World Family Policy Center Newsletter

Douglas Almond

Department of Economics, Columbia University

Lena Edlund

National Bureau of Economic Research

Son-biased sex ratios in the 2000 United States Census

Abstract

We document male-biased sex ratios among U.S.-born children of Chinese, Korean, and Asian Indian parents in the 2000 U.S. Census. This male bias is particularly evident for third children: If there was no previous son, sons outnumbered daughters by 50%. By contrast, the sex ratios of eldest and younger children with an older brother were both within the range of the biologically normal, as were White offspring sex ratios (irrespective of the elder siblings' sex). We interpret the found deviation in favor of sons to be evidence of sex selection, most likely at the prenatal stage.

To download the entire document, visit http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/abstract/0800703105v1

To view the news report regarding this research, visit http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23883586/

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FEATURED NEWS ARTICLES

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1. EU High Court Rules on Gay 'Marriage' Rights

Christian Post

April 2, 2008

LUXEMBOURG (AP) - EU nations that recognize same-sex unions as legal marriages must grant surviving partners the same pension rights as given to those in traditional marriages, the EU Court of Justice ruled Tuesday.

The Luxembourg-based court ruling was seen as a victory for a German man who was denied his partner's retirement plan payments after his partner died in 2005.

The EU court said pension plan had discriminated against the man on the grounds of sexual orientation because the men's relationship had been recognized under German law as a legally registered life partnership equivalent to a traditional marriage.

The court did not say, however, that all 27 EU nations must recognize same-sex unions, only that if they did they must grant life partners the same benefits.

To view the entire article, visit http://www.christianpost.com/article/20080402/31777_EU_High_Court_Rules_on_Gay_%5C%27Marriage%5C%27_Rights_.htm

Pentagon Permits Gay Lawmaker's Partner on Military Flight after Pelosi Intervenes

Fox News

April 1, 2008

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon at first blocked Rep. Tammy Baldwin's domestic partner from traveling on a military plane with a congressional delegation on a trip to Europe but gave in after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi intervened.

The Pentagon said it was merely following House rules, which do not define domestic partners as spouses. Pelosi's office countered that the Pentagon has its own rules about who can go on its planes.

Both sides agree that Defense Secretary Robert Gates reversed the decision to keep Azar off the plane after getting contacted by Pelosi, D-Calif.

"It's a matter of fairness that spouses should be allowed to go, and she is Ms. Baldwin's spouse," said Pelosi spokesman Brendan Daly. He said that Baldwin had raised the exclusion with a colleague, who mentioned it to Pelosi. The lawmakers visited France, the Czech Republic and Poland last month.

Baldwin, a Wisconsin Democrat and openly gay House member, declined to talk about the incident, which was first reported by the political newspaper Politico. Azar, a Madison energy law attorney who serves on the Wisconsin Public Service Commission, did not return a call seeking comment Tuesday.

The Pentagon still has in place its "don't ask, don't tell" policy, which bars gays from serving openly in the military. But that had nothing to do with this case, said Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell.

To view the entire article, visit http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,344749,00.html

McDonald's signs onto 'gay' agenda: Family restaurant puts executive on board of homosexual chamber

WorldNetDaily

April 1, 2008

McDonald's restaurant's, famed for the Golden Arches, Ronald McDonald and kids meals, has signed onto a nationwide effort to promote "gay" and "lesbian" business ventures.

The company, which is listed on the website of the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce as a "corporate partner and organization ally" for an undisclosed financial contribution, also recently placed one of its executives on the NGLCC board of directors.

Earlier this month, the chamber confirmed that Richard Ellis, vice president of communications of McDonald's USA, was elected to the special interest chamber board…

Other corporate sponsors of the NGLCC include expected names such as Coors Light and Kodak, who have been leaders in advocating homosexuality, as well as IBM, Wells Fargo, JPMorganChase, Motorola, Intel, Avis, Pepsico, OfficeMax, Coldwell Banker, as well as dozens of others.

To view the entire article, visit http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=60168

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2. Women reject Council of Europe committee's call for free choice on abortion

Times of Malta

March 24, 2008

A Council of Europe (CoE) draft resolution calling on all states to allow women freedom of choice in the matter of abortion has been rejected by women's representatives in Malta.

The CoE resolution, presented by the Committee on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men, last week called on member states, including Malta, to decriminalize abortion if they have not already done so.

The report states that women must be offered the conditions of a free and enlightened choice. It invites member states to lift restrictions which hinder access to safe abortion by creating the appropriate conditions for health, medical and psychological care and offering suitable financial cover.

The report is to be discussed during a plenary session between April 14 and 18 but, as with all other CoE resolutions, would not be legally binding if approved.

Asked for its reaction, the Council of Women argued that the right of the unborn child should come first and foremost.

Grace Attard, a member on the executive of the Council of Women and on the European Economic and Social Committee, said yesterday that the Council of Women was utterly against abortion.

The right of the unborn child, she said, should come before that of the mother since there is nobody to protect that child and it is the mother's role to do so.

To view the entire article, visit http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20080324/local/women-reject-coe-committees-call-for-free-choice-on-abortion

Pro-Abortion Law Firm Wants United Nations Committee to Make Countries Back Abortion

LifeNews.com

March 31, 2008

New York, NY -- The Center for Reproductive Rights (CRR) just released a new and updated version of their “signature” document that uses the non-binding recommendations of UN committees to argue that sovereign nations must legalize abortion as part of their international legal obligations.

“Bringing Rights to Bear” claims that these recommendations reflect “the growing recognition among these UN bodies that reproductive rights are firmly grounded in international human rights treaties.”

For years, CRR has been at the forefront of what some have called a "stealth strategy" to redefine longstanding human rights like the right to life, the right to privacy and the right to be free from discrimination and insert abortion rights into those broad provisions.

An integral component of the CRR strategy is to get the UN committees that oversee nations’ compliance with their treaty obligations to reinterpret the treaties to include abortion.

UN compliance committees contain a large percentage of personnel from pro-abortion groups and have become increasingly active in reinterpreting UN documents and pressuring governments to follow their interpretations.

To view the entire article, visit http://www.lifenews.com/int676.html

Canadian Pro-Abortion Censorship Continues: University of Calgary Students Hit

LifeNews.com

April 1, 2008

Calgary, Canada -- Canadian pro-life student groups can't seem to catch a break as colleges and universities across Canada have targeted them in a relentless campaign of censorship. Groups have been told to disband, debates have been canceled and, now, students at the University of Calgary have been told to take down a pro-life display.

University of Calgary security officials gave members of Campus Pro-Life a "notice to vacate" -- to take down a display that memorializes the babies who have been victims of abortion.

The notice did not give any reason for removing the pro-life display but indicated the pro-life students would be "trespassing" on their own campus if they didn't comply.

Campus Pro-Life provided LifeNews.com with a press release about the notice and said university officials claimed authority under the Alberta Petty Trespass Act to order removal of the pro-life display.

Matthew Wilson, president of the group, said college officials told the group earlier this month to turn its signs inwards so students passing by would not have to see them as they traversed the campus grounds.

To view the entire article, visit http://www.lifenews.com/int679.html

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3. Court to Reconsider California Home-Schooling Ban

CNSNews

March 28, 2008

The California Court of Appeals agreed to reconsider a Feb. 28 decision making most home-schooling a crime in the state.

At the center of the case is a Southern California couple, Phillip and Mary Long of Lynwood, who home-schooled their children through a program at the Sunland Christian School in Sylmar. The family came to the attention of Los Angeles County social workers when one of the children claimed the father was physically abusive.

The workers then learned that all eight children in the family were home-schooled, and an attorney representing the two youngest children asked the Juvenile Dependency Court to order that they be enrolled in public or private school to protect their well-being.

The court ruled that parents who educate their children at home could be criminally liable under California law, as parents "do not have a constitutional right to home-school their children."

To view the entire article, visit http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewNation.asp?Page=/Nation/archive/200803/NAT20080328a.html

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4. Cloned Stem Cells Treat Parkinson's in Mice, Researchers Claim

Christian Post

March 24, 2008

A group of scientists claim that they have treated Parkinson's disease in mice by using cloned embryonic stem cells.

The researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City said they used somatic-cell nuclear transfer , also known as "therapeutic cloning," in creating a customized treatment for Parkinson's in mice, according to an announcement released Sunday by the organization.

In their research, the scientists used skin cells from the tail of mice to generate dopamine brain cells, the neurons that are found missing in victims of Parkinson's disease.

When the so-called dopamine brain cells were inserted into the mice which provided the initial cells, the subjects showed neurological improvement, according to the study's results, which were published in the March 23 online edition of the journal Nature Medicine.

However, mice that received brain cells not derived from their own skins cells did not recover.

This is the first time that researchers have used "therapeutic cloning" to treat disease in the same subjects from whom the initial cells were derived," the cancer center stated in the news release.

To view the entire article, visit http://www.christianpost.com/article/20080324/31656_Cloned_Stem_Cells_Treat_Parkinson%5C's_in_Mice,_Researchers_Claim.htm

We have created human-animal embryos already, say British team

Timesonline.co.uk

April 2, 2008

Embryos containing human and animal material have been created in Britain for the first time, a month before the House of Commons votes on new laws to regulate the research.

A team at Newcastle University announced yesterday that it had successfully generated “admixed embryos” by adding human DNA to empty cow eggs in the first experiment of its kind in Britain.

The Commons is to debate the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill next month. MPs have been promised a free vote on clauses in the legislation that would permit admixed embryos. But their creation is already allowed, subject to the granting of a licence from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA).

The Newcastle group, led by Lyle Armstrong, was awarded one of the first two licences in January. The other went to a team at King’s College London, led by Professor Stephen Minger. The new Bill will formalise their legal status if it is passed by Parliament.

To view the entire article, visit http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article3663033.ece

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5. Marriage Rates in Great Britain Fall to All-Time Low

CitizenLink

March 28, 2008

Marriage rates in England and Wales have fallen to their lowest levels since records began in 1862. According to the Office for National Statistics, there were 236,980 weddings in 2006, down 4 percent from the previous year.

At the same time, the average age for first marriages has risen to 31.8 for men and 29.7 for women.

The statistics are causing family advocates to question government tactics. Jill Kirby, director of the U.K.'s Centre for Policy Studies think tank, pointed to the welfare system and tax breaks, which penalize married couples.

"It's obviously worrying that (marriage numbers) have reached such a low ebb, but perhaps not surprising in view of the lack of government policy over the last 10 years encouraging marriage," she told the Web site icWales.

Jenny Tyree, associate marriage analyst for Focus on the Family Action, said children in the U.K. are losing their greatest source of stability and future success — married parents.

To view the entire article, visit http://www.citizenlink.org/content/A000006944.cfm

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6. Belgium Lawmakers Want Teens, Mentally Disabled to Have Assisted Suicides

LifeNews.com

March 26, 2008

Brussels, Belgium -- Lawmakers in Belgium are pushing the nation to open its assisted suicide law to teenagers and the mentally disabled. Members of the Belgium coalition government say parents should have the right to subject their terminally ill children to euthanasia and take their lives.

Belgium legalized assisted suicide in 2002 for patients with considerable mental or physical pain but pro-life advocates feared pressure would be put on others to consider it as well.

Bart Tommelein, leader of Belgium Liberals, plans to bring forward a proposal to extend assisted suicide to children and to older people with such sever dementia they can't make their own medical decisions.

"We will seek, as Liberals, parliamentary majorities," Tommelein told the London Telegraph.

The idea has already drawn strong opposition from Cardinal Danneels, Belgium's Catholic Cardinal who used his Easter sermon to condemn euthanasia.

"Avoiding suffering is no act of bravery," he said. "Our society seems unable to cope with death and suffering."

According to the newspaper, the Catholic leader blamed the Belgian media for "glorifying" assisted suicide.

To view the entire article, visit http://www.lifenews.com/bio2381.html

France Poll Finds Support for Assisted Suicide after Chantal Sebire's Death

LifeNews.com

March 30, 2008

Paris, France -- A new poll of French people conducted just before the death of Chantal Sebire finds more than 90 percent favor legalizing assisted suicide there or are learning towards it. Sebire, a French euthanasia advocate, took her life last week on the heels of this new poll whose data only came to light on Friday.

Ifop-Paris Match conducted the survey with 956 French adults on March 20 and 21 -- but it provided no margin of error for the poll.

The firm asked French people a question that appeared to bias them in favor of an assisted suicide law.

"Are you personally in favor or against enacting a law that would authorize a doctor to end the life of a person with an incurable disease and causing unbearable suffering, if this person requests it?" the poll asked.

About 51 percent of respondents indicated they support legalizing assisted suicide while another 41 percent said they are "somewhat" in favor.

Another 6 percent are "somewhat" against assisted suicide while another 3 percent are "strongly" against it.

The poll shows the permissive attitude Europeans have about assisted suicide and euthanasia, which are allowed in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Switzerland. Luxembourg has already had an initial vote to go down the same road.

To view the entire article, visit http://www.lifenews.com/bio2384.html

Quote of the Day: “No government can love a child, and no policy can substitute for a family's care. But at the same time, government can either support or undermine families as they cope with moral, social and economic stresses of caring for children.”