seek a new national party leader with more appeal to the political
center, a chairman with a decidedly pro-life voting record.
But the decision by former U.S. Rep. Tim Roemer of
Indiana to enter the race to succeed Democratic National Committee Chairman
Terry McAuliffe could motivate one of the most pro-abortion candidates in the
DNC's history - former NARAL Pro-Choice America President Kate Michelman -- to
join the race.
Roemer, who is Catholic and whose voting record in the
House earned him a 94 percent rating from the National Right to Life Committee,
confirmed Sunday that he's been encouraged by some leading Democrats to seek
the position and will in fact do so.
To read entire article:
http://www.cnsnews.com//ViewPolitics.asp?Page=\Politics\archive\200501\POL20050112a.html
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8. Dutch Euthanasia Doctors May Now Kill
Perfectly Healthy Adults
January 11, 2005
LifeSiteNews.com
Utrecht- The Royal Dutch Medical Association has
concluded, after a three-year investigation, that Dutch doctors ought to be
able to kill patients who are not ill but who are judged to be "suffering
through living."
The decision contradicts the Dutch Supreme Court that
ruled in 2002 that patients may only request euthanasia if they have a
"classifiable physical or mental condition," and not if they are
merely "tired of life." The law however, does not require a medical
condition, but only that a patient must be "suffering hopelessly and
unbearably." Pro-life activists have warned that such ambiguous language
is an open door for new interpretations that would make the law a license to
kill.
The new report says many Dutch doctors believe some
cases of "suffering through living" could be judged "unbearable
and hopeless."
To read entire article:
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2005/jan/05011109.html
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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
If you have any articles, editorials, or papers you
would like
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