World Family Policy Center Newsletter
*News relative to protecting the family worldwide*
Volume 8 Issue 189 – June 6, 2008
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Today’s Contents:
A. Featured Scholar: Mohammadreza Hojat, Ph.D.
B. Featured News Articles
1. California Supreme Court refuses to delay
gay marriage
2. China's One-Child Policy Makes Exceptions for
Victims of Deadly Earthquake
3. Long-shot Stem-Cell Treatment Gives Two Brothers
a Future
4. ExxonMobil Resists Homosexual Agenda
5. Promoting Death: Analyzing the Language of
Euthanasia, Suicide Advocates
6. Myanmar Receives Condoms before Food,
Medicine
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FEATURED SCHOLAR
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Mohammadreza Hojat, Ph.D.
Director of the Jefferson
Longitudinal Study and research professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior,
Jefferson Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University. He has published over
100 articles in scientific and professional journals, and has edited two major
volumes, commonly focused on the topic of mother-child attachment.
The
following is the summary of Mohammadreza Hojat’s speech “Diminishing Interest
in Motherhood and Human Ecology” presented at the IV World Congress of Families,
Warsaw, Poland, 2007:
The quality of maternal care
leads to the development of an emotional regulatory system that exerts an
influence on the child’s physical, mental, and social well-being from cradle to
grave. The emotional regulatory system plays a mediating role in eliciting pro-social
or antisocial behavior. A model for the pathways from maternal care to
emotional regulation and to human ecology is described, and research findings
in support of the model are presented. The current trend of diminishing
interest in motherhood is viewed as a factor that not only contributes to
children’s inability to regulate their emotions but also to a decline in
fertility rates observed in some industrial societies. The presentation
concludes that motherhood is a priceless endeavor that has survival value
conducive to human ecology.
To read the entire speech, please visit http://www.worldcongress.org/wcf4.spkrs/wcf4.hojat.htm
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FEATURED NEWS
ARTICLES
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Editor’s Note: The following excerpts are
taken from the week’s news around the world all relating to family and family
policy. By clicking on the following links, you may read the entire
article from its source. Our intent is to help our readers remain current
on the state of the family in the world today. The positions taken and
choice of wording and advocacy belong to the authors of the articles; inclusion
here does not imply endorsement by the World Family Policy Center.
1. California
Supreme Court refuses to delay gay marriage
LA Times
June 5, 2008
SAN FRANCISCO -- Gay couples in California rushed
to set wedding dates Wednesday after the California Supreme Court's unusually
quick rejection of challenges to its historic decision permitting same-sex
couples to wed.
By rejecting petitions asking for reconsideration of the May 15 ruling, the
court, in a 4-3 vote, removed the final obstacle to same-sex marriages starting
June 17.
The court also refused to delay enforcement of the
decision until after the November election, when voters will decide whether to
reinstate a ban on same-sex nuptials.
Hours after the court made the timing clear, a jubilant Jason Lyon scheduled
his wedding in Los Angeles to his partner of eight years, Tim Hartley.
"I'm thrilled -- over the moon," said Lyon, 39, who scurried to
invite friends to the couple's Silver Lake home for a caravan to the county
clerk's office and a celebratory lunch on the first day gay marriage is legal.
County clerks have been warned to prepare for an onslaught of weddings. As of
June 17, the words "bride" and "groom" on marriage licenses
will be replaced with "Partner A" and "Partner B."
To view the entire article, visit http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-marriage5-2008jun05,0,2121301.story
Related Article
10 states urge
California court to delay finalizing gay marriage ruling
Herald Tribune
May 30, 2007
SAN FRANCISCO: The attorneys general of 10 states have joined
conservative legal groups in urging the California Supreme Court to delay
finalizing its ruling to legalize same-sex marriages.
In a
friend-of-the-court brief filed late Thursday, the attorneys general said they
have an interest in the case because they would have to determine whether their
states should recognize the marriages of gay residents who got married
in California.
The states involved
are Alaska, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Michigan, Nebraska, New Hampshire, South
Carolina, South Dakota and Utah. Except for Florida and New Hampshire, all of
them have state constitutional provisions banning gay marriage.
The attorneys general
asked the California high court to stay its May 15 ruling until after the
November election, when California's voters likely will decide whether to adopt
a similar amendment, which would overturn the court's decision. The court's
decisions normally take effect after 30 days.
What happens in
California is being watched carefully elsewhere because unlike Massachusetts,
the only U.S. state where same-sex couples can now marry, California does not
have a residency requirement for obtaining a marriage license.
"We reasonably
believe an inevitable result of such 'marriage tourism' will be a steep
increase in litigation of the recognition issue in our courts," Utah
Attorney General Mark L. Shurtleff wrote in the brief submitted on behalf of
the 10 states.
To view the entire article, visit http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/05/30/america/NA-GEN-US-Gay-Marriage.php
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2. China's One-Child
Policy Makes Exceptions for Victims of Deadly Earthquake
CBC News
May 26, 2008
BEIJING - Parents
whose only child was killed or maimed in China's earthquake would be allowed to
have another, officials who administer the country's one-child policy in part
of the disaster zone said Monday, offering some solace to grieving couples.
Couples whose only
child was killed, severely injured or disabled in the quake can get a
certificate allowing them to have another child, said the Chengdu Population
and Family Planning Committee, which oversees the policy in the capital of
Sichuan province.
The May 12 quake was
extra painful to many Chinese because it killed so many only children. The
destruction of almost 7,000 classrooms during a school day left China
heartbroken, with newspaper photos focusing on piles of dusty book bags and
small hands emerging from the debris.
The earthquake has
killed more than 65,000 people, and with more than 23,000 missing the toll is
expected to rise further. Officials say they haven't been able to estimate the
number of children killed.
A Chengdu committee
official, who gave only his surname, Wang, said the one-child policy exceptions
were being made specific to quake victims. He described his comments as
clarifying existing policy rather than announcing changes, and he would not
elaborate.
To view the entire article, visit http://www.cbc.ca/cp/world/080526/w052655A.html
Related Article
Uganda Catholic
Bishop Odama Says Abortion Robs the World of Geniuses
LifeNews.com
May 27, 2008
Kampala, Uganada --
Speaking out against efforts by some leaders of African nations to legalize
abortion, Archbishop John Baptist Odama of Gulu diocese said abortion robs the
world of talented people. He said the practice shows a significant disrespect of
life and should be stopped.
Archbishop Odama said
abortion has resulted in the intentional killing of geniuses who could have
made the world a better place with their talents and abilities.
“If they had been
allowed to live, by now they could have got the medicines for the diseases that
have no cure a yet," he said, according to a New Vision report.
“If we cannot
hesitate to kill even children in wombs, what will stop us from killing
grown-ups who annoy us?” Odama asked.
To view the entire article, visit http://www.lifenews.com/int761.html
Related Article
New United Nations
Report Will Show U.S. Leads World in Child Adoptions
LifeNews.com
May 29, 2008
New York, NY -- An
upcoming report from the United Nations Population Division is expected to
highlight adoption trends worldwide, some of which appear linked to changing
social norms and legal developments.
Data from 118 countries indicate that there are around 260,000 domestic and
international adoptions a year. The United States adopts over 120,000 children,
significantly more than any other country.
The US is followed by
China, Russia, Ukraine and a few Western European countries, which together
account for the bulk of adoptions worldwide.
Although the quality
of adoption reporting varies from country to country with reliable data
oftentimes hard to come by, adoption is mainly a domestic phenomenon, with
eighty-five percent of all adoptions involving citizens or residents of the
same country.
Yet the number of
children adopted domestically has been declining over the past decades in many
developed countries. This trend is especially prevalent in Western Europe,
Australia and New Zealand, and, to a lesser extent, the United States.
To view the entire article, visit http://www.lifenews.com/int765.html
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3. Long-shot Stem-Cell Treatment Gives Two Brothers a Future
StarTribune
June 3, 2008
Last fall doctors at the University of Minnesota
did a bone marrow transplant on a 2-year-old boy in a risky attempt to treat
his devastating genetic skin disease with stem cells. Until then, the technique
had only been used in mice.
It worked.
The boy's doctors said Monday they think they have
found a cure for the painful disease that, though rare, causes the skin to fall
off at the slightest touch and inevitably leads to cancer. Most children who
have it do not survive to adulthood.
"Maybe we can take one more disorder off the
incurable list," said Dr. John Wagner, a bone marrow specialist and stem
cell researcher at the university. He agreed to treat Nate Liao after his
mother begged Wagner to try using stem cells as therapy.
"It's not often that it feels like you hit a
home run in medical research, but this one feels like it," Wagner said.
It is the first time a bone marrow transplant has
been known to effectively treat something other than disorders of the bone
marrow or blood, and it may prove useful for a number of both genetic and
non-genetic skin disorders, Wagner said.
To view the entire article, visit http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/health/19471139.html?location_refer=Homepage
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4. ExxonMobil
Resists Homosexual Agenda
CitizenLink
June 3, 2008
For the ninth time, shareholders of Exxon Mobil
Corp. have made the commonsense decision to give all employees the same rights.
ExxonMobil is the only Fortune 50 corporation and
the only major oil company that has not adopted special rights based on sexual
orientation and "gender identity." It also does not provide benefits
for same-sex partners.
Caleb H. Price, research analyst at Focus on the
Family, said it's no secret that gay and "transgender" activists are
targeting corporate America in their effort to bring about widespread cultural
change.
"Homosexual activists have strategically
targeted Fortune 500 companies and applied unrelenting pressure to force them
to radically redefine gender and the family in their corporate policies,"
he said. "Thankfully, shareholders at ExxonMobil have held steady against
this onslaught by wealthy gay groups and powerful major pension funds and
refused to capitulate to the homosexual corporate agenda."
To view the entire article, visit http://www.citizenlink.org/CLtopstories/A000007572.cfm
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5. Promoting Death: Analyzing the Language of Euthanasia, Suicide
Advocates
LifeNews.com
May 26, 2008
Even the most despicable ideas can be made
palatable when euphemisms are used to spin them. That's why abortion advocates
call themselves "pro-choice" rather than "pro abortion."
It's also why they talk about "terminating a pregnancy" rather than
"killing a baby."
Controlling the language not only controls the
argument, it often determines the outcome of the argument.
Proponents of euthanasia understand the power of language in shaping debate.
Therefore, instead of using the term "physician-assisted suicide" to
describe the practice they advocate, they use euphemisms like "death with
dignity" and "end of life choices" to sugar coat the reality of
the killings they have in view.
They know the term "physician-assisted
suicide" does not poll well, so they try to disguise the real nature of
what it is they are championing. Since people are inherently uncomfortable with
the notion that those trained in the healing arts would aid and abet the
killing of their patients, euphemisms are used to conceal the true nature of
what's involved.
Everyone wants to die with dignity. Thus, like
abortion, killing oneself with a doctor's assistance becomes just another
"choice."
To view the entire article, visit http://www.lifenews.com/bio2457.html
Related Article
Switzerland Center Helps Nearly 900
People Kill Themselves
CitizenLink
May 29, 2008
Switzerland’s suicide center Dignitas reported
that it has helped 868 people kill themselves since it opened 10 years ago. In
the last two years, 335 people killed themselves — 85 percent of them
foreigners.
Swiss law allows agencies to assist with suicides
for “honorable reasons,” but they cannot profit from the deaths. However,
Dignitas admits to charging clients nearly $10,000, in addition to a membership
fee.
“It is imperative that countries support suicide
prevention strategies for their most vulnerable citizens,” Alex Schadenberg,
executive director of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition-Canada, wrote on his
blog. “We must recognize that a caring society protects its vulnerable citizens
at their greatest time of need.”
To view the entire article, visit http://www.citizenlink.org/content/A000007539.cfm
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6. Myanmar Receives Condoms before Food,
Medicine
CitizenLink
May 28, 2008
Myanmar’s military dictatorship has prevented aid relief
from reaching its 2.4 million cyclone victims but allowed delivery of condoms
to survivors.
More than 70,000 condoms have already been shipped, and
the United Nations Population Fund (UNPF) plans to deliver a total of 218,400.
UNFP will also distribute the so-called “morning after” pill and manual vacuum
aspirators for abortions, LifeSiteNews.com reported.
Linda Klepacki, sexual health analyst for Focus on the
Family Action, is horrified that condoms and contraception would take priority
over food, shelter and medication.
“Only a world nearly devoid of God,” she said, “could
give supplies denying life before necessities to sustain life.”
To view the entire article, visit ww.citizenlink.org/CLBriefs/A000007534.cfm
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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
(www.worldfamilypolicy.org)
J. Reuben Clark Law School
Brigham Young University
Acting Managing Director: A.
Scott Loveless
Newsletter Editor: Elena Starovoitova
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