CPAC 2009 was a great experience. At a time when the conservative movement was feeling “down and out,” the conference was the perfect remedy to unite and recharge the movement. CPAC was the place of several speeches and meetings, some of the “MUST SEE” speeches include: Tim Pawlenty, Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, and Mike Huckabee.
These two weren’t bad either, check them out:
For the second day in a row, the 2009 edition of CPAC focused the conversation on the economy. Barack Obama’s plan to save the economy was discussed and many conservative alternatives to the president’s plan were offered. Rep. Jason Chaffetz from Utah submitted to the conference that the United States cannot continue to run the country on a credit card. Former Governor Mitt Romney and other business minds floated the idea of cutting all taxes in half, while eliminating the capital gains tax for the middle class. The economy aside, the family was mentioned by several speakers.
Dr. Larry Eastland, a man who has held several positions from White House staffer to statistical analyst to author and U.S. Marine, shared that of all the jobs he has had, the job of grandfather has been his favorite. Dr. Eastland spoke of the importance of his family in his life and in his success. He also spoke of the need to preserve freedoms, while holding individuals accountable for their actions.
Rep. Ron Paul, a medical doctor who has delivered over 4,000 babies spoke on abortion. Rep. Paul, who is pro-life, stated that the decision of abortion should be a state decision, not a federal one. He said that state legislatures should have the power to pass their own abortion legislation and that if the courts were needed, the State Supreme Court, not the U.S. Supreme Court should make the ruling.
Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney delivered one of the better speeches of the day. In the speech, Gov. Romney denounced liberal activist judges who seek to legislate from the bench. He spoke of the disregard for democracy as non-elected judges re-write the constitution. Gov. Romney pleaded with conservatives everywhere to stand up for their values as several important principles come under fire.
UFI added several signatures for the U.N. Petition to Protect Life, bringing the total number of signatures gathered at CPAC to just under 400.
SEE ALSO: UFI at CPAC: February 26 Update
When I think of Fargo, North Dakota I think of cold, snow and ice; a place where only the very hearty would survive. Today, Carol Soelberg and Laura Knaperek experienced first hand the cold and snow…but were warmed by the enthusiasm of the people and their commitment to preserve the family.
Lisa McKee and Lynn Park have consented to direct the efforts of United Families in North Dakota and Minnesota respectively. They hosted a “get acquainted” meeting tonight in Moorhead, MN on the university campus where Carol, UFI’s Chapter Development Director, presented on “Issues that Threaten the Family and Strategies to Strengthen the Family”. Carol and Laura will be holding chapter leadership training with the two groups all day Friday and Saturday. And, on Friday night, Laura – former AZ State Representative, will facilitate an interactive mock legislative hearing – with role playing of lobbyists and legislators. Not only will those attending learn how to affect change at the state level, they will have fun doing it!
SEE ALSO: PRESS RELEASE: Speakers to Address New Chapters of UFI: North Dakota and Minnesota
The largest CPAC in history kicked off today in Washington, D.C. with more than 8,500 attendants. A large youth presence is noticed as nearly half of those 8,500 CPAC goers are college students. Much of the conversation was dominated by the current economic condition, the “Fairness Doctrine”, and discussion of ways to advance the conservative movement. One of the more humorous comments made about the economy was made during tonight’s banquet when the Emcee said, “we know with the current president, a penny saved is a penny taxed.” Between the humor and financial speak, the family was also mentioned.
Rep. Mike Pence criticized the Mexico City Policy, saying that it is shameful that the tax dollars of Pro-Life Americans goes toward the promotion of abortion abroad. He also called for action to reduce the amount of federal funding that the pro-abortion group, Planned Parenthood receives. Rep. Pence cited the breakdown of accountability and integrity as a major reason for the current economic downturn.
Gov. Mike Huckabee advocated the family as a means of reducing government’s involvement in the lives and business of Americans. Gov. Huckabee said, “It is when families fail that government is forced to take over.” In his speech, the former Arkansans governor also refereed to the fact that in all 30 states that have allowed citizens to vote on the definition of marriage, traditional marriage has won every time…including states like California and Florida, states that Barack Obama won.
At the UFI booth in the exhibit hall, we gathered nearly 200 signatures for the UN Petition to Protect Life. If you will be attending CPAC tomorrow or Saturday, please come by and add your name!
From The Exception Magazine: Since 1978 United Families International (UFI) has protected the family as the fundamental unit of society. As a non-denominational, non-partisan, non-profit organization, UFI is an internationally recognized pro-family voice. Through social science research, UFI works to strengthen the family by promoting the traditional family, marriage between a man and a woman, the sanctity of life, the right and obligation of parents to love, protect, provide for and teach their children, and the right of nations to determine their own laws and customs.
The chapter development program at UFI creates grass roots involvement by educating and advocating in behalf of family policy on national, state and local issues. Through this program UFI is building an army of unified voices in support of the traditional family.
UFI also participates at the United Nations in negotiations to produce key outcome documents that set family policies throughout the world. UFI representatives make several trips to the UN each year. In fact, from March 2nd through March 13th of this year UFI will be at the UN to protect families from the liberal agenda in the 2009 Commission on the Status of Women.
On 21 June 1946, the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) was established as a full-fledged United Nations Commission dedicated to ensuring women’s equality and to promoting women’s rights. Its mandate was to “prepare recommendations and reports to the Economic and Social Council on promoting women’s rights in political, economic, civil, social and educational fields” and to make recommendations “on urgent problems requiring immediate attention in the field of women’s rights.”
UFI began attending CSW to monitor the documents that were being produced and adopted by this Commission and offer support to delegates and missions that shared our views. Over the years UFI has played an increasingly important role as a strong voice in favor of the family as the fundamental unit of society. At this time, UFI is part of a coalition that lobbies on behalf of the pro-family position. The UFI team will travel to CSW equipped with resources that can help bolster the position of like-minded individuals engaged in negotiations. The resources, information and moral support offered to the pro-family negotiators is incredibly helpful and gives them the strength they need to stand against the rising tide of anti-family sentiment at CSW.
UFI is dedicated to informing and educating on key issues affecting the family. UFI publishes its Family Issues Guides, which are peer-reviewed scientific research, expert commentary and sound logical arguments pertaining to several topics including: the benefits of traditional marriage, the harms of pornography, the consequences of divorce, sexual orientation, abortion, and the differences between cohabitation and marriage. UFI compiles the publications after reviewing a vast number of social science studies, books, and other sources that cover the topics of each Family Issue Guide. The publications are used by several pro-family organizations and other non-governmental organizations to educate lawmakers and government officials on the various issues.
UFI has been a part of several pro-family victories at the UN. UFI’s Negotiating Guide is used by pro-family NGOs around the world as the leading resource for UN family language needed for negotiations.
The organization uncovered and exposed UNICEF’s agenda to provide to children explicit sexual education materials promoting sexual behaviors too perverse to mention. UFI then presented these materials, along with proof that UNICEF was promoting abortion, to U.N. delegates in the heat of negotiations at the U.N. World Summit on Children. This helped overturn the abortion language in the outcome document.
UFI was also an instrumental in stopping the U.S. funding of $34 million to the U.N. Fund for Population activities (UNFPA), which supports forced abortion and sterilizations in China. UFI’s memorandum was instrumental in helping to defeat the funding proposal for UNFPA on the floor of the US Senate.
Last December UFI, along with a coalition of social conservative groups from around the world, presented a petition of 340,000 names requesting that all member nations and states interpret the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) to mean that:
The right to life, liberty and security is for every person; that each child born or unborn, has the right to birth and a full, natural life. That a child has the right to a mother and a father, of full age, within the bonds of marriage defined as between a man and a woman. And, that the parents have the right to raise and educate their children without any limitation due to race, religion, culture or nationality.
The petition was a response to opposition petition efforts by pro-abortion groups International Planned Parenthood Federation and Marie Stopes International that demanded that the UDHR be interpreted to include that access to abortion is a human right and the UDHR should be interpreted as such. This opposition petition was signed by a mere 651 individuals.
Through their Family Issues Guides, social and scientific research, more than 30 years of experience, and a passion for defending the definition of family and the rights of parents and the unborn, United Families International is a well-armored stronghold and a leader on the front lines in the war on the family. UFI provides a safe haven for families across the globe who seek a place to raise their voices in defense of the family. For this generation of families and the next, United Families International will continue fighting for families, marriage, parental rights, and national sovereignty for the next 30 years and beyond.
United Families International will be attending the 2009 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), held in Washington, D.C. from February 26-28.
From Wikipedia: CPAC is an annual political conference attended by conservatives, activists, and elected officials from across the United States. CPAC began in 1973 as a small gathering of dedicated conservatives but has since grown into a large event attracting members of Congress, college activists, and other political celebrities. It is hosted by the American Conservative Union in association with sponsors Human Events and the Young America’s Foundation.
UFI will be an exhibitor at the conference and UFI representatives will attend the various meetings that CPAC offers. UFI will write daily from the conference here on the UFI blog and will post updates on the UFI Twitter page.
It was 3:00 a.m. A small group of pro-family activists, including several from United Families International, were sitting in the basement of the United Nations. Behind the closed doors of the adjacent conference room were dozens of delegates who were trying to finalize the language for the final document of the Commission of the Status of Women. The debates had been going on since 6:00 p.m. Delegates would leave the room for quick trips to the food machines or restrooms. Each time they would look quizzically at the small group sitting outside their room. “Why are you still here?” some would ask.
Inside the conference room, the delegates who were supporting the pro-family cause were being attacked by those who wished to insert language that would mandate that abortion be legalized in all countries. “Why won’t you just give up?” they yelled at the group! “It is no use to continue fighting this! Just give up!” But the small group of pro-family delegates stayed firm and in the end they prevailed because they would not give up.
When the delegates began leaving the room at 5:00 a.m., many gave looks of contempt and disgust at the small group still sitting outside the room. When the majority were gone, the leader of the pro-family delegates walked over to the group and said, “Thank you for staying. If you had not stayed, I am not sure we would have prevailed. The fact that you were here, is what gave our group the ability to stand strong. We told them that we could not face you if we were to give up.” That was the 2008 Commission on the Status of Women.
The 2009 Commission on the Status of Women begins on March 2. Delegates from countries around the world will come to the United Nations to produce another document that will attempt to guarantee new rights to women. Attempts will be made to have abortion made a human right. Treaties with innocuous names like the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child will be pressed for acceptance. Despite their titles, these treaties present very real threats to families, parental rights, marriage and religious liberty.
United Families will be there once again. We will be staying up all night when necessary to provide support to those member states who have the willpower to stand up against the opposition who seeks to undermine the value of the family. We will be providing pro-family language that can be introduced to replace the destructive language inserted by the other side. We will be educating delegates against the dangerous elements that will come to the country if they choose to side with the anti-family forces.
We will represent all families across the globe. Wherever you live, you may think that the United Nations is far away and has little impact on you, your life or your family. That is not true. While it may be far away, the impact it has on your family is huge. You need an advocate there. You have one – United Families International. We will be working long hours over those two weeks to ensure that your right to raise your children, practice your faith, and protect your family will still be intact when CSW is completed. We will provide you with reports of our efforts. Please help us in this endeavor. Please donate $20 to show your support for the work we will be doing. We cannot do it without you. We do this work for your families and for ours. Please show your support for this great work by donating $20 now.
Beverly Rice, UFI President
UFI has established a blog specifically for CSW 2009. This blog will keep UFI supporters updated on the happenings inside the UN during the 2 weeks of CSW. Click here to go to the CSW blog.
Lina Hatch, the now former Director of United Families Arizona, introduces new State Director, Tricia Groe:
As former director of United Families Arizona, I am excited to announce a recent change in leadership. Tricia Groe, a former member of the Arizona House of Representatives from Legislative District 3, is our new Arizona director!
Trish has the experience and ability to take UFAZ to greater heights. She knows legislation, she is masterful with technology, and her enthusiastic and positive support has blessed United Families Arizona from the first time she joined our team. I am pleased that Trish has accepted this position. I have full confidence in her and the future of UFAZ.
United Families Arizona successes
Successes of United Families Arizona this past year include:
I pledge my continued support and urge your support of UFAZ! With our continued participation we will keep a watchful eye on proposed public policy that impacts families throughout the state…including yours!
To all of you, our friends of Arizona families, I express sincere appreciation for your supportive efforts in behalf of United Families Arizona and for me as director. It has been my privilege and great blessing to rub shoulders with and learn from many of you.
I realize there are great challenges ahead and therefore, I call upon each of us to continue to focus our efforts in defense of Arizona families.
Sincere Warm Regards,
Lina Hatch
From The Minnesota Independent:
The office of state Sen. Paul Koering, a gay Republican representing a district near Brainerd, Minn., is responding by e-mail to criticisms over his decision not to vote for the Marriage and Family Protection Act, a bill that would make gay marriage legal in Minnesota.
The gist? Legislators can’t “waste their time” with “pointless legislation.” The mass e-mail, penned by an impassioned Ken Swecker, Koering’s legislative assistant, concludes with the punchline: “I’ve already wasted too much time in responding to you.”
Here’s the full letter:
My name is Ken Swecker, Senator Koering’s Legislative Assistant. Senator Koering and I both would like to respond to the e-mails we’ve been receiving regarding his intention to not vote in favor of Senate File 120. I am currently responding to the e-mails to give you the Senator’s home phone number so that you might call him over the weekend and speak with him personally on the matter. This much he asked me to do.
To add to that, as a personal statement, is to say that SF 120 is something that the majority of the People of Senate District 12, the People that he was elected to represent, do not favor this piece of legislation. In case you have forgotten, we are a government of the People, by the People, and for the People. He was not elected serve his personal interests. I personally believe that instead of sending e-mails full of threats and hateful words you should take his example to heart and congratulate him on being a legislator who cares more about what the People of his district want than what he may want personally. You and I both know that this is a rare quality to find, and just because this is contrary to how you wish for him to vote, you must remember and respect he is here to represent the interests of his rural Minnesota constituents who voted him into office. As a constituent of his myself, I am happy to see him take non-personal votes on several issues. After all, I would not want another politician taking another vote that would serve his or her personal interests more so than the People’s, would you?
I can testify all day long about how much Senator Koering cares for the People of Senate District 12. He ran three consecutive times, being defeated the first two, and why did he put himself through so much hard work? Do you think it was because he needed another job? Absolutely not! He did it because he believed he was the best person to serve the People that he calls neighbors, friends, and family. And especially now, in a time like this, we are being bogged down with this completely pointless issue. There are People in Morrison and Crow Wing Counties, and across the State who are losing their jobs, their homes, their insurance, and were you to ask them if this is an issue that should take one second of precedent over these conditions they’re facing every day, do you believe, do you honestly believe that they would say to you, ‘Yes, please, waste the time of the State Legislature with a piece of legislation that will not help, but in fact, overshadow the current situation we’re living in? Please, waste their time with this piece of legislation while I tell my son and daughter that mom and dad aren’t hungry tonight?’
I know very well that you will respond to this e-mail of mine with some probably quirky, snide, and very thoughtless comment that will make me out to be a bad person and threaten the Senator even more just as most of the absolutely tactless and disrespectful e-mails we’ve received have been written, but really, don’t waste your time. We’ll just put your e-mail where it belongs, in the trash.
The Senator’s home number is
xxx-xxx-xxxxHe’s free on the weekends.
Very Sincerely, every word of it,
Ken SweckerP.S.
I hope you do not believe that this e-mail was written specific to the one that you sent, this is a blanket e-mail, being sent to everyone who has e-mailed us on this issue and I’ve already wasted too much time in responding to you. Good day.Senator Paul Koering
District 12
131 State Office Building
St. Paul, MN 55155-1206
Phone:651-296-4875
Moorhead, MN – On February 26th and 27th, United Families International (UFI) representatives, Laura Knaperek and Carol Soelberg, will hold a series of meetings as UFI launches two new chapters, the North Dakota chapter and the Minnesota chapter.
Mrs. Soelberg is a past president of UFI and has addressed many audiences from the UN to the World Congress of Families. She will speak on Feb. 26th in room 227 of Comstock Memorial Union at MSU-Moorhead, her speech is titled, “Issues that Threaten the Family: How to Protect and Strengthen the Family.” Carol Soelberg serves UFI as the Chapter Development Director.
The Honorable Laura Knaperek served in the Arizona State Legislature for ten years. During her tenure as a State Representative, she established herself as an advocate for children, families and the disabled. Mrs. Knaperek will give a training presentation on Feb. 27th entitled, “How to Work with Your Legislature to Effect Policy and to Strengthen the Family.” Laura Knaperek is the International Policy Director at UFI. The events on the 26th and the 27th are free and open to the public.
United Families International was created in 1978 to protect the family as the fundamental unit of society. As a non-denominational, non-partisan organization we are an internationally recognized pro-family voice. UFI participates at the United Nations in negotiations to produce key outcome documents that set family policy throughout the world.
Our chapter development program creates grassroots involvement by educating and advocating in behalf of family policy on national, state, and local issues. Through this program we are building an army of unified voices in support of the traditional family. The Minnesota and North Dakota chapters will be the newest chapters in our international organization.
Our Stay Alive humanitarian program has taught consequential thinking skills to nearly one million children in several African nations revealing an impressive rate of success in decreasing teen pregnancies and the spread of HIV/AIDS.
Through social science research, we strengthen the family by promoting family, marriage, life, parents, and sovereignty.
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President Barrack Obama is at it again. This time, instead of appointing someone who evades paying taxes, his nominee for Deputy Attorney General, David W. Ogden evades moral judgment.
Ogden, a former top aide to Attorney General Janet Reno from the Clinton era, has worked tirelessly to undermine the heart and soul of the family. Ogden has litigated on behalf of anti-life powerhouse Planned Parenthood and top pornography giants, Penthouse and Playboy; supporting the exploitation of women and children in the process. With his inherent anti-family background, it is imperative that we try to stop the Obama nomination train from coming down the track.
Deputy Attorney General Influences Laws and Policy
Taken directly from the U.S. Department of Justice’s website, the Deputy Attorney General holds a vast amount of power and authority:
“The Deputy Attorney General advises and assists the Attorney General in formulating and implementing Departmental policies and programs and in providing overall supervision and direction to all organizational units of the Department. The Deputy Attorney General is authorized to exercise all the power and authority of the Attorney General, except where such power or authority is prohibited by law from delegation or has been delegated to another official. In the absence of the Attorney General, the Deputy Attorney General acts as the Attorney General.”
Being nominated to the position of second command of the Department of Justice means David W. Ogden will not only control the day-to-day operations of the agency, his influence will be felt in policy and rulemaking throughout the agency.
Through review of Ogden’s own written legal briefs, it is clear he has an agenda that opposes parental rights, favors abortion on demand, homosexual rights, and supports the pornography industry over children. Ogden also uses international law to override U.S. policies and believes strongly in a “compassionate and living” interpretation of
the U.S. constitution.
Ogden’s History of Anti-family Briefs
Abortion
Homosexuality
Pornography
International Law Over U.S. Law
What You Can Do to Stop This Appointment
Call the U.S. Senate today at 202-224-3121.
Let the Senators know that approving a nominee who holds so little regard for families, life, and the well-being of children is in direct conflict to what our nation stands for.
Ask them not to approve a supporter of the pornography industry.
Tell them that under David Ogden’s leadership, our nation’s sovereignty is in jeopardy.
Tell the good Senators to do the right thing and stand for families by voting against David Ogden for U.S. Deputy Attorney General.
LifeSiteNews reports that President Obama will call Governor Kathleen Sebelius, of Kansas, to be the new head to the Health and Human Services Department.
The article states, “While House officials say President Barack Obama will name pro-abortion Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, who has been criticized for refusing to limit late-term abortions, as the Secretary of the Health and Human Services Department.
Once official, her selection would add to Obama’s growing pro-abortion record as president. Obama advisors notified the media late Wednesday that the president has settled on Sebelius as his top choice for the position, though her has not made his decision official.
The New York Times indicates the White House has not finished vetting Sebelius for the post and officials were unsure whether the process would be complete in time for her to be nominated next week.”
Of Gov. Sebelius’ abortion record, The Family Research Council said this: “Sebelius has been endorsed by Planned Parenthood and they have conducted fundraising activity on her behalf.
“Reviewing the record of Gov. Sebelius when she served in the Kansas House of Representatives, it is difficult to find a single instance, either in a procedural or substantive vote, where she acted in a manner that would afford unborn children the maximum protection. In the 1980s and 1990s then- Representative Sebelius voted to weaken or eliminate even such modest measures as parental notification, waiting periods and informed consent.
As governor, she twice has vetoed bills attempting to protect the health and safety of women by more tightly regulating abortion clinics.”
In April 2007, Sebelius hosted a private reception for infamous abortion doctor George Tiller and his staff at the governor’s mansion.
Vetoed the Comprehensive Abortion Reform Act as unconstitutional because it would allow court orders to be written to help prevent second and third term abortions.”
LifeSiteNews: Campaign Life Coalition (CLC), the political arm of Canada’s pro-life movement, has called on US President Barack Obama not to preside over the greatest slaughter of African Americans in history via abortion. CLC President Jim Hughes noted that Obama, “the first black President” has a unique opportunity to “help save the lives of 4000 African American babies who die by abortion every day in the United States.”
“Every day Mr. President, people with your ethnic background die in astounding numbers,” said Mr. Hughes. “Abortion is the number one killer of African Americans in the U.S.”
Prior to his election, Obama told Americans he wanted abortion to be rare. However, immediately after his inauguration, he signed an executive order to revoke the Mexico City Policy and finance the promotion and facilitation of abortion in developing nations. A Gallup Poll published on February 2, 2009 found that 58 % of Americans disapprove of using their tax dollars to pay for abortion in third world countries.
“Thus,” said Mr. Hughes, “U.S. financed abortion is targeting more blacks than ever before.” The CLC President concluded, “By your election you have at least symbolically brought an end to racism against blacks in the United States. We pray that you will have a change of heart and end the black genocide by abortion ravaging your country and the developing world.”
The Family Research Council continues:
February is Black History Month, and we are reminded of the many African-Americans who have made remarkable contributions to our great country. Sadly, I am reminded also of the huge number of African-American babies aborted every day in the United States snuffing out enormous future potential from this community. Adding insult to injury, evidence has surfaced over the last few months concerning anti-African-American attitudes in the abortion industry.
It has long been known-but largely unreported–that Margaret Sanger (the founder of Planned Parenthood) advocated population control and birth prevention among the “unfit” from the beginning of her public work. As early as 1915, Sanger’s first handbook entitled,What Every Boy and Girl Should Know, discussed the vicious cycle of ignorance breeding poverty and poverty breeding ignorance. Sanger’s solution to this problem was to prevent the birth of children who would not have an inheritance of health or intelligence and whose parents could not provide for them. This philosophy resulted in the creation of Sanger’s Negro Project in 1939-a program aimed at restricting reproduction among the African-American population.
Abortion is the leading cause of death in the African-American community, and Planned Parenthood has had significant impact on the astronomical decline in the birth rate of this group of people. According to Alveda King, niece of Martin Luther King, Jr., abortion is the primary agenda of groups like Planned Parenthood in the African-American communities. They also offer birth control and some health services, but the emphasis is on abortion for these particular parents. The organization operates a disproportionately high number of facilities in metropolitan areas with high African-American populations. Since 1973 abortion has taken the lives of about 14 million African-American babies, nearly 1450 every day in this country. Approximately 35% of all abortions in the U.S. are performed on African-American women, while they represent only 13% of the female population of the country.
The Obama Administration has declared war on parents and children. In the last few weeks, they have approved and voted for people or groups who would like to promote pornography, pedophilia, and destroy parental rights. They have appointed or voted for people or groups who want international law to usurp our own Constitution. Are you prepared to let the government tell you how to raise your children? Are you prepared to have pornographers and pedophiles have access to your children by enacting new laws or failing to uphold existing ones? Two seemingly unrelated events occurred recently which will have a significant impact on your parental rights.
The first one took place at the United Nations. There is a committee which screens organizations that are trying to gain access to the United Nations. Non-governmental organizations must submit an application and be approved by the group before they can lobby delegates on their issues. The group that was denied by the committee was a Brazilian homosexual rights groups who critics charge supports having sex with children. This group has been working for two years to gain official status with the UN. In the 6-8 decision, the member states supporting this radical group included the United States. If history repeats itself the committee’s decision to deny this group membership will be overturned by the larger body.
Then, last week, David J. Ogden sailed through confirmation hearings on his appointment as the second in command at the Justice Department. In this position, Mr. Ogden would be charged with upholding and defending the law. Mr. Ogden is a dangerous man to families. He has defended and supported the rights of pornographers, Planned Parenthood, and the use of international law to usurp our own constitution. He has worked to reduce parental rights, encourage abortion and promote homosexual rights. His efforts have included rejecting the idea that pornographers should keep documents verifying that their models are of legal consenting age. He did this by opposing a law that was designed to protect children from molestation and rape focused on “imposing a burden too heavily and infringe too deeply on the right to produce First Amendment protected material.”
He also filed a brief on behalf of a group of library directors who were opposed to the Children’s Internet Protection Act. Mr. Ogden called the Act, “unconstitutional”. In addition, Mr. Ogden submitted a brief in the Lawrence v. Texas case defending the use of international law as opposed to using our Constitution to determine what is constitutional.
And there you have the connection. The United Nations will probably allow a group to begin lobbying delegates with the intention of legalizing all homosexual rights. This may include pedophilia. The United States delegation – appointed by Obama – voted in favor of this group. And, in the United States, Obama has appointed a man who favors groups like this one and many others who are working to destroy the family.
United Families International will spend two weeks in New York during the important Commission on the Status of Women. We will be working against the agenda of the United States delegation, the European Union delegation and many others. But we will be working with many member states who believe as we do that families deserve to be protected. We will work with them to protect parent’s rights to raise their children. We will be working to defend the family – not destroy it. We will be working to protect your parental rights – not take them away. We cannot do it alone. We need your help. Please consider making a donation today to help us be able to do our job and protect your family.
Beverly Rice, UFI President
SACRAMENTO, Calif., Feb. 17 – Urging the Legislature to stop wasting time and resources on non-binding resolutions concerning voter approved Proposition 8, Protect Marriage.com today urged legislative committees to shelve HR 5 and SR 7, resolutions stating that the Supreme Court should overturn Proposition 8 when it hears the matter next month.
“Proposition 8 was adopted with over a 600,000 vote margin, gaining approximately the same vote percentage as Barack Obama did nationally,” said Ron Prentice, Chairman of ProtectMarriage.com – Yes on 8, the campaign committee responsible for passage of the measure. “It passed in 42 out of California’s 58 counties, including the five largest counties in California. It is wrong for legislators to disrespect the vote of the people and attempt to substitute their values for the decision of over 7 million voters.”
HR 5 (Ammiano) and SR 7 (Leno) are authored by legislators who have long opposed Prop 8. Their views were well known and rejected by voters when 52.3% of the electorate approved Prop 8. These same legislators have also signed onto amicus briefs before the Court asking that Prop 8 be overturned. Now they are authoring meaningless nonbinding resolutions that take up the time of legislators and legislative staff who should be focused on appropriate legislative priorities such as solving the state deficit.
“Disrespecting the will of voters and wasting taxpayer resources on meaningless legislative resolutions are among the reasons that public approval of the Legislature has fallen to 15%, the lowest in history.” Prentice said. “We urge the Judiciary committees of the Assembly and Senate to shelve these inappropriate resolutions and return the Legislature’s attention to more appropriate work.”
12-year-old “Lia” of Toronto has become a star at her school and on Youtube with her five-minute pro-life speech, crafted for a school competition. Despite discouragement and outright opposition, Lia’s presentation was so well done that she reportedly won the contest she was told she would be disqualified from, due to the “controversial” message of her speech.
Lia’s mother says that the topic was of her own choosing, and that she was determined not to back down, even after teachers told her it was “too mature” and “too controversial.”
“She was also told that if she went ahead with that topic, she would not be allowed to continue on in the speech competition,” Lia’s mother wrote in the email to the Moral Outcry blog. “Initially, I tried helping her find other topics to speak on, but, in the end, she was adamant. She just felt she wanted to continue with the topic of abortion. So she forfeited her chance to compete in order to speak on something she was passionate about.”
At the schoolwide competition, the mom said one pro-choice teacher on the judge’s panel “didn’t even want to hear” the speech, and stepped down from the panel before Lia began. After the speech, which Lia’s family said was well-received by both students and teachers, the judges initially told Lia she had indeed been disqualified. But controversy among the judges eventually led to a reversal, and Lia’s family learned the next day that the panel agreed the girl deserved to win the competition.
The Digital Network Army, United Families International and Capital Resource Institute are joining forces this Tuesday to rally for families at the Capitol Building in Sacramento. Both state houses are drafting official resolutions condemning the passage of Proposition 8 and urging the Supreme Court to overturn the will of the people AGAIN.
Two statewide elections with the majority voices of millions were not loud enough to turn the heads of our representatives in Sacramento, so we’re bringing the voice of the people to Sacramento. Come Rally with us for Marriage and Families! Help remind the Senators and Assemblymen that we are watching…because there’s nothing more important to our nation than its families.
Protect Marriage! Protect Families! Protect Democracy!
If our representatives are going to turn their backs on the people who voted for them, let them do it to our faces in the light of the cameras, not in a silent corner.
Here is the latest update from the DNA:
Team,
Ok, so the most recent word is that the opposition is going to be busing people in from San Francisco for the hearings so seating at the actual hearing may be limited, come early. If you have kids, bring water bottles and a few snacks, comfortable shoes. Security is tight there, so remember, no pocket knives etc.
If we have more people come to the hearing than we can fit in the room, we’ll hold a concurrent rally outside the capitol building with a petition signing. No body will be wasted! Kids and families are welcome! Come and be heard! Wear your yellow shirt if you like! If it rains, bring an umbrella, we’ll rally in the hallways!
Proposition 8 Hearings will be held in these rooms:
HR 5
Tuesday, February 17
10:30am
State Capitol
Room 4202
SR 7
Tuesday, February 17
12:30pm
State Capitol
Room 4203
From CCD:
“We anticipate that Proposition 8 opponents will be busing in hundreds of people to speak out against Proposition 8,” said a statement issued by the pro-family lobbying group Capitol Resource Institute. “We must encourage pro-family legislators on the Judiciary Committees by showing up for this hearing. Let’s pack the committee room with traditional marriage supporters! We understand it can be an inconvenience to drive downtown and spend the day at the capitol, but consider this your service as a citizen of our great nation. It’s also an outstanding opportunity to teach your children about their responsibilities as citizens. They can stand up for the truth in the heart of government.”
Capitol Resource Institute urged those unable to attend the hearings to contact members of each committee by phone, email or fax to ask them to vote no on the resolutions.
Also encouraging citizens to contact members of the two committees regarding the resolutions was Concerned Women for America of California. In a Feb. 12 “Action Alert,” the CWA said, “While these measures are non-binding, they fly in the face of the voters who passed the marriage amendment last November and are worthy of our concerted opposition. Each resolution concludes that Proposition 8 was ‘an improper revision, not an amendment, of the California Constitution.’ In truth, the proposition was just 14 words defining marriage, a change that does not rise to the level of a constitutional revision. Two much more significant amendments — the taxation changes under Proposition 13 and the modifications in legislative term limits — were reviewed by the California Supreme Court in the past. These were found not to be revisions.”
Spanish Families Defy Mandatory Homosexual Indoctrination in New Video
Spanish families who are resisting their government’s mandatory homosexualist indoctrination program have made a video expressing their defiance. ”We’re not giving in” says one mother. “We’re not going to enter the classes,” say two teenagers. “We’re going to continue fighting … for our freedom and the freedom of all,” say two groups of families.
The video has appeared in the wake of a recent decision by the Spanish Supreme Court, which has not been formally announced yet, but which purportedly confirms that the government may compel students to take the course, which is entitled “Education for Citizenship and Human Rights.”
Although the course is billed as a type of civics instruction, it has been criticized for promoting secularist values strongly opposed to Christianity, including homosexualist ideology.
Massive German Study Confirms Abortion Significantly Increases Premature Birth Risk
A huge German study has further substantiated the link between abortion history and an increased risk of future premature births. The German study joins a solid body of evidence showing the increased risk of preterm births for children who are brought to term after a previous abortion.
Why, instead of chasing criminals, are police asking children to write essays about gay pride?
It takes pride in its reputation as one of the most gay-friendly employers in the country. But the Kent Police force has been accused of going too far after inviting children under the age of 14 to write about their feelings on homosexuality and transsexuality as part of a competition. The force is offering a £25 prize to the child who submits the best 200-word essay on the subject.
Ireland to refuse adoption rights for gay couples
The Irish government published the Adoption Bill 2009 last month. It limits access to adoption to married couples and individuals, excluding non-married same-sex and opposite-sex couples.
Tiny Fetal Models Cause Uproar in Dutch Media and Parliament
The model of an unborn child carried in the annual March for Life in Amsterdam has caused a firestorm in Holland. A photo of the tiny fetal model was pictured on the front page of the Dutch Christian newspaper “Het Nederlands Dagblad” in December after the march. The front-page coverage garnered other media attention, television interviews and even angry reactions in the House of Representatives of the Dutch government.
The two inch long model represents a fetus at ten weeks of actual length and weight. “At four weeks the heart of the unborn beats; the model shows that it is a child with hands, feet and a nose even able to bring its finger to its mouth” according to the Dutch pro-life group Cry for Life.
Pro-Abortion Marie Stopes Eager for American Funds to Promote Abortion in Kenya
The leader of the Kenyan division of Marie Stopes, one of the worlds largest abortion providers, has told an AP reporter that he is eager to receive American funds now that President Obama has rescinded the Mexico City Policy.
The Mexico City Policy is a Reagan-era directive that prohibits pro-abortion overseas organizations from receiving American taxpayer dollars. Obama repealed the policy three days after his inauguration, making hundreds of millions in foreign aid money available to such groups.
Thanks to the policy, abortion facilities that would have made abortion available to Kenyan women were forced to close, and contraception became less available, according to Marie Stops Kenya. Now groups like Marie Stopes Kenya, who were “limping along” on European aid, are lining up to apply for American aid.
Just one short generation ago, the family ruled. It was fashionable to be from a large family where roles were clearly defined. Father knew best and mother was always there to feed, comfort and rely upon. For the most part, dad was the breadwinner, mom the nurturer. Children were expected to be the product of marriage and marriage was only between a man and a woman. Divorce rates were low and the majority couples stayed married for most of their lives. Welfare roles were almost non-existent as were out-of-wedlock births. The family might not have been perfect, but it was intact and the lack of social programs and crime reflected it.
In order to follow the history of the changing family, one must only follow the history of the feminist movement. The correlation between the two clearly outlines the influence radical feminism has had on the breakdown of the family.
For over forty years, the family has been under scrutiny and attack that was brought on by the U.S. radical feminist movement that started in the 1960s. Today the family is certainly different than what it once was.
The Beginning of Radical Feminism
There are three types of women in the world: radical feminists, mainstream feminists and the majority.
Modern feminism, or what has been coined radical feminism, has its roots in the American culture that dates from late 1960s to the early 1970s. Before this time, women who fought to change cultural norms did so with no intention of breaking down the family. They were clearly not anti-marriage. They just wanted women to have more choices in their lives.
By 1969 noted University of Chicago sociology professor Marlene Dixon brazenly declared, “The institution of marriage is the chief vehicle for the perpetuation of the oppression of women; it is through the role of wife that the subjugation of women is maintained.” Marriage was referred to “as a slavery-like practice” that needed to be destroyed to bring about equality between men and women. The “heart of radical feminism” designed to save women, was now on a mission to destroy not only marriage, but in the process – families.
Mainstreaming the Anti-Marriage Message Around the World
Since the 1970s, the radical feminist message was mainstreamed throughout the American culture, having a detrimental influence on the intellectual formation of millions of students. The next generation of radical feminists have in turn taken up the cause and taken the battle to the halls of the United Nations. The United Nations process becomes the catalyst to spreading the anti-marriage, anti-family message internationally through official documents and treaties, like CEDAW, the Convention on the Elimination of All Discrimination Against Women. If signed and ratified, nations become enslaved by appointed councils that demand the radical changes espoused by those whose ultimate goal is to destroy families and those who stand in the way. Women’s rights are promoted as human rights and include abortion – disguised as a health and reproductive right.
In a world where developing countries continue to experience higher than normal rates of death during delivery, lack of education for women, female infanticide and sex-selective abortion, radical feminists prefer to mainstream “genderless societies” to vulnerable and often unaware nations.
As an example, recent women’s rights legislation, masquerading as the “Magna Carta of Women,” is making its way through the Philippine Congress. UN radical feminists, rumored to have written most of the language, have managed to inject anti-family and anti-life policy that conflicts with the Philippine Constitution that protects “the sanctity of family life” as well as protecting the “life of the unborn from conception.” The language in the Magna Carta is almost exactly what was used by CEDAW Compliance members in a 1994 UN report that creates confusion between the nation’s culture, laws and constitution and this new law regarding women’s rights.
The radical feminist movement of false truth would have the women of the world believe that men and religion are corrupt, marriage is slavery and bearing and raising children is beneath them. The reality is most women agree and want the right to be educated, vote, own property and be treated as an equal in marriage by the law. But, the feminists have taken the battle of women’s rights to a new low. Their agenda does not take into account that women are part of a family and families are the bedrock of a good and healthy society.
The Truth About Marriage and Family
While radical feminists see marriage as a “patriarchal” institution that harms women and children, the facts are mothers who give birth and raise children outside of a stable marriage are seven times more likely to live in poverty.
So, the question remains, has the feminist movement advanced the cause of women by bringing greater equality and freedom to dissolve unhappy marriages and independence in family life, and more career opportunities – or not?
The answer is simple and devastating. Divorce has generated new forms of inequality for women by way of greater economic insecurity and poverty. Divorce has transformed women from haves to have-nots. Divorce has not moved women closer to the social goal of gender equality. Instead, women now bear double responsibility for breadwinning and child-rearing – and most do it alone. Women are now working harder and falling further behind. Divorce rates have increased as have welfare rolls.
United Families International will be attending the Commission of the Status of Women (CSW) in March. It is there that we will be fighting again to promote and protect a future for the family. The radical feminists will be out in force and your support is needed. Help us to spread the truth to the nations of the world and ensure every child will have a family with a mother and a father to belong to.
LOS ANGELES, February 11, 2009 — The student-led nonprofit, Live Action, has provided the full, unedited footage from a recent investigation of a Tucson Planned Parenthood clinic to the offices of the Arizona Attorney General and the Pima County Attorney. The tapes show Planned Parenthood covering up a reported case of sexual abuse of a 15-year-old girl, and were made public last week on the Live Action’s website, www.liveaction.org.
In the footage, a Tucson Planned Parenthood counselor tells a Live Action investigator, posing as a pregnant 15-year-old, how to hide her sexual relationship with a 27-year-old man. The counselor, identified in the video as “Araceli,” cautions the girl not to bring her reported 27-year-old “boyfriend” to the judicial hearing required to obtain an abortion without the consent of her parents.
Even while promising an “internal review,” Planned Parenthood of Arizona has offered no public apology nor acknowledged any wrongdoing.
Past investigations of Planned Parenthood by Live Action have yielded alarming results. Last December, Live Action released similar videos revealing sexual abuse cover-ups at Planned Parenthood clinics in Indiana, prompting state officials to initiate investigations into practices at Planned Parenthood of Indiana. Facing a public scandal, Planned Parenthood fired an employee in Bloomington and soon after suspended another in Indianapolis.
Lila Rose, a 20-year-old undergraduate at UCLA and president of Live Action, asks Arizona state authorities to follow the lead of Indiana prosecutors.
Rose states, “Planned Parenthood’s repeated claims of ‘internal review’ are woefully insufficient, especially since this organization has a record of violating state laws that protect young girls. Arizona authorities must thoroughly investigate the illicit behavior at Planned Parenthood clinics.” She adds, “We must not forget that young girls are at serious risk. Planned Parenthood’s disregard for mandatory reporting laws is prolonging sexual relationships between victimized minors and predatory adult males.”
Live Action has also launched an interactive online map that displays recorded cases of violations at Planned Parenthood clinics across the nation. The interactive map can be viewed at liveaction.org/violations.
The feminist movement has done more damage to the family than any other cultural movement in recent memory. Because of the feminist movement, we have legalized and subsidized abortions all over the world. Because of the feminist movement, mothers have been encouraged to leave their children to be raised by “a village”. Because of the feminist movement, men have lost their sense of identity and masculinity. Because of the feminist movement, fathers have left their homes and families. Because of the feminist movement, men have sought companionship with other men; and women have sought it with other women. Because of the feminist movement, religious beliefs have been questioned as “outdated” and “unlawful”.
Each year United Families International joins with their pro-family partners at the United Nations for two weeks for the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). This event is where the radical feminist leaders seek to create a document which will help them further their cause.
This year the focus of the Commission will be on HIV/AIDS and its impact on women. Don’t be fooled though. They will attempt to suggest that abortions need to be available on demand in order to fight HIV/AIDS. They will attempt to say that prostitution should be legalized so that proper medical care and safeguard can be given to women who choose this career. They will attempt to say that the idea of “Gender” is not biological but sociological and that women should not be forced into one gender or another. They will attempt to say that children should not be forced upon women but that children should be raised by others so that women can pursue their dreams.
Their message will be that a “genderless society” is what people all over the world deserve. Their message will be that gender is what is holding everyone back. Their message will be that choosing your gender should be a human right.
In the Phillipines this week they are arguing this very topic. The Phillipines Senate is voting on a bill that includes language such as, “Gender refers to the physiologico-social differentiated roles, characteristics, and expectations attributed by nature and culture to women and men.” and “No one shall invoke religious beliefs or customary norms as a means of evading compliance with this Act.”
Defenders of the family criticize the bill because they say it has been drafted by members of the radical feminist organization CEDAW Watch Philippines, several of whose members have been affiliated with the CEDAW committee and the UN Development Fund for Women, also known as UNIFEM.
These are the people we find at the United Nations during the Commission on the Status of Women. These are the women who seek to change the world as we now know it. These are the women who have already taken away many of the safeguards which were used to protect the family.
This is a very important time for us. Obama’s new UN Ambassador will be there to provide support to these women.
However, if you could walk the halls of the United Nations during those two weeks, you will see a handful of women who have a different mission. Their mission is to protect and defend families, parental rights, sanctity of life and religious liberty. You would see a group of men and women who believe in the family and are willing to do all they can to prevent the others from achieving their goals.
We have been successful in the past. We hope to be successful this year as well. Watch for our reports. Read our blogs and get our updates on Twitter. And if you can, donate now to support our efforts to protect your family.
Beverly Rice, UFI President
Nearly 700 people attended Sutherland Institute’s State of the Union II: The Challenge to Family and Freedom at Thanksgiving Point on Thursday evening, February 5, 2009. Those attending one of the largest events Sutherland has hosted were introduced to the Institute’s Sacred Ground Initiative - a set of five actions for responsible citizens to become informed and involved in protecting traditional marriage in Utah.
Sutherland President, Paul Mero, first speaker of the night, said that the proper definition of family is critical to our liberty and that responsible citizens need to distinguish between what they ought to do and, in their selfishness, what they want to do.
LaVar Christensen, the primary author of Utah’s Constitutional Amendment in support of traditional marriage, was the second speaker. Christensen said, “One of the bills in the ["Common Ground Initiative"] package directly seeks to eliminate the second sentence of Amendment 3 and if that doesn’t work, the other measures are designed to invite activist judges to do that for them and thereby overturn the will of the people.”
The concluding speaker was Lauralyn B. Swim, Sutherland benefactor and former member of the Young Women General Board. Mrs. Swim said that the five-part campaign, titled the Sacred Ground Initiative, will help citizens of Utah engage effectively in an effort to reaffirm and strengthen the moral climate of our local communities. She ended her speech by saying, “Defending marriage and family is an act of love for our children and our children’s children. May that love be visible as we go forward together.”
What is California doing handing children out as legitimacy prizes for gay agenda promos? Shouldn’t they be more concerned with giving children a chance at being a part of real families?
Gender matters in child raising. Homes with single parents or same-sex parents are not equipped to give a child the same things homes with a loving mother and father could.
The American College of Pediatricians says that homosexual parenting is sadly less than ideal for children:
“The environment in which children are reared is absolutely critical to their development,” the college states in a position statement about homosexual parenting posted in the “Position Statements” section of its website, acpeds.org.
“Given the current body of research, the American College of Pediatricians believes it is inappropriate, potentially hazardous to children, and dangerously irresponsible to change the age-old prohibition on homosexual parenting, whether by adoption, foster care, or by reproductive manipulation,” it says. “This position is rooted in the best available science.”
The American College of Pediatricians’ position statement references the many studies that have found that children thrive best in families with a married mother and father.
So, if there’s no equal substitute for a real family, why are we giving children away to gay couples? And why is California pushing the issue and giving money it doesn’t have to promote the gay agenda?
WorldNetDaily NEWS ALERT: Bankrupt California buys ads for ‘gay’ adoptions
SACRAMENTO – Facing a $42 billion deficit and a state debt that grows by $28,000 every minute, California has managed to find enough room in its budget to sponsor an elaborate statewide campaign to promote homosexual adoption.
The Human Rights Campaign Foundation has partnered with the California Department of Social Services and the Los Angeles County to promote a “Life, Liberty & the Pursuit of Family” campaign that invites homosexuals, bisexuals and transsexuals to adopt children.
According to a Campaign for Children and Families report, the state has sponsored two billboards promoting “gay” adoption in West Hollywood and Alameda County.
Beverly Rice, President of United Families International, will be the featured guest on the Blog Talk Radio show, TCOT Radio, tomorrow at 1 PM PST. TCOT Radio is the official podcast of TCOT (Top Conservatives on Twitter) and is hosted by Tony Katz. Mrs. Rice will discuss the topic of gay marriage in America. The show is open to callers, the number is: 646-929-1981 or you may interact by twittering @tcotradio.
Click here for the TCOT Radio Blog
Click Here to listen to the completed podcast. The interview with Mrs. Rice begins about 30 minutes into the show.
I never cease to be amazed at the rationales, excuses, and bizarre lengths that some people will go to attack those of us, like myself, who supported Proposition 8 in the last election.
For those hate mongers who simply cannot bear the fact that Proposition 8 won, and have decided that those who supported it need to be vilified, attacked, and destroyed, I am pretty easy to find. Not only did I support Proposition 8, and vote for it, but I was a lead attorney in a lawsuit to invalidate the Same Sex Marriage licenses issued in response to the California State Supreme Court Ruling–that ruling created a “constitutional right” of homosexual marriage. Further, to add more flames to the fire, I was up all night on election night, one of 140+ attorneys who were designated to monitor the Registrars of Voters in counties around the state, to ensure fairness in the vote.
Even more to the chagrin of those of you who are the real haters in this situation, I will be filing one or more briefs with the California State Supreme Court defending the passage of Proposition 8 in the November, 2008, election.
Since the passage of Proposition 8, I have learned of racial epithets being hurled at Blacks who supported Proposition 8. I have read about death threats and violence directed at those who supported Proposition 8. I have learned of people being forced out of their jobs, or harassed at work, for having the audacity to contribute money to the Yes on Proposition 8 campaign.
I have read about the extreme lengths that those who cannot stand the fact that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Saints supported Proposition 8 have gone to vilify and attack that church. Nowhere, however, have I seen any attacks against the Black churches that went to the same, if not even greater, lengths to elect Barack Obama as President of the United States. It appears that church involvement in elections is only “evil” if it offends the activists in the homosexual movement, and their leftist allies.
It is amazing to me that those who cried for “fairness” during the last election, and who continually ask for tolerance for their lifestyles, not only show no tolerance for those who oppose them, but promote outright hate against those that oppose them.
Despite all the protestations of many in the homosexual movement, this lack of tolerance for opponents is nothing new.
In 1990, I was appointed to the San Diego City Human Relations Commission (“HRC”) by then San Diego City Councilman Bruce Henderson. Bruce took a lot of heat for appointing me, but he wanted someone with legal experience to keep an eye on the HRC. As it turned out, my experience in Constitutional law resulted in stopping unconstitutional actions of the HRC, as the San Diego City Attorney’s Office, at my urging, ruled that certain of the proposed actions of the HRC would violate the due process rights of individuals and businesses targeted by the HRC.
As I did not live within the city limits of the City of San Diego, the San Diego City Council had to grant a waiver, so that I could sit on the Commission. It did so unanimously. I was, it was acknowledged, the “token conservative” on the HRC,
Having gone through a childhood where I was short, fat, wore glasses, had a bizarre last name, and “my mommy dressed me funny”, I had developed a pretty thick skin. However, nothing could have prepared me for what I went through while sitting on that Commission.
During the 1980’s, I had publicly objected to a “trial balloon” “sent up” by then Governor Jerry Brown. He had proposed the idea of having a quota system for homosexual judges on the California Bench. My expressed position was that Judges should not be picked on the basis of their sexual orientation, they should be picked on the basis of their abilities. Nothing much came of it at the time, however, after I was appointed to the HRC, that stance was raised by activists in the homosexual community in San Diego. I later found out from two reporters that the local chapter of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) had been keeping a file on me for a number of years and had provided copies of part of that file to homosexual activists and to the media. The purpose was to try to drive me off of the Commission. This was around the same time that it was revealed that the ADL Office in Los Angeles had been raided by the FBI, for buying police intelligence files, as part of their monitoring of people they considered to be their opponents, on both the left and on the right.
The resulting campaign of harassment forced me to keep my now deceased wife and my stepdaughter away from the meetings, due to the violence that they might have been subjected to, had it been discovered that they were, indeed, my wife and stepdaughter.
Somehow, my unlisted home phone number was obtained, and I received harassing phone calls on it and at my law office. I had people telling me that I had “better not” attend any more meetings of the Commission. From what I understand, death threats were leveled against me through the City Council Offices, and the result was that I was escorted to and from the meetings, through back stairways, by San Diego City Police Department Officers.
At the meetings, the 15-person Commission was set up in a horseshoe-shaped series of tables. At the direction of the Chairman of the Commission, I was seated at one end of the horseshoe, closest to the podium. During virtually every meeting for months, I was subjected to having blood-soaked cotton balls thrown at me, after they had been used to daub open sores on people, used condoms were launched at me, and I was subjected to the most vile and horrible comments. None of this was stopped, or even objected to, by the Chairman of the Commission, for it was his intention to force me off of the HRC. Concern was raised for my safety by the City, and 2-6 police officers, uniformed and plain clothes, attended the Commission meetings for months.
People were literally afraid to speak in my defense at the sessions, for fear of retaliation by the radical homosexual activists. Finally, one night, a group of Black men appeared at the meeting. They signed up for their time to speak, and they all donated their time to one man. That man, a rather imposing young Black man, got up and said that he did not know me, had never met me, but had heard what was going on in the commission meetings. He said he was there to support me, as I was simply standing up for what I believed was right, and that was all part of what America was about. When it appeared that some people in the audience were objecting to his stance in support of me, the other Black men that came with him made it clear that, if anyone attempted to attack this man, he would be defended. That man was Pastor Adelaide Mac, who I met shortly thereafter, and who I have considered a friend ever since.
The Chairman of the Commission wanted me off the HRC so badly that he even had the Commission vote to dissolve itself, believing that I would never be reappointed to the Commission when the entire Commission was reappointed.
Homosexual activists in the community told the media, where it was reported, that they had the votes to get me off the Commission, and that I would never be put back on. Unfortunately for them, then Mayor Maureen O’Connor publicly announced that she would not even put the issue of the dissolving of the Commission on the agenda. Her comments were essentially that, if the people that opposed me could not live with a 14 to 1 vote on issues, that was not her problem, and that she was not going to set the precedent of dissolving a commission just to get rid of one person with politically unpopular views.
When the time came for my two-year term to end, the council member that had succeeded Bruce Henderson did not even bother to replace me for six months into the next term. In the meantime, the attacks on groups like the Boy Scouts of America, and other groups that did not conform to political correctness, had no longer become 14 to 1 votes. Others on the Commission were joining with me on certain issues. In fact, when the Chairman pushed the idea of dissolving the Commission to get me off of it, there was only 10 votes for, 4 against, with 1 abstention. Even though I was supposedly the “token conservative,” other members of the Commission started having problems with the way that I was being treated and started to understand that I was not the “evil being” that some activists in the homosexual community had tried to portray me as. I later learned that other activists in the homosexual community were appalled by the treatment of me, being rightly concerned that such treatment of me would hurt their cause.
The intolerance of certain elements in the homosexual community is nothing new. They have been emboldened by their recent successes in the courts, which have created new rights out of “whole cloth,” and their ultimate goal is to destroy all opposition to their agenda.
Had Proposition 8 not passed, it would have been a very short jump to where Pastors in California were being criminally prosecuted for opposing homosexuality from the pulpit. This has already happened in Canada, Sweden, and in other countries. That may still happen, but, at least for now, Proposition 8 provides a bulwark against the attempts to erode the Freedom of Speech of those who oppose the homosexual agenda.
Sincerely,
Gary G. Kreep
On December 10, 2008 a Pro-Life coalition including United Families International gathered at the UN to present a Pro-Life petition. The reason for the petition was two fold:
The Pro-Life petition contained over 340,000 names gathered over a 60 day period, while the opposition petition claimed 651 names in nearly a year of work. Due to the relatively short amount of time that the Pro-Life petition was available, United Families International and the Pro-Life coalition have decided to keep the petition open until September 2009 when it will be re-presented to the UN. We invite all who believe in the sanctity of life to add their names to the International Petition to Protect Life.
The petition requests that all member nations and states interpret the UNDHR to mean that:
The right to life, liberty and security is for every person; that each child born or unborn, has the right to birth and a full, natural life. That a child has the right to a mother and a father, of full age, within the bonds of marriage defined as between a man and a woman. And, that the parents have the right to raise and educate their children without any limitation due to race, religion, culture or nationality.
CLICK HERE to add your name to the petition and join Pro-Lifers around the globe in protecting life.
In response to a leader of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) who declared that family breakdown is a triumph for human rights, World Congress of Families Managing Director Larry Jacobs said he was only surprised that UNFPA is now willing to admit what has always been part of its agenda.
At a recent colloquium in Mexico City, Arie Hoekman, a UNFPA representative from the Netherlands, told participants that high rates of divorce and out-of-wedlock births represent the triumph of “human rights” over “patriarchy.”
Jacobs stated, “Ironically, the UNFPA ignores international law and their own UN declaration on the basic human rights of children and the natural family as outlined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). Section 16 of the United Nations UDHR adopted in 1948 states that, ‘the family is the natural fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the state.” Furthermore, UDHR states, “men and women of full age, without any limitation, due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family.’”
Jacobs charged: “Deconstructing the natural family has always been high on the agenda of groups like UNFPA. Ignoring international and domestic laws, they pursue this goal relentlessly through funding and promoting abortion, contraception and coercive population control – such as China’s one-children-per-family policy.
Jacobs continued: “There are reams of data showing that children from broken homes, either through divorce or failure to form families, have much higher levels of drug and alcohol abuse, crime and mental illness then their counterparts from intact families. But, perhaps Hoekman thinks these social pathologies also represent the triumph of human rights over patriarchy.”
Jacobs concluded: “If Hoekman thinks fatherless families are an advance for human rights, he should spend time in America’s inner cities, where they are the norm and life is exceedingly dangerous.” Jacobs also noted that unattached males in their teens and twenties drive the crime problem in most developed nations.
Even U.S. President Barack Obama recognizes the importance of two married parents at home. As he stated during his speech on Father’s Day, “We…need families to raise our children. We need fathers to realize that responsibility does not end at conception. We need them to realize that what makes you a man is not the ability to have a child – it’s the courage to raise one.”
Marriage, the natural family, the sanctity of human life and the consequences of population control all will be major topics of discussion at World Congress of Families V in Amsterdam, August 10-12.
The International Planning Committee for World Congress of Families V met in Amsterdam last week to put together a program for the Congress. Meetings took place at Amsterdam’s RAI Convention Centre, also the site of WCF V (August 10-12, 2009).
Sessions were co-chaired by Larry Jacobs (WCF Managing Director) and Simon Polinder (head of the Local Organizing Committee). Dr. Patrick Fagan of The Family Research Council acted as moderator.
The Congress will include keynote speeches such as: “How Traditional Are Modern Families In The Netherlands?” “The Family As The Fundamental Unit of Society,” “The Value of Marriage As The Basis of Family Life,” “The Family as The Foundation of Social and Economic Development,” “The Future Depends on Human Life,” “Effects of Government Policymaking on the Family,” and “The Influence of International Law on the Family.”
Break-out sessions include titles such as: “The Role of The Family In Overcoming Addiction (Drugs, Gambling and Pornography),” “Demography and Declining Birthrates Worldwide,” “Sexuality: Faith, Family and Freedom of Speech,” “Barriers to Adoption: National and International,” “Human Trafficking,” “How Biotechnology Affects The Family (Abortion, Euthanasia and Embryonic Stem-Cell Research),” and “The Family And The Future of Nations.”
WCF V will also include a report from Abuja, Nigeria on “World Congress of Families Dialogue of Civilizations” (June 4-7). Like past Congresses, WCF V will be guided by the “Natural Family” philosophy, as set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the United Nations in 1948.
Jacobs commented: “We’re delighted that World Congress of Families V will be in Amsterdam this coming August. Our last Congress (WCF IV) was in Poland, a religious and socially conservative country. Now we are raising the World Congress of Families banner in a part of Europe where the ‘natural family’ and religion are viewed as roadblocks to development and progressive society. Our challenge is to communicate our message and data that proves that the ‘natural family’ is best for children and society. In doing so, we will challenge the efforts of the European Union and the left to deconstruct the family.”
The International Planning Committee included representatives from the following organizations: The Dutch Local Organizing Committee, World Congress of Families, Human Life Int’l, Europe (Poland), New Generation Church (Latvia), Focus on The Family, Family Research Council, Tradition, Family & Property, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, United Families International, Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute, Institute of Family Studies (Poland), European Forum for Human Rights And Family (France), GrassTopsUSA, Georgia Family Council, Pakistan Family Forum, HarzteOir (Spain), The Institute for Family Policies (France), REAL Women of Canada, Dutch Association of Large Families, Alliance Defense Fund, Human Life International and Concerned Women for America.
United Families International President, Beverly Rice will be a speaker at the World Conference of Families V.
Smart Girls Politics (SGP) was formed in the aftermath of the 2008 US Presidential Elections as a mechanism to join like-minded conservatives together in several unique ways. Recently, SGP interviewed UFI President, Beverly Rice.
Beverly Rice is the President of United Families International. In addition to the following interview, she has also provided a video addressed to the members of Smart Girl Politics, SGP. You can find the video here.
SGP: What is United Families International, UFI, and why was it started?
BR: United Families International was started thirty years ago in response to the pro-ERA forces. When the backers of the Equal Rights Amendment were not successful in getting the amendment ratified, they turned their focus to the United Nations with the thought that they would have better luck there. UFI leaders testified before Congress on the ERA and then began working at the UN to combat the anti-family voices there.
SGP: What are the primary issues that UFI currently stands for or against?
United Families International works on five issues which are the basic tenets of our orgniazation. They are: Traditional Marriage, Sanctity of Life, Parental Rights, Religious Liberty and National Sovereignty. These are the same tenets which are fought against us by the anti-family forces at the UN, in Congress, in State Legislatures and in governing bodies around the world.
SGP: What issue poses the single greatest threat to families under the new administration?
BR: We feel that the greatest threat to the family that the Obama administration brings is the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act. If this is repealed, then all the marriage amendments and statutes that have been enacted by state and local governments will have no validity. Without this protection we feel that marriage will be undermined, religious liberty will be weakened, and parental rights will be diminished. The agenda of the radical gay movement is to take away many of the rights that currently protect families.
SGP: What are your organizations fears if the new administration loosens the controls on all forms of abortion?
BR: The problem with the administration loosening the controls on all forms of abortion is that is will have world-wide repercussions. While abortion is legal here in the US , there are many countries across the globe where it is not legal. These countries have been able to withstand the pressure of many organizations and countries to legalize abortion because of the support they have enjoyed from the US these past 8 years. However, with the new administration, that support will vanish and many countries will feel they have no choice but to embrace the culture of abortion.
Additionally, here in the US , doctors will be forced to perform abortions regardless of their religious beliefs and parents will lose the right to be informed when their child is seeking an abortion and finally, abortions will be allowed through the full pregnancy term. People will become desensitized to the destruction of life in the unborn.
SGP: United Families International is against same-sex marriage. However, does the organization support civil unions? Why or Why not?
BR: We are opposed to anything that causes damage to the family. There is a movement throughout the world to redefine “family”. We support the definition of the “natural family”. Social science research shows that children do best in families that have a father and a mother. One of the problems with supporting civil unions is that it is an attempt to redefine what a family is. When civil unions are accepted then other changes to family life begin to be accepted. Soon people are saying that any two people who live together, love each other and are committed to each other should be considered a family unit. It is a slippery slope and the opposition understands this better than our side does. Whenever society accepts counterfeits to the natural family, they then find themselves giving additional credence to the idea that family can mean many things.
SGP: UFI is an advocate for family issues at the United Nations. What do you believe is the biggest challenge families face from United Nation members and policies?
BR: The biggest challenge we face at the United Nations is the attempt to reinterpret the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This document, which was adopted by the UN sixty years ago is an amazing document. In this document the countries of the United Nations agreed that the family is the fundamental unit of society; that marriage between a man and a woman should be protected; that motherhood and childhood should be protected; that parents have the right to raise and educate their children; and that all people have the right to practice their religious beliefs. It is an astounding document in its breadth and depth of addressing the human rights of families.
The forces at the UN would like to have that document reinterpreted to fit the times of today. They suggest that abortion, sexual orientation and gender identity should be human rights. They would like to have it be a criminal act to restrict anyone from enjoying these rights as human rights. If they are successful in persuading the UN countries to accept this reinterpretation then we will find that the protection that families currently enjoy will be severely curtailed.
SGP: What do you believe is the leading cause of the decline of the American Family today?
BR:I believe that many people are simply not educated on the issues. Many people are not aware of what is happening – not only in our own country – but also in countries and governing bodies around the world to destroy the family. There is an agenda out there that seeks to establish a genderless, parentless society. It will be a society where the state will have say over what children learn and believe. It is a society that wants to free all women to be able to work outside the home unencumbered with the responsibilities of rearing children. It is a society that seeks to curtail the old, tired verbiage of the religious organizations, in favor of new verbiage that talks about the secular nature of our world. It is a society where families, as we know them today, do not exist but have been replaced with varying forms of relationships that meet the physical needs of the adults involved.
There is an urgent need for people who believe in families to become educated on the issues and join with others to fight the creation of this society.
SGP: What can members of SGP do to support your organization?
BR: Members of SGP are welcome to visit our website, sign up for our weekly emails and learn all they can about the issues. We are currently in the process of setting up leadership in all 50 states and abroad. We are looking for people who are interested in helping to lead the efforts in their states. We would love to hear from anyone who might be interested in helping with this effort.
Most importantly, we want everyone to become educated on the issues affecting today’s families. Societies are only as strong as the families within those societies. United Families International is dedicated to helping protect and defend strong families.
The California Supreme Court announced today that it will hear oral arguments on the legality of the state’s gay marriage ban on March 5.
The hearing is one of the most anticipated in the court’s history. Supporters and opponents of Proposition 8 will make their case about whether the measure should be invalidated. Pro-gay marriage groups filed a lawsuit after the November election, saying the gay marriage ban violated the state Constitution. Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown at first said he would defend Proposition 8, but then he changed his mind and argued that it was unconstitutional. Backers of the measure have filed briefs supporting the ban.
Other Prop. 8 UPDATES:
Prop. 8 UPDATE: Judge Refuses Anonymity to Donors
Prop. 8 UPDATE: Militant Homosexual Rights Movement Keeps The Pressure On
Prop. 8 UPDATE: Legal Briefs Filed
Prop. 8 UPDATE: CA Attorney General Changes Position
Every afternoon the streets of Amsterdam are filled with bicycles. Atop the bicycles are mothers and fathers bringing their children home from school. Mothers ride with a child on the back, one riding on the front and a baby closely nestled in a carrier next to her heart. Fathers, too, are seen carefully guiding their bicycles through the narrow streets in order to protect their precious cargo.
In a place where prostitution, drug use and same-sex marriage has all been legalized, parents are still working to preserve the one thing that will save their country – families. It is in this place that the next World Congress of Families (WCF) will be held in August. The Congress will provide the families of the Netherlands, and Europe as a whole, a place to hear world-renowned speakers talk of ways to strengthen their families. It will be a place where parents and children can attend classes to educate themselves on how to be proactive in living traditional values.
The World Congress of Families was instituted as a way for pro-family organizations around the world to unite together to demonstrate to the world that families everywhere want to make a stand. Despite the strident voices of the anti-family movement, evidence abounds that families are not giving up. The WCF is an opportunity for families to gather and show their support for the values they hold dear: traditional marriage, motherhood, parental rights, sanctity of life, and religious liberty. Regardless of cultural and political differences, organizations and families that support these values find that the World Congress of Families gives them an opportunity to band together. By working together, much will be accomplished in the fight to protect and defend families.
United Families International was a part of the planning team for WCF V last week. We worked with other leaders from pro-family organizations around the world to design a Congress where families can come to be uplifted, strengthened, and motivated to continue working to protect families. We were thrilled with the way the Local Organizing Committee in Amsterdam has chosen to focus the theme on how modern families can continue to live traditional values. The theme for the Congress is: Family: More Than the Sum of its Parts.
We endorse the focus of the Congress and hope that we can count on your support to help us make this WCF a sterling example of what pro-family organizations have to offer the families of the world. We would love to have you attend the Congress. If you are unable to attend, please consider making a donation to United Families International that will be used to help us support this very worthwhile endeavor.
HISTORY OF THE WORLD CONGRESS OF FAMILIES
“By bringing the world’s leading family voices to one table, WCF is the catalyst that helps direct the discussion and find solutions related to the natural family.”
- Beverly Rice, President of United Families International
United Families International is not alone in its work to secure a future for the family. Since our inception in 1978, we have worked with national and international colleagues and coalitions from around the world, educating, promoting and advancing our cause. The World Congress of Families (WCF), founded in 1996, is an additional way for United Families International to link up with our pro-family brothers and sisters from differing cultures, ethnic backgrounds, social and national communities.
The World Congress of Families was founded by Dr. Allan Carlson, president of The Howard Center For Family, Religion and Society with the purpose of promoting the natural family as the fundamental social unit of a healthy society. Since that time United Families International has been a partner in the work of WCF for the benefit it provides to all involved, and its message of hope.
Hope to the families of the world is the ultimate benefit of our involvement. Hope is what Dr. Richard G. Wilkins, founder of United Families International’s Defend Marriage Program and long time advisor, brought to Geneva when he led in the organization of WCF II.
Hope is what United Families International former Board member, Craig A. Cardon gave to those present in Mexico City when he spoke on “The Family A Source of Untold Wealth”.
Hope was all around when Carol Soelberg, President of United Families during WCF IV received a standing ovation in Warsaw for her presentation on “Homemakers Have the Ultimate Careers”.
United Families knows that families can and do bring hope to a world where the family and other traditional values are continually threatened. World Congress of Families is a safe haven where a unified voice for the family can gather and together find ways to reduce the negative effects of a failing society.
WCF focuses its work towards those who value the natural family as the standard; and who are willing to participate in the effort of promoting the family and its valuable assets around the world.
More importantly, WCF draws in families from across the globe and provides the information and support needed for the home-front battle.
WCF draws its work from some of the best and the brightest pro-family organizations in the world who by working together – are unified in our efforts.
World Congress of Families Declaration States:
The natural family is the fundamental social unit, inscribed in human nature, and centered on the voluntary union of a man and a woman in the lifelong covenant of marriage. The natural family is defined by marriage, procreation and, in some cultures, adoption. Free, secure and stable families that welcome children are necessary for healthy society. The society that abandons the natural family as the norm is destined for chaos and suffering. The loving family reaches out in love and service to their communities and those in need. All social and cultural institutions should respect and uphold the rights and responsibilities of the family.
Each World Congress of Families conference has its own theme and focus. New policy direction and insight is gleaned through planning meetings held in the interim. As the cultural war against the traditional family continues to strengthen, United Families International and WCF are dedicated to monitoring the opposition and researching new pro-family policy prospects emerging at each WCF conference:
HIGHLIGHTS OF WORLD CONGRESS OF FAMILIES CONFERENCES
WCF I
In 1997, World Congress of Families met for the first time in Prague, The Czech Republic. It was there that the Prague 1997 Declaration was adopted by the World Congress and presented to world leaders.
WCF II
In 1999, World Congress of Families met in Geneva, Switzerland under the leadership of distinguished law professor Richard G. Wilkins, and in conjunction with the world’s great religious leaders, where a common definition of the “natural family” was proclaimed.
WCF III
In 2004, World Congress III was hosted by Red Familia, and Family and Society in Mexico City. It was here that United Families International board member, Craig A. Cardon spoke and UN Ambassador to Commission of the Status of Women Ellen Saurbrey attended in support of families and marriage. Action items were created and emphasis was put on fighting for marriage between a man and a woman.
WCF IV
In May of 2007, WCF met in Warsaw to support Poland’s fight for the family in Europe. Discussions included the real threat of under-population related to the demographic challenges of the 21st century and celebrating large families as a source of renewal and progress. Carol Soelberg, mother of 13 received a standing ovation from hundreds who crowded into the room to hear her words of love and support to the mothers of the world.
WCF V (coming this year)
World Congress of Families V will be held at the Amsterdam RAI Convention Centre, August 10-12, 2009. The theme is “Family: More Than the Sum of the Parts.” Beverly Rice, United Families International President, will be a speaker at the event.
Our message of hope as we journey around the world protecting the very existence of society’s best effort – the family, cannot be advanced without you! Please join in our efforts as we continue to partner with WCF and other pro-family coalition members.
TUCSON, AZ, Feb. 3 – New hidden-camera footage from Tucson, AZ, implicates a third Planned Parenthood clinic in a multi-state child abuse scandal. In the video, UCLA student Lila Rose and her friend Jackie Stollar enter a Tucson Planned Parenthood clinic where Rose tells the nurse that Stollar, posing as a 15-year-old, is pregnant by her 27-year-old boyfriend. The nurse disregards the age difference and even cautions Stollar not to bring her “boyfriend” before the judicial hearing required in Arizona to waive parental consent for an abortion. This negligence is punishable under Arizona law.
“Is he not a minor?” the Planned Parenthood nurse, who identifies herself as Araceli, asks. When Rose says, “He’s 27,” the nurse urges the girls not to bring him to the hearing: “I wouldn’t take him with me, no. I mean: don’t take him.”
The video is the third to be released in a national undercover probe called the “Mona Lisa Project.” The project, conducted by the student-led California nonprofit Live Action, records on video Planned Parenthood employees as they respond to statutory rape. Rather than reporting the rape—as the law requires—Planned Parenthood clinics hide the identity of the statutory rapist and offer secret abortions.
“These videos demonstrate that Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion provider, is entrenched in an organization-wide policy of circumventing state law and covering up the sexual abuse of young girls,” said Live Action’s president, Lila Rose.
In the past two months, the Mona Lisa Project has exposed similar cases at two Planned Parenthood clinics in Indiana. In response, both clinics either suspended or fired employees, and state prosecutors launched investigations into Planned Parenthood of Indiana.
Today, Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard is scheduled to deliver the keynote address at an event sponsored by Planned Parenthood. Rose urges Arizona prosecutors to follow the lead of Indiana state authorities and investigate the full extent of Planned Parenthood’s sexual abuse cover-up.
This is not the first time Planned Parenthood of Arizona has failed to report sexual abuse. In 2002, an Arizona judge found the abortion provider negligent for failing to report the sexual abuse of a 13-year-old girl by her 23-year-old foster brother, who brought her to a Phoenix-area clinic for an abortion in 1998. After Planned Parenthood kept silent about the abuse, the sexual relationship continued and led to a second abortion six months later.
“Our footage gives the Arizona public and law enforcement a rare window into Planned Parenthood’s ruthless abortion-first ideology,” Rose stated. “With abortion as their first and only solution for the abuse victim, Planned Parenthood assists sexual predators by violating the very Arizona state laws that protect children.”
Rose adds, “Planned Parenthood is not above the law. They must cooperate with Arizona state authorities to reveal the full extent of their lawbreaking. The victims that Planned Parenthood has turned a blind eye to deserve nothing less.”
The new video can be seen on Live Action’s website, http://liveaction.org/monalisa/tucson/.
Confirmation hearings for President Barack Obama’s Department of Justice nominees are reportedly proceeding so quickly that Republicans and outside groups are unable to make meaningful criticisms of their intense support for abortion rights and other moral issues. One critic said the nominations portend the most “Culture of Death” justice department in American history.
“We are on the brink of having the most Culture of Death, anti-family Justice Department ever,” Leonard Leo, former Co-Chairman of the Republican National Committee Catholic Outreach and Chairman of Students for Life of America, told CNA in an e-mail.
The first controversial Obama nominee is David Ogden, whose confirmation hearing for Deputy Attorney General is scheduled for next week, less than one month after his nomination. In an amicus brief for the 1992 Planned Parenthood v. Casey decision which reaffirmed Roe v. Wade’s mandating of permissive abortion laws, Ogden argued that abortion “rarely causes or exacerbates psychological or emotional problems.”
“The few women who do experience negative psychological responses after abortion appear to be those with preexisting emotional problems,” he continued.
He argued that evidence shows abortion is more likely to make women “experience feelings of relief and happiness” and claimed childbirth and childrearing or adoption may pose “concomitant (if not greater) risks or adverse psychological effects” compared to the effects of abortion.
Thomas Perelli, the nominee for Associate Attorney General, is the second person pro-life and pro-family advocates are concerned about. Perelli is best known for representing the husband of Terri Schiavo in his effort to withdraw life-sustaining treatment from the severely injured woman.
President Obama has also chosen Dawn Johnson to head the Office of Legal Counsel. Johnson raises red flags for pro-lifers because she is a former counsel to the pro-abortion rights group NARAL. The Office of Legal Counsel provides the government with opinions about the constitutionality of proposed governmental acts.
The nominee for Solictor General, Elena Kagan, is reportedly a lesbian who strongly opposed the Solomon Amendment, which denies federal grants to institutions of higher education which forbid military recruitment or the Reserve Officer Training Corps from campus.
“A Deputy Attorney General who signed a brief in Casey dismissing the psychological harm caused by abortion. An Associate Attorney General who supported withdrawing Terry Schiavo’s life-sustaining treatment. An Assistant Attorney General who was counsel to NARAL. And a Solicitor General who has actively supported homosexual rights, particularly in regard to banning military recruiters on campus,” Leo summarized.
A federal judge just refused to grant a preliminary injunction protecting donors to Prop 8 from harassment.
This one judge refused any kind of immediate reasonable, legal protection–not just for big donors, but for every ordinary Californian who gave even a few bucks to protect marriage. He refused not just to protect their names, he refused to prevent the posting of their addresses on the Internet.
“…there is “systematic effort” to seek out Proposition 8 donors and harass them. ” –Ron Prentiss
All this in spite of documented evidence of property damage and threats to people’s livelihoods, even sporadic death threats–and an ongoing, organized, very open and public Internet-based campaign to target the homes and business of ordinary Californians who gave money to NOM California and Protect Marriage this fall.
These kinds of people should never have access to your home, your address, your vote. As Brian Brown of NOM told Fox News yesterday:
“Americans should be free to exercise our core civil rights to speak, to vote, or to donate in support of marriage without facing organized threats of retaliation as a result. We call on leaders of the gay marriage movement to call off their dogs and stop using threats and harassment as a political tactic. It will–and is–backfiring.”
It goes against the very principles of freedom for the government to subject its citizens to these kinds of reprisals for expressing their constitutionally protected freedom of speech.
