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World Family Policy Center Newsletter

* News relative to protecting the family worldwide *

Volume 4 Issue 34 - September 12, 2005

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Quote of the Day: “Someone has defined success as, ‘Another name for

the science of service.’ Fame is the recognition of service. Wealth is the

reward of service. Power is the result of service. Whatever you want you

can reach through service, properly conceived, organized and utilized. Service

changes toil from drudgery to delight. Service unites hand, head, and heart.”

—Melvin Strong, The Christian Leader’s Golden Treasury p. 501

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Today’s Contents:

A. Featured Articles:

1. Liberals Call Abortion a Religious Freedom

Related Article: Abortion consent stirs up emotions

2. Schwarzenegger: I'll Veto Calif. Gay Nups Bill

3. Bush declares day of remembrance

4. Unwed women set record for births in 2003

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FEATURED ARTICLES

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1. Liberals Call Abortion a Religious Freedom

CitizenLink

September 6, 2005

There appears to be an effort by some liberals to tie abortion and the gay

agenda to the U.S. Constitution's guarantee of religious freedom.

At a recent news conference, several feminist, homosexual and religious-left

groups combined their rhetoric to claim that abortion and homosexuality are

religious freedoms and part of their right to worship the way they want to.

Phyllis Snyder, president of the National Council of Jewish Women,

maintained that legalized abortion actually protects religious freedom.

"This freedom, guaranteed by the Constitution, is strengthened by the

separation of religion and the state," she said. "Make no mistake, the Roe v.

Wade decision protects our religious liberty."

Rob Schenck, president of the National Clergy Council, told Family News in

Focus that abortion is not a religious issue.

"Matters of life and death have never been considered in the courts as an

exclusively religious question," he said. "In other words, you can't justify

taking human life because it's a religious belief."

To read entire article:

http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0037816.cfm

Related Article: Abortion consent stirs up emotions

By Matthew Franck

Post-Dispatch Jefferson City Bureau

Some described pregnant teens who would be cut off from all support, with

even their own pastor unable to provide advice for fear of lawsuit.

Others painted a picture of a greedy Illinois clinic eager to draw teens across

state lines to perform abortions without parental consent.

Those were the battle lines Wednesday as lawmakers opened public

testimony on the centerpiece bill of a special legislative session on abortion.

Activists on both sides of the abortion issue flocked to the Capitol to weigh

in on the legislation. Most focused their attention on a provision that would

allow lawsuits against those who help a minor get an abortion without

parental consent.

The measure - which cleared a House committee Wednesday - targets the

Hope Clinic for Women in Granite City. Under Illinois law, the clinic is

authorized to perform abortions on teens without parental consent, including

teens who travel from Missouri.

To read entire article:

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/stlouiscitycounty/story/565F4443B76FC18D86257076001A58A1?OpenDocument

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2. Schwarzenegger: I'll Veto Calif. Gay Nups Bill

Fox News

September 07, 2005

SACRAMENTO, Calif — Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (search) announced

Wednesday he will veto a bill that would have made California the first state

to legalize same-sex marriage (search) through its elected lawmakers.

Schwarzenegger said the legislation, given final approval Tuesday by

lawmakers, would conflict with the intent of voters when they approved an

initiative five years ago. Proposition 22 (search) was placed on the ballot to

prevent California from recognizing same-sex marriages performed in other

states or countries.

"We cannot have a system where the people vote and the Legislature derails

that vote," the governor's press secretary, Margita Thompson, said in a

statement. "Out of respect for the will of the people, the governor will veto

(the bill)."

Proposition 22 stated that "only marriage between a man and a woman is

valid or recognized in California." The bill to be vetoed by Schwarzenegger

would have defined marriage as a civil contract between "two persons."

To read entire article:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,168744,00.html

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3. Bush declares day of remembrance

By Bill Sammon

The Washington Times

September 9, 2005

President Bush yesterday declared Sept. 16 a National Day of Prayer and

Remembrance for Hurricane Katrina victims as the White House warned of

a "very ugly scene" of death when the floodwaters are drained.

"We have many difficult days ahead, especially as we recover those who did

not survive the storm," Mr. Bush said in the Eisenhower Executive Office

Building next to the White House. "I've instructed all agencies to honor their

memory by treating the dead with the dignity and respect they deserve."

The remarks were part of a concerted effort by the White House to brace

Americans for a sharp increase in the number of corpses that emergency

workers expect to retrieve as floodwaters are pumped out of New Orleans.

"It's going to be a very ugly scene," warned White House spokesman Scott

McClellan. "It's going to be an ugly situation when those floodwaters

ultimately recede and we go in and start recovering larger numbers of

bodies." . . . .

"Throughout our history, in times of testing, Americans have come together

in prayer to heal and ask for strength for the tasks ahead," he said.

The last time Mr. Bush made such a declaration was four years ago, when he

honored the victims of September 11 with a National Day of Prayer and

Remembrance three days later. On that day, he gave an emotional speech at

the National Cathedral in Washington and visited hardhats at ground zero in

New York City.

To read entire article:

http://www.washtimes.com/national/20050909-121041-4612r.htm

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4. Unwed women set record for births in 2003

By Cheryl Wetzstein

The Washington Times

September 9, 2005

Births to unmarried women in the United States hit a record 1.4 million in

2003, while births to teens fell for the 12th consecutive year.

Births to unmarried women increased to 34.6 percent of all U.S. births --

also a new record, said researchers with the National Center for Health

Statistics (NCHS), which released its final report on 2003 birth data

yesterday.

The rise in out-of-wedlock births worries social conservatives, who say the

problem is linked to poverty, juvenile delinquency and poor social and

educational outcomes.

One reason for the higher unwed birthrates is that unmarried women are

relying too much on contraceptives instead of abstinence, said Bridget

Maher, family analyst at the Family Research Council. "Behavioral change

-- and not pharmaceuticals -- will solve this problem."

The decrease in teen births -- a total of 421,241 in 2003, the lowest "since

1946, the first year of the baby boom," the NCHS said -- was hailed as "a

huge American success story," by Sarah S. Brown, director of the National

Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy.

"I'm struck by the sheer magnitude of the progress," Mrs. Brown said. Not

only is the teen birthrate down 57 percent from 1991, to 41.6 births per

1,000 teens, but the birthrate for black teens has fallen by 67 percent over

those 12 years, she said. "That is astounding progress worth national

attention."

Such progress, however, was offset by record high levels of unmarried

motherhood.

To read entire article:

http://www.washtimes.com/national/20050909-122225-7993r.htm

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Note: The Featured Articles 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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