World Family Policy Center Newsletter

1. Women Like Being Mothers but Say They Get No Respect

By Sharon Jayson,

USA TODAY

May 2, 2005

Mothers across the country like being mothers, but they also tend to feel underappreciated and less valued by society, according to a study on motherhood being released Monday.

Those sentiments may not have changed much for moms through the decades, but these findings come at a time when women who work outside the home and stay-at-home moms are both stressed from parenting pressures and the need to better balance their lives. The research conducted in January and February by the University of Connecticut and the University of Minnesota, found that 81% are "very" satisfied with life as a mother. But of the 2,000 mothers surveyed (41% employed full time and 21% part-time), 33% said their ideal work situation would be working part-time; 30% said working for pay from home; and 21% said not working at all.

Nearly one in five (19%) also said they felt less valued by society since becoming a mother.

To read entire article:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2005-05-01-Mom-study_x.htm

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2. Way Cleared for Stem Cell Research Bill

By Scott S. Greenberger

Boston Globe Staff

April 26, 2005

House and Senate leaders announced yesterday that they have reached an agreement on a bill promoting embryonic stem cell research in Massachusetts, setting the stage for the measure to become law in the coming weeks.

The lawmakers said they ironed out a final wrinkle by designating the Department of Public Health as the agency that will regulate stem cell research, but establishing checks on the agency's power.

The Senate is expected to take up the compromise today, and the House is likely to follow suit next week, once it concludes debate on the fiscal 2006 state budget. There is strong support for embryonic stem cell research, and the creation of human embryos for research, in both chambers.

Governor Mitt Romney, who supports the use of embryos left over from in vitro fertilization but not the creation of human embryos for research, often called therapeutic cloning, has suggested he will veto the bill, which allows both. But last month, both the House and Senate approved stem cell measures that allow the creation of embryos by veto-proof margins. The Senate approved its version 35-2, and the vote in the House was 117-37.

To read entire article:

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2005/04/26/way_cleared_for_stem_cell_research_bill/

Related Article: Guidelines Proposed for Stem-Cell Research

By Gregory M. Lamb

The Christian Science Monitor

April 27, 2005

The debate over the use of embryonic stem cells in medical research has been batted between Congress, President Bush, state legislatures, and the United Nations. Now it's about to go from high-level politicians to local review boards.

That's one likely result of new guidelines for human embryonic stem cell research released Tuesday by the influential National Academy of Sciences, a private nonprofit group that advises the government. The guidelines call for new oversight committees to be formed at all institutions conducting such research. While the panel outlined numerous recommendations, these local committees would set their own standards.

"The oversight we call for will in many instances set a higher standard than required by existing laws or regulations," said Jonathan Moreno, a University of Virginia bioethicist who cochaired the Academy panel. "And while we were hesitant to recommend another bureaucratic oversight entity, the burden in this case is justified, given the novel and controversial nature of embryonic stem cell research."

To read entire article:

http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0427/p02s01-usgn.html

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3. Spanish Mayor Rejects Gay 'Weddings'

By Estelle Shirbon

REUTERS NEWS AGENCY

MADRID -- A Spanish mayor has announced that he will refuse to apply a new law allowing same-sex couples to "marry," a stand likely to please the Roman Catholic Church but give the Socialist government a headache.

The Spanish parliament last week gave initial approval to the new law -- to the outrage of church authorities who have labeled homosexual "marriage" harmful to society and have urged mayors not to perform same-sex "weddings."

"I intend not to exercise this right [to marry same-sex couples] and not to delegate it to other municipal officials," Valladolid Mayor Francisco Javier Leon de la Riva was quoted as saying in local newspapers Tuesday.

To read entire article:

http://www.washtimes.com/world/20050428-121359-4696r.htm

Related Article: Calif. Gay Marriage Bill Clears One Hurdle

By Lisa Leff

Associated Press Writer

April 27, 2005

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- A bill to legalize same-sex marriage in California cleared an Assembly committee Tuesday despite arguments that it violates a gay marriage ban approved by voters five years ago.

The 6-3 vote by the Assembly Judiciary Committee marked the first test for the measure, which would amend the state family code to define marriage as between "two persons" instead of between a man and a woman.

In 2000, more than 61 percent of California voters passed a proposition that said the state would only recognize marriages as between a man and a woman. The state Constitution prohibits the Legislature from amending statutes enacted by voters.

To read entire article:

http://ap.washingtontimes.com/dynamic/stories/G/GAY_MARRIAGE?SITE=DCTMS&SECTION=HOME

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4. House Passes Parental-Consent Abortion Bill

April 27, 2005

FoxNews.com

WASHINGTON — The House passed a bill Wednesday that would make it illegal to dodge parental-consent laws by taking minors across state lines for abortions, the latest effort to chip away at abortion rights after Republican gains in the November elections.

By 270-157, the House sent the bill to the Senate (search), where the policy has new momentum as an item on the Republicans' top-10 list of legislative priorities.

Reflecting rising public support for requiring parents' involvement in their pregnant daughters' decisions, the bill would impose fines, jail time or both on adults and doctors involved in most cases where minors were taken out of state to get abortions.

To read entire article:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,154809,00.html

Related Article: ACLU appeals state decision barring abortion for 13-year-old

By JILL BARTON

Associated Press Writer

April 27, 2005

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — The state's social services agency went to court to block a 13-year-old girl who is pregnant and living in a state shelter from having an abortion, and the girl wants to challenge the judge's decision.

The ACLU filed an emergency appeal on Wednesday asking a judge to overturn the ruling that would essentially force the girl to become a mother, said Howard Simon, the organization's executive director for Florida.

The girl, named L.G. in court documents and described as a longtime ward of the state, learned she was pregnant two weeks ago and had planned to have an abortion Tuesday. Her caseworker arranged for transportation and help for the girl.

But the state Department of Children & Families asked a Palm Beach County juvenile judge Tuesday morning to block the abortion. The agency argued that L.G., who is 13 1/2 weeks pregnant, was too young and immature to make an informed medical decision, according to the appeal filed by the American Civil Liberties Union.

To read entire article:

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/state/content/gen/ap/FL_Abortion_Dispute.html

NEWS UPDATE on preceding article: Fla. Judge OKs Abortion for Girl, 13

Tuesday, May 03, 2005

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A judge ruled that a 13-year-old girl at the center of an abortion fight with the state may terminate her pregnancy, and Gov. Jeb Bush (search) said Tuesday that the state will not appeal further.

Juvenile Judge Ronald Alvarez (search) ruled Monday that the teen, who has been in state custody for four years, would not be physically or emotionally harmed by the procedure. Last week, Alvarez blocked the girl's abortion until a psychological evaluation was completed.

"He ruled that she is competent, that she has made a decision and that she has a right to act on that decision," said Howard Simon, executive director of the Florida American Civil Liberties Union, which represented the girl.

Lawyers for the girl, who is 14 weeks pregnant and known only as L.G. in court papers, would not say if she had the abortion after the judge allowed her to do so Monday. But attorney James Green said Tuesday that "the case is over."

To read entire article:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,155326,00.html

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5. Parents Can't Sit In On Sex-Ed Classes

By Jon Ward

The Washington Times

May 2, 2005

Montgomery County Public Schools have barred parents from sitting in on classes in which a new sex-education curriculum will be taught, despite an official schools policy that encourages parents to visit their children's classrooms.

The policy states that parents are welcome to visit their child's classroom with permission from school administrators. The policy says, "Classroom visits and conferences by parents and other persons in the school community are encouraged."

Not this time. Brian Edwards, a county schools spokesman, said the parents' presence at the sex-ed classes would have a "chilling effect on the educational process."

To read entire article:

http://www.washtimes.com/metro/20050501-115233-3352r.htm

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6. Steroid Use Increases Among American Girls

By Linda A. Johnson

Associated Press

TRENTON, N.J. -- An alarming number of American girls, some as young as 9, are using bodybuilding steroids -- not necessarily to get an edge on the playing field, but to get the toned, sculpted look of models and movie stars, researchers say.

Girls are getting their hands on the same dangerous testosterone pills, shots and creams that have created a scandal in major league baseball and other sports. Often, these are the same girls who have eating disorders, according to some research.

To read entire aricle:

http://www.washtimes.com/national/20050427-121738-9192r.htm

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7. Abstinence Program Shows Results

By Cheryl Wetzstein

The Washington Times

April 28, 2005

Girls who participate in the Best Friends abstinence program are substantially less likely to use drugs or engage in premarital sex than peers who are not in the program, a study says.

The peer-reviewed study, published this month in the Institute for Youth Development's Adolescent & Family Health, also found extraordinary results among the Best Friends' high school participants, known as Diamond Girls.

The Diamond Girls were more than 100 times less likely to engage in premarital sex than high school girls who were not in the program, study author Robert Lerner said yesterday.

To read entire article:

http://www.washtimes.com/national/20050427-110507-6225r.htm

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8. Prom DJs Told to Play it Clean

By Tracy Jan

Boston Globe

April 28, 2005

Boston-area high school administrators, worried about students' increasingly vulgar music tastes, have been delivering a pointed message to DJs: Keep it clean, or we keep the paycheck.

As teens gravitate to hip-hop hits like ''Candy Shop," ''Magic Stick" and ''Get Low," which are loaded with sexually explicit lyrics, school administrators say they are facing more pressure from parents to police the playlist for next month's proms.

In the past three years, principals have been pulling disc jockeys aside before school dances and warning them to avoid vulgar songs or play the less explicit radio versions, DJs and principals say. DJs say parents are more knowledgeable about the music being played, and principals are listening more to parents' concerns.

To read entire article:

http://www.boston.com/news/education/k_12/articles/2005/04/28/prom_djs_are_told_to_play_it_clean/

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COMING EVENTS

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Sixth World Family Policy Forum

July 11 - 13, 2005

Provo, Utah

Sponsored by the World Family Policy Center, Brigham Young University. The theme for this year’s Forum is “Building on Doha: Marriage and Parenting in the Third Millennium.” Participation and attendance at the Forum is by invitation only. For further information, contact Emily Parks 801-422-8549.

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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

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