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A RESOURCE FOR DELEGATES AND POLICYMAKERS
"No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home....
The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State."
—Universal Declaration of Human Rights
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"The Fate of Unborn
Millions"—A
Critical Time for the Family! On July 2, 1776, just two days before the American
Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence, General George Washington declared to his troops: "The
time is now near at hand which must probably determine whether Americans are to be Freemen or Slaves.... The fate of unborn
Millions will now depend, under God, on the courage and conduct of this army." Now, centuries later, another
crisis looms, this time not just for America but for the world. At stake is the future of the natural family, which since
time immemorial has been universally recognized as society's fundamental and
irreplaceable unit. But the family now faces unprecedented danger, not only from declining values but also from aggressive
international policy initiatives couched in the language of rights. In one of history's greatest ironies, many of these initiatives ignore
or seek to destroy the rights of the family as recognized in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Never has there been a greater need to protect the family from such dangerous policies, and
to establish structures and programs that protect the family. To that end we invite you to explore: articles on threats to the family; family proclamations; family provisions from constitutions around the world; key UN documents (and related reservations) that address family issues; materials from the 10th anniversary of the International Year of the Family; guidelines for establishing protective family policies; databases for research on the family; programs to strengthen families; and information on UN missions and the countries they represent. We hope these tools will assist you at this critical time in defending and preserving our greatest asset, the
family. The fate of unborn millions depends on our efforts. Best regards, E. Douglas Clark Recommendations
to Protect the Family 1. Protect your nation's sovereignty from unwarranted
encroachment by UN agencies. 2. Establish national policies that
protect and promote the natural family and the values that uphold it. 3.
Ensure that your UN delegations have a clear mandate on issues relating to family policy, and that your capital monitors
their activity and voting in UN meetings. 4. Increase awareness
among leaders from all sectors of society of the need to strengthen the family and marriage. 5. Establish legal protections at every possible level to encourage and protect the ideal of the natural
family. World
Congress of Families Save the Family, Save
the Children! Inscribed on a small plaque in the Warsaw Uprising Museum
are words that echoed through the city in the last days of the Polish resistance against the Nazis
in late 1944: “Save the children—ours, yours… Collapsed buildings we can rebuild—the lost young generation we cannot.”
Today, once again, a war is raging. It is being waged in the closed chambers of the United Nations, beyond public scrutiny and even public knowledge. It is a war against the family. At stake is the future of most priceless asset, our children.
In the United States, the first state to legalize same-sex marriage was Massachusetts. Its governor, Mitt Romney, stated: “Given the decision of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. . . Should we abandon marriage as we know it and as it was known by the framers of our Constitution? Has America been wrong about marriage for 200 plus years? Were generations that spanned thousands of years from all the civilizations of the world wrong about marriage? Are the philosophies and teachings of all the world's major religions simply wrong? Or is it more likely that four people among the seven that sat in a court in Massachusetts have erred? I believe that is the case.” He then explained how the judges erred: by not considering the interests of children. “Marriage is also for children,” he explained. “In fact, marriage is principally for the nurturing and development of children. The children of America have the right to have a father and a mother.” The battle over so-called gender rights, and sexual rights, and abortion rights, is really a battle over children,
the rising generation and the unborn. From ancient native American wisdom comes this teaching: "In our every deliberation,
we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations." (Great Law of the Iroquois Confederacy.)
We must act now for the benefit of future generations. We must act to save marriage, save the family, and save the
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Amsterdam Declaration from World Congress of Families V Held
in Amsterdam on August 10-12, 2009, the fifth World Congress of Families focused on the theme: The Family: More Than
the Sum of Its Parts. Speakers included leaders of the stature of Allan C. Carlson, Russell M. Nelson, Sheri Dew, and Janice
Crouse. The Congress concluded by issuing a powerful declaration, which begins as follows: In solidarity with earlier WCF Declarations, we define the natural family to rest on the lifelong marriage
of a man to a woman, for the purposes of welcoming and nurturing new human life, providing love, companionship, and mutual
support, building a home rich in functions, and strengthening the bonds of the generations. We define ourselves as pro-child.... We affirm that the future of nations rests on families that are spiritually grounded. Religious organizations should
be free to uphold their own moral teachings about marriage and family in the public square. We affirm that
the natural family exists prior to the state. Read the entire declaration Prior Congresses have been held in Prague, Geneva, Mexico City, and Warsaw, accessible via a database of past speakers and their speeches. 15th
Anniversary of the International Year of the Family The year 2009 marked the fifteenth anniversary of the International Year of the Family, an invitation to increase efforts and establish programs to protect and promote the natural family, including defending marriage as a sacred institution exclusively between a man and a woman. For resources on the 10th Annniversary of the International Year of the Family, click here. Secretary-General Speaks of Mothers, Fathers, Family On May 15, 2009, the International Day of the Family, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon declared that the role of mothers is "vital" in the lives of children, and that greater family stability results from sharing of responsibilities between a mother and father. The following are excerpts of his message (for the complete text, click here):
"Mothers play a critical role in the family, which is a powerful force for social cohesion and integration. The mother-child relationship is vital for the healthy development of children. And mothers are not only caregivers; they are also breadwinners for their families.....
"Women and men alike need stronger public support to share equally in work and family responsibilities. Families built on the recognition of equality between women and men will contribute to more stable and productive societies.
"We face multiple challenges in our changing world, but one factor remains constant: the timeless importance of mothers and their invaluable contribution to raising the next generation. By rewarding their efforts and enhancing their living conditions, we can secure a better future for all."
A War against the Family
"Hijacking Human Rights" by Kathryn Balmforth "[T]he ongoing takeover of some of the human rights mechanisms of the United Nations.... is a potential threat to the rights of people everywhere to enjoy their own cultures and religions and to determine their own political futures. It is also a threat to longstanding, universally recognized human rights to freedom of religion and conscience, and to guide the upbringing of our children, particularly in the areas of morality, and religion." Read more.
"How Long Shall We Suffer the Lies about the Family?" by Senator Francisco Tatad "The family is under siege.... The most vigorous and systematic moral assault on the family is taking place in the arena of politics—national and global politics. Whatever else we do, we must meet this assault courageously and frontally in that very same arena of politics." Read more.
"How UN Conventions...Undermine Family" by Patrick F. Fagan "Few Americans are aware that agencies within the United Nations system are involved in a campaign to undermine the foundations of society—the two-parent married family, religions that espouse the primary importance of marriage and traditional sexual morality, and the legal and social structures that protect these institutions." Read more.
"Recognizing Our Shared Commitment to the Natural Family" by Richard G. Wilkins "There is a concerted, on-going effort by well-organized advocacy groups both nationally and internationally to... use the lofty rhetoric of 'human rights' to create international rights to abortion on demand, obtain absolute legal protection for unrestrained sexuality (even for children), redefine the very concept of marriage, diminish the role and importance of religion in public and private life, and reduce (and in some contexts, eliminate) parental control over the education and upbringing of their children. Because of these efforts, at many recent international meetings, the fundamental concepts of 'faith,' 'life,' 'motherhood,' 'parents' and 'family' have become contentious battlefields." Read more.
See also... "International Law, Social Change and the Family" by Dr. Richard G. Wilkins "UN and Family Policy" by Ambassador Ellen Sauerbrey "The Family in the 21st Century: Can It Survive?" by Dr. Allan C. Carlson "United Nations Policy and the Family" by Maria Sophia Aguirre and Ann Wolfgram "National Sovereignty: Why It Is Worth Defending" by Professor Jeremy Rabkin
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5th Anniversary of the Doha
Declaration At
the Doha International Conference on the Family in November 2004, a distinguished Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee,
composed of representatives from governments around the world, produced the Doha Declaration. The document reaffirms commitments of the international community contained in the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and
Political Rights, and other UN documents. On December 6, 2004, in the UN's celebration of the 10th Anniversary of the Family, the General
Assembly adopted a consensus resolution welcoming the Doha International Conference for the Family and taking note of its outcome. To read the Doha
Declaration, click here. The
year 2009 marked the fifth anniversary of that important document, a signal reminder of the eternal importance of the
natural family. Speaking of the Family... “The family is the nucleus of civilization.”—Historian Will Durant “To put the world right in order, we must first put the nation in order; to put the nation in order, we must first put the family in order.” —Confucius "The natural family—part of the created order, imprinted on our natures, the source of bountiful joy, the fountain of new life, the bulwark of ordered liberty—stands reviled and threatened in the early 21st century."—The Natural Family: A Manifesto "In every conceivable manner, the family is link to our past, bridge to our future." —Alex Haley “There is no doubt that it is around the family and the home that all the greatest virtues, the most dominating virtues of human society, are created, strengthened and maintained.” —Sir Winston Churchill "The family is a universal and irreplaceable community rooted in human nature and the basis of all societies at all times. As the cradle of life and love for each new generation, the family is the primary source of personal identity, self-esteem and support for children. It is also the first and foremost school of life, uniquely suited to teaching children integrity, character, morals, responsibility, service and wisdom."—Wade Horn "Perhaps the greatest social service that can be rendered by anybody to the country and to mankind is to bring up a family." —George Bernard Shaw "The family is not only the fundamental group unit of society but is also the fundamental agent for sustainable social, economic and cultural development... Strengthening the family presents a unique opportunity to address societal problems in a holistic manner... Strong, stable families contribute to the maintenance of a culture of peace and promote dialogue among civilizations and diverse ethnic groups." —Doha Declaration "A happy family is but an earlier heaven." —John Browning “The traditional family is the necessary foundation for (international) communities; because it is the sanctuary where men and women learn cooperation, sacrifice, love, and mutual support; it is the training ground where children learn the public virtues of responsibility, work, fair play, and social interdependence. International law and the family, therefore, are inextricably linked. Disregarding this link places both the law and the families in peril.” —Dr. Richard G. Wilkins "The family is one of nature's masterpieces." —George Santayana "It is no secret that the vulnerability suffered by our peoples—insecurity, crime, abuse, abandonment of the elderly, orphaned children and violence—causes enormous imbalances and obliges us to spend millions on institutional policies that in the end can do no more than manage those ills. If we go on like this, a time when will come when all our tax resources will not suffice to counter the effects of vulnerability. If we wish to address the causes, we must look at the family."—Ana Teresa Aranda (Mexico) "The only rock I know that stays steady, the only institution I know that works is the family."—Lee Iacocca “Before this era is over, every living human being will have chosen. Every living human being will have lined up in support of the family or against it. Every living human being will have either opposed the onslaught against the family or supported it, for if he tries to make no choice that in itself will be a choice. If we do not act in behalf of the family, that is itself an act of opposition to the family.”—Sheri L. Dew |
