Eradicate Pornography

Dig out your ribbon – this time make it white.  Wear it to remind yourself and others that pornography is not a victimless past time.  “White Ribbon Against Pornography Week” runs from Sunday, October 30 through Sunday, November 6.  This is a perfect time to educate yourself and others about the dangers of pornography.

As part of that effort, United Families International is passing on, once again, some shocking statistics on pornography.  Share them widely.  Then get your white ribbon on and tell others that the scourge of pornography has to be stopped.  For a list of specific things that you can do, go here.

Reader Poll: “Regarding reproductive technologies, I would, under the right circumstances, consider being a sperm donor, a surrogate mother.”

Here’s the question we asked our UFI readers:

Regarding reproductive technologies, I would, under the right circumstances, consider being a sperm donor, a surrogate mother, Ok for others, but not for me, or both are wrong.

Here’s how readers responded:

“Regarding reproductive technologies, I would, under the right circumstances, consider:

7 percent             Being  a sperm donor

13 percent           Being a surrogate mother

69 percent           Both are wrong

15 percent           Ok  for others, but not for me

This question, of course, is a very personal one.  Reproductive technologies are a great blessing to many; it has opened the door to married couples that may never have had children.  However, technologies associated with reproduction are becoming increasingly controversial.   There are also significant dangers that arise from egg donation and conflicts abound in surrogacy arrangements.

Society needs to scrutinize carefully techniques and policies that can open the door to a child never knowing one of their parents such as is the case with most sperm donations and situations where homosexuals obtain children to the exclusion of the one of their biological parents.  Children need BOTH their mother and their father in a married home.  They need to know their history and their heritage.

7 Billion: What the Population Control Advocates Don’t Say

International population advocates and their allies in the media have decided that October 31, 2011 is the day that the world’s population will reach 7 billion.  How convenient for them; they get to play off the day dedicated to spooky tales with a spooky tale of their own.

Over the weekend, some version of the Associated Press (AP) article “World Population Nearing 7 Billion” ended up in most major newspapers.  Here’s the gist of the article:  Women and their families living in poverty, not enough food, water, or access to education – all because they have too many children.  The intended message?   The world is going to collapse under the weight of its burgeoning population unless something is done.

United Families International has been contacted by several individuals asking for a rebuttal to this claim.  So we decided to share some thoughts on the topic.

Is the world’s population spiraling out of control? 

No, global fertility rates are half of what they were in 1970 and are continuing downward.  The number of children the average woman has during her childbearing years fell from five in the mid-1960′s to 2.7 today.   With the exception of some sub-sarahan nations such as Niger, Yemen and Uganda, fertility rates have fallen rather dramatically around the world.  (UN, World Population Report, 2010)  By 2020, for the first time, the global fertility rate will dip below the global replacement rate of 2.1.

Currently 79 countries, representing close to 50 percent of the world’s population,  have below-replacement fertility rates.  No industrialized nation still produces enough children to sustain its population over time or to prevent rapid population aging.  It is counterintuitive, however, because even in areas where birthrates are dramatically below replacement level, the absolute number of people is often still growing–giving the appearance of rampant population growth.

If fertility rates have fallen, why have world population numbers continued to rise?

It’s because of a process called “population momentum.“  A simple definition is that there are enough women, already born, who will probably bear children that the world’s population will continue upward for a period of time.  But what the population control advocates don’t address is what happens when the population momentum stops and population growth rates become negative and eventually go into a steep free fall.

Population free fall is happening in some countries right now.   When a country reaches a total fertility rate of 1.4, that country will lose one-third of its population every generation.  There are approximately 34 countries that are in that predicament right now.  Our colleagues at Population Research Institute (PRI) have put together a short, clever cartoon video that explains such things as population momentum.  See it here.

Is the rise out of poverty predicated upon reducing family size?

Try though they might, the international agencies that support population control have not been able to support their assumption that reducing family size boosts development or provides a sure rise out of poverty.

You’ll note that even in the AP article Lester Brown, an environmentalist that always makes sure he’s in the news, is quoted as saying:  “Extreme poverty and large families tend to reinforce each other.” [emphasis added]  He offers this equivocating statement because there is no empirical support for the position that reducing fertility pulls a country and its people out of poverty.

It is said that modernization and development are “the best contraceptive.”  As modern technologies and economic development have gained traction in developing countries, birth rates have fallen – with or without inducements to reduce family size.  To say “you won’t pull yourself out of poverty until you curtail your children” is simply unsupportable.   Here’s an interesting chart; take a look and you decide:  Statistics on Population and Prosperity:  Is There an Effect? 

Secondly, you’ll want to see another of PRI’s cartoons.  It gives you “A New Way to Look at Population and Poverty.”

Why are there people in the world that are still hungry?

“There is enough food in the world today for everyone to have the nourishment necessary  for a healthy and productive life.” - World Food Program.  

“The world currently produces enough food for everybody, but many people do not have access to it.”  -Food & Agriculture Organization of the UN.

The  distrubtion and access to food is hampered by many things other than poverty, such as natural disasters, ineffective farming techniques and over-exploitation of land, poor infrastructure for delivery, and war.  One of the biggest reasons people go hungry is because of ineffective and/or corrupt government.  There is no reason to believe that reducing the number of children is going to have a major impact on the factors that are the primary drivers of world hunger.  To see a list of statistics regarding population and food production, go here.  You’ll also see another short, yet great PRI video:  “Food:  There’s lots of it.”

Conclusion

The problems in some countries are serious and deserve our full attention.  The millions upon millions of dollars spent on population control programs, however, are better spent on such things as providing clean water, sanitation, modern medical care, education, infrastructure, and economic development.

Seven billion is a very large number.  But throwing it into the population debate without any context, intentionally takes the personal nature out of the life equation.  Each of those seven billion is a life of significant value and influence.  American genious Walt Disney once said, “Our greatest natural resouce is our children.”  We trust that human ingenuity will enable mankind to meet the challenges ahead and we welcome each and every child into the world.

Happy Birthday, young seven billionth wonderful child!

Sincerely,

Carol Soelberg
President, United Families International

Hey You, Mom Over There – Did You Lose Your Mind?

By Kelli Houghton

Do you ever have a moment when you shake your head and think, “Am I really seeing this?”  Unfortunately, I tend to be having more and more of these moments as our society takes a nose dive into a moral abyss.  I often catch myself viewing something that I honestly never thought I would witness, whether in the media or in person.  So much has changed since the early 1980’s when I saw my first underwear commercial on TV.  I was shocked to see so much skin at that time, and the models were actually wearing what now could be considered “granny underwear”.

My most recent, “Am I really seeing this?” moment happened when I took my teenage son and daughter to what our culture would consider a conservative concert.  Thankfully, the concert was appropriate and clean, but the karaoke singing activity leading up to the start of the concert was complete filth – and what was most surprising was that the mothers were joining in.

Now, I would be the first one guilty of getting caught up in a catchy tune and then realize that I had been singing a song for years that had inappropriate lyrics. Just put it this way, I am just finding out what songs say that I have been singing since the 1980’s. I am fairly deficient in the music department and mostly just sing the chorus of songs and blur the rest of the words. I like to dance, so I just get caught up in the beat.

So, I don’t want to give the moms too hard of a time – but come on, the lyrics are on a huge screen so there is no way that the ignorance card can be played. My son, daughter, and I looked at each other in shock as we saw many conservative-looking moms and pre-teens dancing and singing sexual lyrics together. I actually felt embarrassed as I watched the insanity. Were these moms possessed by aliens? Was the beat of the song so powerful that it blocked out their brain cells?

The two songs I remember the most were both by the modern pop icon, Katy Perry.  So I want you to imagine singing these lyrics with your daughter:

“Last Friday Night”

Last Friday night
We went streaking in the park
Skinny dipping in the dark
Then had a ménage à trios

Or

“Teenage Dream”

Let’s go all the way tonight
No regrets, just love
We can dance until we die
You and I, we’ll be young forever
You make me feel like I am living a teenage dream
The way you turn me on, I can’t sleep

I’ma get your heart a racing in my skin-tight jeans
Be your teenage dream tonight
Let you put your hands on me in my skin-tight jeans

I believe that most of us, if not all, have been desensitized to the decline in the moral behavior all around us. The media has done an amazing job at chipping away our moral judgments.  Songs are catchy, and it can be hard to hear the words – but, if you actually see words like that on a big screen – please do not sing them, especially with your children!

Tough Love: Creating Responsible Adults in an Entitlement World

by Rachel Allison

Several years ago my nephew got into drugs, and as a result became defiant and almost impossible to live with.  My sister introduced me to a term I had never heard before…’Tough Love.”  Out of desperation, she and her husband started studying anything and everything they could find on how to help their wayward child. They discovered the “Tough Love” approach. The movement, “Tough Love” began back in the 1980’s.  David and Phyllis York developed a set of strategies to deal with their out-of-control teenage daughter and tough-love parenting was born.

In a nutshell, their mantra became, “stop enabling your child.”  When your teen does something wrong, don’t stand in the way of his consequences.  Some parents enable their teen by making excuses for the bad behavior.  “Well, his girlfriend just broke up with him.” Or “He doesn’t feel like anyone at school likes him.” What children need to understand is that there is a consequence to their actions. And the sooner our children suffer the consequences of their actions the sooner they will choose to continue or discontinue their actions.

One of the most popular boys in our high school was a crazy and out of control macho egotist.  (I say that now, but as a teenager I thought he was  daring, exciting and self confident. How mature was I!?!)  I well remember the Sunday afternoon when this young man was speeding down a mountain pass near town.  He took a turn way too fast and ended up driving a car off the road and into a gully.  Several people were hospitalized.  The young man who caused the accident showed little remorse.  His father was devastated.  Before days end all four tires were off his son’s car, and the car was not to be driven for months.   I was surprised, however, to see him driving his car within a week!  We all soon learned that the mother of this young man was the one who insisted that his car be returned to working order.  The arguments that must have taken place in that family!  That was just one of the many stories I could relate and how he always got out of a sticky predicament Scott free.  When this young teenage boy grew into an adult he continued to act like a spoiled teenager who expected the world to cater to his needs and desires.

Are we really doing our children any favors when we smooth over their mistakes?  I always said, “I would rather my children experience the consequences of their actions while they are still in our home.   Then I can be there to council, guide, and love them through those difficult learning opportunities.

Tough Love also includes being respectful of our teenagers, but letting them know that we expect the same in return. As long as they are living under our roof, we need to let them know that we will do everything in our power to prevent them from engaging in behaviors that jeopardize the well-being of the family.

As I have written before, “parenting is not for the faint hearted.”  We must stand strong. If our teenagers are in danger of destroying their lives, sometimes the most loving thing we can do is to be firm.  Being tough doesn’t have to mean being cruel.  Cruelty is also taking no action in the face of our teenager’s impending self-destruction.  Although it quite possibly could have been our inaction that helped create our teen’s sense of entitlement or open rebellion in the first place, we have a chance to help him turn things around.  Doing this in a way that shows we mean business, but also lets them know that loving someone means getting them to take responsibility for their lives.

Today is United Nations Day – Why should I be concerned?

By Kelli Houghton

It is clearly marked on my calendar that October 24^th is United Nations Day. Who knew? The United Nations website says that “This day marks the anniversary of the entry into force in 1945 of the UN Charter. With the ratification of this founding document by the majority of its signatories, including the five permanent members of the Security Council, the United Nations officially came into being.”

So, how do you feel about the United Nations? Do you even know what is going on there?  We hear about some of the good works of UN agencies such as  UNICEF, as they provide water, immunizations, and mosquito nets to save millions of lives.  But did you know they also actively promote sexual freedom among youth and support abortion?

We of course are grateful for the imposed international sanctions and UN troops that help protect freedom, but that comes at a cost as the UN attempts to dismantle parental rights, families and marriages.  In my work at the United Nations, I have seen the best intentions, mixed with the worst intentions. I guess the analogy the “wolf in sheep’s clothing” would be most accurate.  So, while we are celebrating the few good things that take place at the United Nations, all that it virtuous and good is being mocked and sabotaged.

Just to give you a glimpse into why you should be afraid of what is coming out of the United Nations, I want to share with you some specifics on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.  The U.S. is the only nation that has not ratified the CRC, but you can see what these nations are up against once they’ve signed.

Here are some items that are very concerning in regards to parental rights:

• Children would have the ability to choose their own religion while parents would only have the authority to give their children advice about religion.
•  The best interest of the child principle would give the government the ability to override every decision made by every parent if a government worker disagreed with the parent’s decision
• A child’s “right to be heard” would allow him (or her) to seek governmental review of every parental decision with which the child disagreed.
• Children would acquire a legally enforceable right to leisure.
• Christian schools that refuse to teach “alternative worldviews” and teach that Christianity is the only true religion “fly in the face of article 29″ of the treaty.
• Allowing parents to opt their children out of sex education has been held to be out of compliance with the CRC.
• Children would have the right to reproductive health information and services, including abortions, without parental knowledge or consent.

How could this impact the United States government?

• It is a treaty which creates binding rules of law.  It is no mere statement of altruism.
• Its effect would be binding on American families, courts, and policy-makers.
• The CRC would automatically override almost all American laws on children and families because of the U.S. Constitution’s Supremacy Clause in Article VI.
• The courts would have the power to directly enforce the provisions that are self-executing.
• Congress would have the power to directly legislate on all subjects necessary to comply with the treaty.  This would constitute the most massive shift of power from the states to the federal government in American history.
• A committee of 18 experts from other nations, sitting in Geneva, has the authority to issue official interpretations of the treaty which are entitled to binding weight in American courts and legislatures.  This effectively transfers ultimate authority for all policies in this area to this foreign committee.
• Under international law, the treaty overrides even our Constitution.

For more information on anti-family propaganda taking place at the United Nations, visit our website at www.unitedfamilies.org

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Passing By

By Melissa Anderson

Last Thursday a two year old child died. She had black hair and dark eyes and a little round face. Her name was Wang Yue, but she was called YueYue. Wang Yue toddled out into the middle of a small street in China. She was hit by a passing van, ran over twice and was left in the middle of the road dying for a whole nine minutes while no fewer than eighteen people passed her little body lying in the road, turned their heads and did absolutely nothing.  In the end, it was a tiny old woman collecting bits of trash who pulled the child to safety, hoisting the little girl up from the street and finding help.  Wang Yue was rushed to the hospital and  survived for a week before her body failed.

Lets go back to those people.  Eighteen.  Think about that.  As this tiny, curious tot lay slowing dying in the street, eighteen people passed by, within a few feet of the child, turned their heads and passed by.  Eighteen people were placed in the situation to intervene and eighteen people did not. As a result of their lack of action, Yue was run over not by one vehicle, but two and felt the most terrible pain of her life completely alone.  Eighteen people did not rush to the child’s aid.  Eighteen passersby didn’t get in the way because it was none of their business.  Wang Yue was someone else’s child.

Before we point a finger of condemnation at those eighteen passersby, let us honestly ask ourselves: Are we not all sometimes passersby?

Everyday thousands of our children are killed through the tragedy of abortion. These are real human beings. Real lives, each very much as individually important as Wang Yue’s. All too often we find ourselves afraid to speak out against abortion, despite our deeply seeded beliefs.  We keep our noses, as they say, out of the business of others. All too often we shy away from the discussion.  Silence becomes our safe haven while the children of the world lie in the streets, unable to save themselves.

I encourage my readers to be bold in your beliefs.  Be firm. Don’t turn a blind eye convinced you’re too small to institute change.  The world needs more tiny, obscure trash collectors.  They are so often the most noble among us.

Melissa Anderson is a lawyer in San Antonio, Texas.  She is the mother of seven crazily adorable children and an author of children’s books.  In her spare time, Melissa volunteers extensively with Court Appointed Special Advocates educating the community on issues related to child abuse and neglect.  She is also an officer in the United States Army.  

 

Reader Poll: What is the main reason why women now surpass men in college degrees by almost three to two?

Here’s the question we asked our readers:

“What is the main reason why women now surpass men in college degrees by almost three to two?”

Here’s how they responded:

11 Percent                   Changes in modern labor (from “backs to brains”)

40 Percent                   Feminism has drastically altered societal norms

34 Percent                   an anti-male bias in academia

15 Percent                   I don’t know.  Tell me!

This is a question that we are quick to say, we’re not sure of the answer.  It would seem that feminism is the primary culprit, but it is also clear that in terms of the employment market, feminism would not have been so successful in altering gender roles were it not for the switch to more of a “brains” market.

It is well documented that there is an anti-male bias in academia in the western world– once again fed by radical feminism.  We at United Families can also tell you that there is an extreme anti-male bias within the UN system and that programs that are being rolled out to the developing world include that anti-male bias.

This is something that absolutely needs attention before things get further off kilter.  As parents we should be highly aware and making sure that our young boys and young men are getting what they need to grow up in a world that increasingly seems to marginalize them.

Boys to Men (NOT the band from the 90′s)

By Danny Quinney

Three things happened this week that made we want to write on this subject.

Thing number one: I was walking toward a local convenience store to get my first of several doses of caffeine, when I saw a car with the hood up.  Inside sat a teenage boy in the passenger seat with one leg on the dash board. I held the door open as a woman exited the store trying to juggle two quarts of oil, an extra large hot dog, jumbo drink, and a bag of chips.  The boys leaned out the window and yelled, “Duh mom, hurry”.

Thing number two: I read an article this past Friday by William J. Bennett, titled “Have We Forgotten How to Raise Boys Into Men?

Thing number three: I have four boys.  All Lacrosse players.  This past Saturday my wife and I had to attend three different games at the same time (not an easy task).  I went to my youngest’s game, and she went to the “middlest’s” games.  The oldest had a “parent free” game.

I dropped my youngest off and went to park the car, as I was walking toward the field I saw a boy, probably around 11 years old, and his mother.  The boy was wearing his Lacrosse uniform, and holding a leash of a little “hors d’oeuvres” dog.  In my mind, there are two kinds of little dogs: “hors d’oeuvres dogs” because they are so small they would be easily gobbled up by a real dog, and “slipper dogs”, they are just the right size, that if you kicked them hard enough, in the right  place, they would become a slipper (to my embarrassment we went from a Rottweiler to a slipper dog.  But she’s a good little girl, who loves her daddy.  Yes she does. Yes, yes, yes she’s a goooooood dog).

I’m sure you’re asking, what bothered me about “hors d’oeuvres dog” boy?  As he was walking with this prancing, dainty dog, his mother was carrying his big Lacrosse bag, his stick, a bag with the camping chair she sat in to watch his game, and a blanket she used.  HIS MOTHER WAS CARRYING THE BAGS.  Here was a tough Lacrosse player treating his mother like a pack mule.  And she was allowing it.  If any of my kids treated their mom like that, I would STILL be raining blows upon them.

In Mr. Bennett’s article he explains that for the first time in history, women are “better educated, more ambitious, and arguably more successful than men.”  He then gave statistics to back up his claim, “In 1970, men earned 60% of all college degrees. In 1980, the figure fell to 50%, by 2006 it was 43%. Women now surpass men in college degrees by almost three to two. Women’s earnings grew 44% from 1970 to 2007, compared with 6% growth for men. In 1950, five percent of men at the prime working age were unemployed. Today twenty percent are not working, the highest ever recorded”.  And, he noted the domination of women in thirteen of the top fifteen job categories expected to grow most in the coming decade.

Now, don’t get me wrong.  I’m all for celebrating the ascension of women.  I’m all about “girl power”.  What has me worried is the proverbial back seat our young men are taking.

Why is this happening?

Well, some of the reasons are obvious.   Bennett notes:  “The out of wedlock birthrate is 40% in the United States.  In 1960 11% of children lived apart from here fathers, in 2010 it was 27%.”  Many fathers are completely MIA (missing in action).  Young men fill the void of missing fathers with video games, the internet, television or music.

Some of the other reasons are less obvious.  For example, Hollywood isn’t helping men with their glorification of the “I refuse to grow up” characters, who treat women as toys and discard them when things get tough, showcasing the machismo of street gangs that can easily be mistaken for courage, elevating the music artist to the status of a cultural icon, and their positive portrayals of the flamboyancy of gay characters that challenge traditional masculinity.

“Through all these different and conflicting signals, our boys must decipher what it means to be a man, and for many of them it is harder to figure out.”

Mr. Bennett concludes:  “We need to fight back against this culture and send our boys and young men a clear and achievable message of what it means to be a man. The founding virtues – industriousness, marriage, and religion, are still the basis for male empowerment and achievement. It may be time to say to a number of our young men, ‘Get off the video games five hours a day, pull yourself together, get a challenging job, and get married.’ It’s time to bring back men.”

I would add, if you’re sick of people looking down on you, GROW UP!!! 

For more information:

“Manning Up” – How the Rise of Women has Turned Men into Boys

The Book of Man

Not Quite Adults:  Why 20-Somethings Are Choosing a Slower Path to Adulthood

Alpha Girls

The Future of Down syndrome? Hope or Elimination

By Rachel Allison

In July of this year Dan Hurley wrote a heart-warming article in the New York Times on Dr. Alberto Costa, his wife Daisy, and their daughter Tyche. (pronounced Tishy)

Costa and his wife had been trying to have a baby for a couple of years. Daisy’s first pregnancy ended in a miscarriage, which they knew could occur because of a genetic disorder in the fetus. When Daisy became pregnant a second time, Costa insisted they get a chorionic villus sampling, an invasive prenatal genetic test. But the procedure caused a miscarriage. (The test showed that the fetus was genetically normal.) Costa vowed that if there were a third pregnancy — this one — they would conduct no prenatal tests.

Hours after Tyche’s birth on June 25, 1995, the hospital’s clinical geneticist explained to Dr. Costa that Tyche had Downs syndrome. Costa sat up through most of the night crying. But by morning, he found himself doing what any father of a newborn might: hovering by the crib, holding his daughter’s hand and marveling at her beauty.

“From that day, we bonded immediately,” he told Hurley. “All I could think is, ‘She’s my baby, she’s a lovely girl and what can I do to help her?’ Obviously I was a physician and a neuroscientist who studies the brain. Here was this new life in front of me and holding my finger and looking straight in my eyes. How could I not think in terms of helping that child?”

Since then Costa has dedicated himself to the study of Downs syndrome. Advances in research had taken place before Tyche’s birth, but in the past ten years investigative research and studies have surged forward giving new hope to the 6,000 parents who give birth to Down syndrome babies each year.

As excited as Dr. Costa and other devoted scientists are about discovering procedures and drugs that would normalize the brain cells of those with Down syndrome, a competing group of scientists are striving to eliminate it altogether. How? With tests that detect Down syndrome in the first trimester of pregnancy. Unfortunately these tests are providing an incentive for parents to abort their fetuses.

Costa, like others researching the “hows” to help those born with Down syndrome, fears that the imminent approval of those prenatal tests might undercut support for treatment research, and even raises the possibility that children like Tyche will be among the last of a generation to be born with Down syndrome.

Recognizing the precious experiences and devotion he and his wife have had with their Tyche, Dr. Costa feels there is a critical race taking place. If he and the dedicated team of doctors win, their research and discoveries will give purpose and acceptance of those born with Down syndrome. If the other teams of doctors win, those fetuses detected with Down syndrome will in most cases be aborted before the precious experiences and hope in research have a chance.