In this issue:
- "We Really MUST Be Concerned About What Happens at the International Level"
- Canadian Government Pushing Hard for Same-Sex Marriage Bill
- Washington Supreme Court Hearing on Challenge to State DOMA
- Marriage Constitutional Amendment on South Dakota Ballot in 2006
- New York Judge Rules Against Same-Sex Couples
- Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court to Hear Challenge to 1913 Law
- We Need Your Financial Support to Help Us Defend Marriage
We Really MUST Be Concerned About
What Happens at the International Level
Dear Friend,
I write this
from the UN where the 49th meeting of the Commission on the
Status of Women (CSW) is wrapping up. As with all of these UN
meetings which can have significant impact on the institutions
of marriage and the family all over the world, United Families
staff and volunteers form a significant portion of the pro-family
coalition working to hold the line here.
For many Americans it is not always clear why it is important to be involved at the international level when what they are primarily concerned with is defending marriage and the family here at home.
The reason is that, for better or worse, these conferences create international law, norms and standards that will either directly or indirectly influence the laws and policies of all nations, including the U.S. UN Member States commit to implement the provisions in the documents they negotiate. UN compliance committees monitor implementation of these agreements and file reports on their compliance.
Developing nations are particularly vulnerable to this influence. Selective interpretations, or sometimes intentional misinterpretations, of these documents are often combined with threats to withhold needed loans or foreign aid to force them to modify or repeal their family friendly domestic laws and policies.
We live in an increasingly interdependent world, one
where the cultures, attitudes and problems of any country or
region can affect all of us. If it is important to
defend the institutions of marriage and the family in the U.S.
in order to promote a stable and secure future, then it is also
essential that we be concerned with protecting them everywhere.
But there is an even more direct potential impact on the United
States from these meetings. While we are not susceptible to
the same kinds of pressures as developing nations, we are not
immune. Our Supreme Court just last week provided us
with yet another example of how what is done internationally
can influence our laws here, whether or not we have formally
ratified an international agreement.
In its recent decision declaring that imposing the death penalty on minors was unconstitutional, as one of the bases for its actions, the court cited international norms and customs opposing capital punishment generally.
We saw another example a couple years ago in the Lawrence case overturning Texas’ anti-sodomy law where the majority on the court again cited international law and custom as part of the basis for its decision. In at least two other cases involving affirmative action, the court has also cited international law and customs.
At the CSW conference currently going on, most of the effort of the socially liberal faction (which is comprised of many of the countries making up the European Union, Canada and others, along with the feminist and liberal Non-Governmental Groups) was to try to advance their contention that the UN foundation documents dealing with the rights of women created an international human right to abortion.
The United States and a few allies, with the support of thousands of you who responded to our recent action alert, helped to stop that and to get clarification that these documents did not create any such rights. Last year, the primary avenue of attack was an effort to eliminate “gender stereotyping” which, among other things, would have given our opponents an additional leverage to undermine recognition and protection of the unique roles of mothers and fathers in raising children.
Next year, there no doubt will be some other focus of their attacks. But there are several points that Americans must understand. One is that the assault we are seeing here on marriage, the family, the unborn and the other traditional values that a majority of Americans support is just part of an international campaign. It may manifest itself in different ways in different forums or in different countries, but it is designed to exploit any weakness and any opening. The groups and individuals pushing this radical agenda are relentless, well-financed, well-organized, well-coordinated and numerous.
We are by no means powerless to stop them and there are a number of things that we as Americans can do to defeat them.
One is to realize that, presently, the stands taken by the United States delegations to these meetings are the single most important factor in the defense of marriage and the family at the international level. Time and again, our U.S. delegations have taken the lead in opposing these anti-family initiatives, just as they did last week at this CSW meeting.
This is a far cry from the way things were under the Clinton Administration when the U.S. delegations were frequently taking the lead in helping push the radical agenda, not defeat it. It is something that all of us should keep in mind when deciding who should be the next president.
More immediately, we must be certain that all future appointees to the U.S. Supreme Court understand that their role and responsibility is to interpret the Constitution. It is not to use their seat on the bench to legislate by injecting international law or standards into their decisions unless these are contained in treaties ratified by the Senate. We may have two or three Supreme Court vacancies open up in the next few years. This international consideration is just one more reason why it is so important that we win the inevitable fights over the nominations to fill these vacancies.
Finally, each of us can act individually when we have the opportunity. We can respond to an e-mail alert, as thousands of you did last week when United Families generated over 678,000 e-mails from around the world into key UN delegations. We can support the effort financially. We can volunteer with UFI or one of our state chapters. We can educate those with whom you come into contact. Everyone can do something.
It is clear that all of us concerned about the future we pass on to our children must stay in this fight for the long term and at every level-- international, national, state and local.
United Families will be there, no matter the venue or the odds against us. We appreciate your continued support and participation in that effort!
Sincerely,
Sharon Slater.
P.S. You can help even more by forwarding this newsletter on to others who will also help defend marriage and the family.
News Items of Interest
- Canadian Government Pushing Hard for Same Sex Marriage
Bill
The issue of whether to legalize same-sex marriage in Canada through legislation has become an increasingly divisive and high profile political issue. In what is seen as another indication of Prime Minister Paul Martin’s determination to push the legislation through, the government created a special panel in the House of Commons to hear the bill that is stacked with same-sex marriage supporters. A vote on the bill is expected by June. Article here. - Washington Supreme Court Hearing on Challenge to State
DOMA
The Washington Supreme Court on March 8th heard oral arguments on the appeal of decisions by two Superior court judges that the state’s Defense of Marriage Act violated the state Constitution. A decision may come as early as summer. Article here. - Marriage Constitutional Amendment on South Dakota Ballot
in 2006
With passage in the Senate on February 28th the South Dakota legislature cleared a state constitutional amendment for the 2006 ballot. It is expected to pass handily. Article here. - New York Judge Rules Against Same Sex Couples
A New York Supreme Court Judge ruled against a number of same-sex couples who are challenging the state’s ban on same-sex marriages. The court ruled that the decision whether to allow same-sex marriages is the province of the legislature, not the courts. In the New York judicial system there are two higher courts of appeal from this decision and the plaintiffs have announced their intent to appeal this decision. Article here. - Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court to Hear Challenge
to 1913 Law
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court has agreed to hear a challenge to a state law that prohibits out of state couples from being married in the Commonwealth if their marriages would not be recognized as legal in the state of residence. Since no other state currently allows same-sex marriage, this law, aggressively enforced by Governor Romney, has effectively limited same-sex marriage to Massachusetts residents. A lower court ruled against the plaintiffs in the case, and in an unusual action, the Supreme Judicial Court took direct control of the case, bypassing the state appeals court level. Oral arguments are scheduled in September. Article here.
We Need Your Financial Support to Help Us Defend Marriage
We appreciate your generous financial support this year and ask that you continue to support us in the fight to defend marriage. Please consider making a contribution of at least $25 if you can, but any amount you can afford will be helpful. If enough people contribute at least a little, together it makes a huge difference.
You can easily and securely make a contribution online or print out a form to mail in a contribution.
Your contribution will be made to United Families International (UFI), a 501 (c )(3) organization, so it is tax deductible to the extent permitted by law. Defend Marriage is a project of UFI.
To specifically designate your contribution
If you would like to designate your contribution to go entirely to the Defend Marriage Project you can easily do so by making a contribution that ends with 4 cents, i.e. $25.04, $173.04, $1,000,000.04, and so on. That will automatically flag it to be applied entirely to Defend Marriage.
Thank you in advance for your generous support!
Want to help even more?
Please forward this on to others who may be willing to help defend marriage and the family.
To unsubscribe, click
here.
United Families International PO Box 2630 Gilbert, AZ 85299-2630
Phone: (480) 632-5450 • FAX: (480) 892-4417