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WCF Counters Feminist Disinformation On U.N. Resolution
 World Congress of Families Managing Director Larry Jacobs decried what he called
“feminist disinformation” concerning a resolution of the United Nations Human
Rights Council affirming “traditional values.” The resolution also calls for a
UN workshop in 2010 to examine the ways in which traditional values are the
foundation for human rights.
Sponsored by the Russian Federation, the resolution was passed by a vote of
26 to 15, with 6 abstentions. The resolution is in keeping with the Amsterdam
Declaration, adopted by World Congress of Families V, and reaffirms the 1948
Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Feminists have angrily attacked the resolution, citing the U.N. Special
Rapporteur on Violence Against Women, who identifies “traditional practices” to
include “female genital mutilation, honor killings, spousal abuse, dowry-related
violence and customary laws that deny women equality.”
Jacobs responded: “Only radical feminists and their allies would consider
honor killings and genital mutilation to be ‘traditional values.’ These odious
practices of violence are confined to a few societies worldwide, and should
continue to be eradicated.”
Jacobs continued: “When the World Congress of Families, and the international
pro-family movement, speak of traditional values, we mean, of course, those that
support the natural family – including parental rights, respect for the rights
of the unborn, infirm and elderly, freedom of religion, and a recognition of the
different but co-equal roles of men and women in the family.”
Jacobs observes: “In the past, instead of helping women, children and victims
of violence by calling for enforcement of existing human rights provisions in
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, radical feminists have used various
U.N agencies to try to force agenda-driven sex education, condom-distribution,
abortion, and homosexuality on traditional societies. The Russian Federation is
to be commended for sponsoring this affirmation of the rights of families in the
face of various onslaughts by international bodies.”
Click here to read an October 22 WCF press release.
Click here for the Amsterdam Declaration. |
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Between One
And Two Million March For Life In Madrid
 On October 17, in one of the largest public demonstrations in Spanish history,
as many as two million people marched through the streets of Madrid against
attempts of the nation’s socialist government to expand abortion. The march was
coordinated by more than 40 pro-life groups across Spain – including
HazteOir.org (“Make Yourself Heard”) a World Congress of Families Partner, the
Spanish Family Forum and Derecho a Vivir (Right to Live). Worldwide, 234
pro-life and profamily organizations endorsed the march, including the World
Congress of Families.
 Spain currently allows abortion for one of a number of specified reasons,
including the mother’s psychological health. These restrictions haven’t
prevented more than 100,000 abortions a year.
Not satisfied with that toll, the Socialist government of President Rodriguez
Zapatero wants to allow abortion through the 14th week of pregnancy for girls as
young as 16, without parental involvement.
If the estimate of organizers is correct, the marchers constituted more than
3% of Spain’s population. A poll by the Spanish Family Forum showed only 21%
support unrestricted abortion, 27% would ban it completely and 50% are generally
opposed to abortion but would allow it in certain limited cases.
A March 29 march drew half-a-million to the streets of Madrid. The 4th
Pro-Life World Congress was held in Saragossa Spain, November 6-8.
 Look for a
complete report in the December World Congress of Families News.
Some observers note the irony of 100,000 legal abortions a year, when Spain
has one of the lowest birth rates in the world (1.1 children for the average
woman) – well below replacement. Demographers estimate that with a birth rate
below 1.3, all other factors being equal, a nation will lose half its population
every 35 years.
Click here to read the manifesto of the march in English.
See the leadership
profile of
Ignacio Arsuaga, president of HazteOir, in this
issue. |
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World Congress of Families relies on the generous support of pro-family
donors and activists such as you. Help us to build a truly international
profamily movement and set the stage for World Congress of Families 5.
Click here to make a
tax-deductible donation. |
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New Publication on
International Impact of Abortion on Women’s Health
 The National Right to Life Committee (a World Congress of Families Partner) has
a new publication that refutes the argument that abortion is a way to improve
women’s health.
Despite the tragedy of 42 million abortions a year worldwide, the
international abortion lobby constantly agitates for more, arguing that abortion
leads to lower rates of maternal mortality, especially in developing countries.
The publication (“Does Legalizing Abortion Protect Women’s Health”), notes:
“The lack of modern medicine and quality health care, not the prohibition of
abortion, results in high maternal mortality rates.
Legalized abortion actually leads to more abortions – and in the developing
world, where maternal health care is poor, legalization would increase the
number of women who die or are harmed by abortion.”
The brochure points out that Malaysia and Sri Lanka sharply reduced maternal
mortality rates by making professional midwives available in rural areas and by
making sure that there was better communication and transportation and a
reliable supply of appropriate drugs, medical equipment, and backup services.”
Click here to download the NRLC publication. |
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Dec 4, 2009 – Allan C. Carlson will deliver a
Witherspoon Lecture at the Family Research
Council , on “The Negative Effects of Student
Debt on Family Formation.”
Feb 5, 2010 – Allan C.
Carlson will also speak at Regent University at a symposium on The Future of
American Culture.
May 24-26, 2010
– Global Summit on the Family, in Moscow (tentative)
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LDS Leader Speaks Out On
Threat To Religious Freedom
In an October 13 speech at Brigham Young University-Idaho, Elder Dallin H. Oaks,
a member of the Quorum of 12 Apostles of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints,
compared attacks on the church for its defense of traditional marriage to
intimidation of African- Americans during the Civil Rights era.
The LDS Church was a vocal supporter of California’s Proposition 8, the
ballot measure which repealed courtimposed gay marriage on the state. In
response, homosexual activists have targeted the faith. The backlash has ranged
from boycotts and picketing to vandalism of Church property and assault. Oaks
called this “aggressive intimidation.”
To the claim of gay activists that the LDS Church was trying to deny
homosexuals their civil rights, Oaks responded, “Those who seek to change the
foundation of marriage should not be allowed to pretend that those who defend
the ancient order are trampling on civil rights.” Oaks added “The supporters of
Proposition 8 were exercising their constitutional right to defend the
institution of marriage.”
Elder Oaks is a former justice of the Utah Supreme Court who once clerked for
U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren.
Elder Russell Nelson, another member of the Quorum of 12 Apostles, addressed
World Congress of Families V in Amsterdam in August, and was profiled in the
October World Congress of Families News.
Click here to read Elder Nelson’s speech to WCF V.
Click here for the text of Elder Oaks’ address. |
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Turning Out The Lights In
Amsterdam
 Joseph Meaney, Director of International Coordination for Human Life
International (a WCF Partner) has written a timely article for
insidecatholic.com on the dead-end of social leftism in the Netherlands. In it,
Meaney observes the following:
• The nation has one of the fastest-aging populations in the world, due in
part to antifamily/ anti-life policies. Of a total population of 16.7 million,
15% are over 65 (versus 12.8% in the U.S.). As the proportion of elderly in the
population rises, youth under 15 declines.
• The Netherlands boasts of having one of the lowest abortion rates in the
world. Meaney notes that this is due to a statistical slight of hand, where
women who miss their period frequently receive what’s called a “menstrual
extraction” or “menstrual regulation” from a general practitioner. Meaney: “In
these cases, no pregnancy test is done to determine if the procedure aborted a
pre-born human in the first few days of life … The official Dutch statistics
therefore grossly underreport the number of abortions.”
• The same is true of euthanasia. Meaney quotes Dr. Henk Johemsen
(a speaker at WCF V), who
disclosed that while the government acknowledges 2,300 euthanasia deaths a year,
another 11,000 die while under “deep sedation” – sold as a “compassionate option
for the terminally ill,” but, in reality, a passive form of euthanasia. Meaney
explained that the most common form of death in the Netherlands today isn’t
disease but lack of food and hydration, while the patient is drugged into a
state of unconsciousness. Joe Meaney participated in WCF V.
Click here to read Meaney’s article in insidecatholic.com. |
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Alliance for the Family
Expands Its Values Curriculum
 Alliance for the Family (a WCF Partner) is expanding the reach of its
values-based curriculum for elementary and secondary school children – “Alive to
the World” (“Aprendiendo a Quetrer” in Spanish).
These materials are centered on 12 books for use in the classroom from grades
1 to 12. The books present the story of a group of friends confronting typical
life situations as they grow up. The books are designed to help students think
logically about moral choices and consequences.
At age-appropriate levels, the characters in these books – and readers –
grapple with family, friendship, peer pressure, romance, sex, love and marriage
– as well as the implications of loyalty, team work, personal responsibility and
respect for the property of others, among other values.
Over time, students learn that traditional values make sense, that they form
a coherent worldview, and, most importantly, that they open up a world of
possibilities for happiness, health and progress.
The approach of using an unfolding story over the course of several years had
never been tried before. The first volumes were written and published in 2001 by
Christine Vollmer, a longtime leader of World Congress of Families and a member
of the Pontifical Council on the Family, as well as the Chairman of AFF.
The curriculum is currently in use from Ecuador to England. In response to
support from the Brazilian Bishops Conference, a Portuguese version is in the
works. American and African versions are ready to print, when funding is
available.
For more information on “Alive to the World,” click here. |
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Allan Carlson to Speak on
Student Loans at Family Research Council
World Congress of Families founder and International Secretary Allan
C. Carlson will deliver a Witherspoon Lecture at the Family Research
Council on December 4 at 11:00 am, on “The Crushing Burden of
Student Loans on Family Formation For Generation X.”
Studies have shown that significant numbers of graduates who are burdened
with college loans are less likely to marry and have children – with negative
consequences for society. There is a need to re-think the entire program.
The lecture is
open to the public.
Click here to download a flyer or make reservations for
the event online. A light lunch will be served after the lecture.
Family Research Council is located at 801 “G” Street, Washington, D.C.
Carlson will also speak on February 5 at Regent University at a symposium on
The Future of American Culture. Look for further details in the December or
January World Congress of Families News.
Allan Carlson has a Ph.D. in Modern European History., He is the author of
many books, including “Conjugal America: On the Public Purposes of Marriage” and
“The Natural Family: A Manifesto, with Paul Mero.
Click here to order his books. |
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Questions and Answers on World Congress of Families
Question:
Why are there so many speakers and topics covered at a typical Congress?
Doesn’t this create mental overload? Wouldn’t you be better off going not as
broad but deeper?
Answer:
The topics covered at Congresses are governed by a number of factors,
including the interest of our Partners, who sustain the World Congress of
Families, the local organizing committee and the judgment of our leaders.
If a Congress were to focus on say 8 or even 10 issues, others (perhaps
equally important) would, of necessity, be excluded. At WCF V in Amsterdam,
topics for discussion included, but by no means were limited to: abortion,
euthanasia, stem-cell research, Internet pornography, marriage, parental rights,
home schooling, the assault on the family by international bodies, the worldwide
decline of birthrates, the family and international law, religion and the
family, media and the family, character education and values, the population
control movement and the special problems of families in developing nations.
If we concentrated on half of those issues, the Congress would lack appeal
for pro-family activists who work in other areas. Our goal is to make Congresses as inclusive as possible – to have something
for every group which constitutes a mainstay of the international pro-family
movement. Often, these issues are covered by panels that run simultaneously.
This gives delegates an opportunity to choose the topics that interest them
most.
Our goal is not to provide an in-depth discussion of every issue of
interest to family activists, but to give a general overview – provided by
recognized authorities – of those issues which currently have the greatest
impact on the family. |
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World Congress of Families:
Profiles in Leadership
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This continues our regular feature celebrating the women and men
who have contributed to the growing success of the international pro-family
movement.
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IGNACIO ARSUAGA
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 Ignacio Arsuaga is the founder and current President of
HazteOir.org, (Make
Yourself Heard), a Spanish pro-life and pro-family organization.
He is a lawyer and a member of the Madrid Bar Association. Arsuaga received a
J.D. degree from the ICADE Law School in Madrid. He has worked for Arthur
Andersen and American Express. In September 2009, he created a start-up to offer
to companies and NGOs on Internet marketing and positioning consulting services.
In 1998, Dr. Arsuaga received an L.L.M. (Masters of Law) degree from Fordham
University. During his year in the United States, Arsuaga also studied political
organizing, with specific reference to lobbying activities and
citizenparticipation in the political process.
Based on his American experience, Dr. Arsuaga founded HazteOir.org in 2001.
Initially, HazteOir.org was created as a Web page offering citizens the
opportunity to participate in campaigns to promote values and liberty. The first
action alert demanded that the Spanish Government protect and promote marriage
and the family.
Since 2001, HazteOir.org has grown rapidly to become the largest
Spanish-language website, with 20,000 visitors a day. It focuses on lobbying for
pro-life and profamily causes in Spain.
In 2009, HazteOir.org organized or helped organize two massive pro-life
marches, one in March and the other on October 17. The latter drew as many as 2
million to the streets of Madrid, to protest an expansion of legalized abortion
in Spain. The October march was organized with the Spanish Family Forum. (See
news story on the October march in this issue.)
Currently, HazteOir.org has 145,000 members who participate in its campaigns,
mostly via the Internet.
Ignacio Arsuaga has been interviewed and has participated in debates in
international media, including CNN, PBS, Fox News, The New York Times, Time
Magazine and the BBC.
Dr. Arsuaga teaches New Technologies and Citizen Participation at the
University Francisco de Vitoria (Madrid). He was awarded a Masters of Applied
Political Studies, a degree conferred by the Secretary of State of the Spanish
Government. In
 2007, he spoke at a Symposium on e- Democracy, organized by the
Council of Europe (Strasbourg).
He also served as a member of the Selection Committee for World Congress of
Families V and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Spanish Family
Forum. HatzeOir.org is a World Congress of Families Partner.
Born on April 5, 1973, Ignacio Arsuaga and his wife Nuria live in Madrid with
their two sons.
Click here for the website of HatzeOir.org. |
DON SCHMIERER
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 Don Schmierer has been active in interpersonal ministry and counseling for
five decades. He is a renowned international speaker and writer on issues
relating to sexuality.
He founded “His Servants” (www.hisservants.net) in l983, continuing his work
among students, business people, professionals and church leaders. He and his
wife have also helped operate several Christian addiction programs. Don and
Diana have been married for 50 years, and have two children, seven grandchildren
and three great-grandchildren. They live on a farm in Northern California. Don
serves on the board of Exodus International (a ministry to people struggling
with same sex attractions) and is involved in several ongoing International
projects.
Don Schmierer has spent 52 years counseling young people in university
ministries and recovery programs, along with dealing with family issues in both
church and para-church settings.
After watching Don struggle to assist AIDS hospice ministries, a friend
observed: “Don, we’ve got to find a way to stop this problem of AIDS before it
starts. If we don’t find a way to prevent homosexuality, rather than trying to
control its consequences, we’re fighting a losing battle.” Based on this
perspective, Don began to write books and booklets on this subject.
Inspired by his friend’s words, Don wrote An Ounce of Prevention, What’s A
Father To Do?, Healing Wounds of the Past and a youth curriculum, Celebrating
God’s Design. These four books are intended to help concerned individuals and
groups develop a strategy for the prevention of homosexuality among today’s
youth. Don’s research has convinced him of the following points:
1) Homosexuality begins in pain, exists in pain and often ends in pain.
2) Homosexuality is not genetic and no studies have proved it to be so.
3) Homosexuality results from a number of factors, most of which are related
to the family.
4) We are called to love those who continue to struggle with homosexuality;
and we need to display both Grace and Truth, which Jesus exemplified in His
earthly life. (John 1:14).
An Ounce of Prevention and What’s A Father To Do? were written to help alert
families to potential problems, and to encourage young parents to create the
kind of family life that starts nurturing healthy gender identity in their
children from the day they are born.
Celebrating God’s Design is a curriculum with a difference. It encourages
teenagers to talk, think and pray about such perplexing issues as gender,
tolerance, sexuality, friendships and family challenges.
Today, Don Schmierer continues to speak on these family matters, both
nationally and internationally. He offers understanding of the root causes of
homosexual behavior, and practical Biblical solutions. When applied, those
solutions can bring about positive changes in family relationships. Don’s
“Training Seminar on Youth & Sexual Behaviors” is usually 2 days long.
The need for and response to Don’s writings, workshops, seminars and lectures
in the United States and internationally have been overwhelmingly positive. Don
comments, “I have been able, with God’s help, to minister to real needs in
people by giving them positive help and hope. They then have set out to use my
materials to help everyone they know. “
Don Schmierer spoke at World Congress of Families II (Geneva), IV (Warsaw)
and V (Amsterdam). “His Servants” is a World Congress of Families Partner.
Click here for the website of His Servants.
Click here to order Don’s books
and other material. |
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Your Organization Can Become A Mainstay of the International Pro-Family Movement
Our 27 Partners – including some of the largest pro-family and pro-life groups
in the United States, Canada, Mexico, South America and Europe – work with us to
put on Congresses every two years, as well as to forge a truly international
pro-family movement.
Partners are an integral part of the Congress and receive
the following benefits:
• a listing in every issue of World Congress of Families News, our monthly
electronic newsletter, with a link to their website
• a profile of their organization in the issue after they become a Partner
• news of their activities and events covered in World Congress of Families
News and on our website
• the ability to network with pro-family leaders and activists all over the
world
• profiles of their leaders in WCF publications
• helping to shape World Congress of Families VI
• an opportunity to participate in regional Congresses, like the World
Congress of Families Dialogue of Civilizations (Abuja, Nigeria) and the Riga
Family Forum (Latvia)
• co-sponsorship of WCF VI, including participation in the program, an
exhibit and more *
Partners pay an
annual fee of $2,500
For more
information on becoming a World Congress of Families Partner,
contact Don Feder
at
dfeder@rcn.com or 508-405-1337 or Larry Jacobs at
larry@profam.org or
815-964-5819.
* for
organizations which maintain Partner status the year before and the year of a
Congress |
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How Cloning and Stem 7
Cell Research Affect the Family
 Excerpts from the speech by Wanda Franz, Ph.D., President
National Right to Life
Committee to World Congress of Families V
“The primary function of the family is to produce and raise children. Modern
science has found a way to produce children in the laboratory. When you take
reproduction out of the natural family unit, you change the way the resultant
child is viewed. It changes from being a child and an individual person to being
a product of technology. Furthermore, if you can produce it in the laboratory,
you feel free to manipulate it and experiment on it.
The average person doesn’t see a child in the collection of cells in the
petri dish and is lulled into thinking that this member of the human family does
not have the status of a human person with the right to life. However, an
educated person knows---or should know--- that the zygote is a new, absolutely
unique human being in its earliest stages of development. That is why scientists
want to experiment on it. One of the biggest challenges to the family in the
21st Century is to protect its youngest members and ensure that all of us retain
our rights as human persons. If we lose our rights at the beginning of life, how
can we get them back when we are older?”
“Now we come to the crucial aspect of the public policy debate on embryonic
stem cells. The biotech industry and researchers who do not respect human life
in the embryonic state want to ‘harvest’ embryonic stem cells from humans in the
blastocyst stage.
Why? Because the embryonic stem cells from the inner cell mass of the
blastocyst can either grow into new stem cells or develop into any tissue,
except the placenta. These are extremely powerful cells. Scientists rightfully
say that embryonic stem cells are maximally ‘pluripotent’ because they can
develop into every tissue of the human body. Therefore, these scientists want to
study these cells and exploit their capabilities. And the biotech industry sees
the possibility of patents and huge profits arising from stem cell research.
The fundamental problem with this is, of course, the fact that ‘harvesting’
embryonic stem cells from a human blastocyst kills a human being at the
embryonic stage. As the embryo grows, the stem cells become more specialized and
less ‘pluripotent.’
After birth, stem cells continue to be present in the umbilical cord blood
and in the growing body itself---right through the rest of the life span. They
are often, somewhat inaccurately, referred to as ‘adult stem cells.’ These cells
are ‘pluripotent’ and ‘multipotent’ to varying degrees. They serve tissue
renewal and repair.”
“Scientists used to think that adult stem cells were very specialized. Now,
there is mounting evidence that adult stem cells from one kind of tissue can be
made to differentiate into cells of another kind of tissue. There are currently
over 100 different therapies being used to help people using their own body’s
stem cells.
In addition there is a new method of creating stem cells that does not kill a
human embryo. So-called ‘induced pluripotent stem cells’ or ‘IPSCs’ are derived
from ordinary somatic cells. A skin cell, for example, can be chemically
‘re-programmed’ into the stem cell state.
On the other hand, embryonic stem cells are the most powerful pluripotent
stem cells. This is why researchers want to study them---either for the sake of
pure knowledge or with the goal of exploiting their potential medically or
commercially. However, using embryonic stem cell transplants therapeutically is
associated with three huge obstacles: two biological ones and an enormous moral
one. “The moral problem is the most fundamental: Harvesting the embryonic stem
cells kills the embryo.
Currently, there are thousands of frozen embryos left over from in vitro
fertilization, created by artificial fertilization in a glass dish. Handing over
left-over embryos to researchers so that they may harvest their stem cells is
tantamount to killing them. That is why prolifers oppose it.”
“What will be the impact if we continue down this path of human destruction?
Psychologically, every person needs to feel bonded to loving parents, who can be
trusted to be supportive and protective. Research has shown that human bonding
between a mother and her children is one of the most important predictors of
later healthy development. There is no question that this bond begins in utero
at the beginning of the parent-child relationship. Processes that interfere with
this bond result in poor parenting, low self-esteem in children, an inability to
form social relationships later in life and, even to child abuse.
Clearly, social policies that diminish bonding, by intervening in the natural
reproductive process, will most certainly contribute to these negative outcomes.
The push for embryonic stem cell research leads to the attitude of making
objects out of children in the research laboratory. If this attitude comes to
infect the thinking of parents, the effects on the family can only be negative.
Those cells in the petri dish are our children. If we fail to protect them, we
fail as parents and the fabric of the family is weakened.
Embryonic stem cell research and cloning is complicated and researchers have
tried to confuse the average person by using scientific jargon and
misrepresentation. It is important to understand the basic facts. The push for
embryonic stem cell research has the potential to lead to a weakening of our
respect for life at its beginning and for undermining the normal human family.”
Click here to read Dr. Franz’s full remarks to World Congress of Families V
(Amsterdam, August 10-12, 2009) |
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Thank you to all WCF PARTNERS for
ALL your
continuing support
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