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Dr. Morse at Stanford: "Marriage Without Adjectives"

April 21, 2011 at 11:30 am

The Stanford Daily reports:

The newly established Stanford Anscombe Society (SAS) hosted its first event, titled “Marriage Without Adjectives,” on Tuesday night. Former Hoover Fellow Jennifer Roback Morse, the founder of the Ruth Institute, delivered the kickoff talk.

... Morse’s 40-minute speech prompted an active question and answer session. She emphasized the importance of bringing the dialogue to youth at college campuses.

Morse defined marriage as “an organic, naturally occurring social institution” with the sole purposes of “sexual activity, spousal love and child rearing.”

“Marriage is the linchpin of society…and young people need accurate information about the big picture,” she said.

By NOM Staff | Posted in Marriage | Comments (2)

Maggie in Salt Lake City

April 21, 2011 at 11:26 am

From Deseret News in Utah:

When Maggie Gallagher first got involved in marriage issues it had nothing to do with gay marriage advocates or redefining marriage. She was on the road to recreate what she calls a "marriage culture" in America where more children have stable homes with loving mothers and fathers. But before long, she was drawn into the debate over gay marriage.

... "The capacity of our nation to sustain a reasonably well-functioning marriage culture is the key problem in our time," said Gallagher, who is the founder and chairman of the board of the National Organization for Marriage. She said where marriage is weakened children suffer and there are higher rates of social ills like crime and education failure. She also pointed to Europe and what she called "the sudden collapse of the willingness to have enough children to replace the current generation."

By NOM Staff | Posted in Same Sex Marriage | Comments (1)

NY Senator Rev. Diaz Affronted by Gov. Cuomo's SSM Push During Holy Week

April 21, 2011 at 11:15 am

From the Office of New York State Senator Reverend Ruben Diaz, who says he is responding to news reports of Governor Andrew Cuomo's "excessive pressure to mobilize elected officials" to legalize same-sex marriage in New York:

"I am deeply offended that during this Holy Week, which is a most sacred time to millions of New Yorkers, Governor Andrew Cuomo is working hard to mobilize elected officials to legalize homosexual marriage in New York.

We all know that Governor Andrew Cuomo's Budget, which was done in haste to beat the clock, will cause tremendous suffering to countless New Yorkers - especially Black and Hispanic communities. His cuts will hurt students, senior citizens, the sick, the poor and the needy.

Now Governor Cuomo is targeting communities of faith in an effort to redefine marriage. The most basic tenets of New York's largest faith communities include defining marriage as between one man and one woman. These religions that cherish these values include Catholic, Christian, Jewish and Muslim.

I must ask, if Governor Cuomo is ethically allowed to use public resources during these serious financial times to raise funds (by having his staff raise money) and to use his staff (who are paid for with tax dollars) and his office (for weekly meetings) to promote a radical agenda, then shouldn't we all be able to use our offices and staffs to raise resources for issues that matter to us?

I implore my colleagues in New York's government and my fellow religious leaders in New York State to oppose Governor Cuomo's blatant and shameful attack on New York's people of faith. I encourage all New Yorkers of faith to raise your voices in prayer and in action to prevent Governor Cuomo from redefining marriage."

By NOM Staff | Posted in New York, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (4)

Breaking News: Victory for Religious Liberty in Virginia!

April 21, 2011 at 10:47 am

WMAL reports the breaking news:

Private and church-run adoption agencies will not be required to serve same-sex couples in Virginia, for now.

Gay rights activists asked the state Board of Social Services to require faith-based organizations such as Catholic Charities to permit gay couples to adopt children.

Wednesday, the board overwhelmingly rejected the request, and voted to stand by current regulations which only allow married couples or single men and women to adopt in Virginia, regardless of sexual orientation.

The board, which consists of five Democrats and four Republicans, voted down the proposed changes 7-2.

Today's vote confirming the rights of religious-based and private adoption agencies took place after the vast majority of public comments were found to be in support of the current regs.

Congratulations to the hundreds of you who responded to our action alert!

Once again, you made the difference.

Of course, the Washington Post doesn't see it as a victory, but at least they ended on a good quote:

“Today’s vote by the board will ensure that Virginia remains in compliance with federal law while allowing private and faith-based organizations to continue providing vital adoption services for the large number of children who need to be placed in safe, loving homes,” [Virginia Governor Bob] McDonnell spokesman Jeff Caldwell said.

By NOM Staff | Posted in Adoption, Religious Liberty, Virginia | Comments (7)

More on the Illinois Adoption Situation

April 21, 2011 at 10:15 am

Illinois State Sen David Koeler, one of the sponsors of the SSU bill said one thing when the impact of the bill on religious organizations was being debated before the vote:

Koehler: "The intent [of the SSU bill] is not to at all impede the rights religious organizations have to carry out their duties and religious activities."

But now gay rights groups are claiming another thing entirely:

"The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) ... called on the Republican leadership in the Illinois state Senate to drop Amendment 001 of Senate Bill 1123 ... [which] would also allow religious adoption agencies to refuse to place children with opposite-sex couples who have a civil union."

Log Cabin Republicans Illinois: "...organizations [such as religious adoption agencies] which are government subsidized should not be allowed to discriminate against the gay and lesbian tax payers who fund them."

Equality Illinois: "If an agency is not able to put the best interests of the child above all else, then it should not be providing adoption and foster care services, and it should certainly not get an exemption to accommodate its bigotry."

Why would they want to limit the number of good foster care agencies in the State of Illinois?

It's the "principle" of the thing that matters apparently a whole lot more than pluralism, or helping needy kids.

By NOM Staff | Posted in Adoption, Illinois, Religious Liberty | Comments (7)

Matthew Franck on the "Airtight Case for Vacating Walker’s Ruling"

April 21, 2011 at 10:00 am

Matthew Franck writes at NRO's Bench Memos blog:

That’s what I call Ed Whelan’s NRO article, on the implications under standard recusal norms of Judge Vaughn Walker’s recent disclosure that he has been in a relationship with a man for the last ten years. When I read Ed’s article, I thought, “I read a lot of news every day, and though I know I’ve been busy lately, how did I miss this news about Judge Walker?” How is it not a major news story that the judge in the Prop 8 case can reasonably be thought to have his impartiality questioned? How is it not news that this is the capstone of Judge Walker’s egregious behavior during the trial, and irremediably damages whatever integrity could have been claimed for his ruling last August? Why did this not make the front page of the New York Times (or any other page for that matter), while today’s front page carries a decidedly non-newsy story about the efforts of homosexual students to undo the Christian ethic at Christian colleges?

And where, pray tell, are the liberal leaders in the legal academy and profession who, whatever their views on same-sex marriage, regard Judge Walker’s behavior as appalling? Anyone? Anyone?

By NOM Staff | Posted in DOMA, Prop 8, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (14)

10 years after SSM: "Dutch gays don't take advantage of opportunity to marry"

April 21, 2011 at 9:00 am

From the Global Post:

Data from The Netherlands' national statistics agency showed 15,000 gay couples have married since 2001 [when SSM was legalized]. That means just 20 percent of gay Dutch couples are married, compared to 80 percent of heterosexual couples, the agency says.

Bergkamp sees three main reasons for the lack of nuptial enthusiasm among gay couples: less pressure from family and friends, fewer gay couples marrying to have children than their straight counterparts, and a more individualist, less family-orientated mindset among many homosexuals.

This article doesn't ask: how many gay people are coupled? What really matters for the "take-up" rate, is what proportion of gay people (vs. those attracted to the opposite sex) marry.

This brief needs to be updated, but its core findings appear to hold.

By NOM Staff | Posted in Europe, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (9)

Video: Full Q&A Session at Congressional DOMA Hearing

April 21, 2011 at 8:00 am

For the political junkies, here is the 32-minute video of the Q&A at last week's Congressional hearing on DOMA, where Democrat and Republican members asked the panelists --Maggie Gallagher, Ed Whelan and Carlos Ball-- questions:

By NOM Staff | Posted in DOMA, Same Sex Marriage | Comments Off

Lawrence v. Texas for India?

April 21, 2011 at 7:00 am

India's Supreme Court postponed a hearing on a Dehli High Court's decision that decriminalized laws against homosexuality. The Court is expected to take up the issue over the summer. Abolishing legal restrictions on non-marital sex is obviously a much bigger deal in a country where just one in six Indian men, and less than one out of 20 Indian women, have premarital sex.

By NOM Staff | Posted in Culture | Comments (6)

Delaware Lets Boyfriends and Girlfriends Sue for Rights to Your Child

April 20, 2011 at 12:02 pm

So a lesbian mom adopts a child in Kazakhstan. Her girlfriend says she intended to file for a joint adoption in Delaware but no papers were filed before they broke up. Delaware's high court rules the adopted mom's the mom, end of story. The Delaware legislature passes a law to give girlfriends and boyfriends potential "defacto parenthood" status.

This particular case is a same-sex couple, but it could easily have been an opposite sex couple:. The lesbian mom who adopted a child and doesn't want to subdivide her parental rights with her ex-girlfriend puts it this way:

"Parental rights have been dismantled," Smith said. "It will take a few years for people to realize what it means, but parents don't have the right to care and custody of their children any more. Another individual now has the right to sue you for rights to your children. It's downright scary."

Wait until abusive boyfriends discover this threat to hold over their girlfriend's heads.

By Maggie Gallagher | Posted in Adoption, Delaware | Comments (22)

The Formerly Conservative Lawyer Known as Ted Olson

April 20, 2011 at 11:53 am

Ted Olson definitely used to be a judicial conservative. So why is he in court now arguing the First Amendment requires the release of videotapes that the judge promised would never be used, and that the Supreme Court ruled could not be broadcast?

Here's the argument:

"The Olson team’s brief countered, saying a 1982 U.S. Supreme Court ruling (Globe v. Superior Court) held that "public access to trials 'protect[s] the free discussion of governmental affairs' that is essential to the ability of 'the individual citizen...[to] effectively participate in and contribute to our republican system of self-government.'" (In Globe, the Supreme Court ruled against a Massachusetts court order that had closed to the public and the press the trial of a man accused of raping three minor children.)"

But of course the public and the press were present at the Prop 8 trial, and the trial record is public.

The First Amendment requires courts to televise trials?

Wow Ted, that's a stretch. So much for judicial restraint.

By Maggie Gallagher | Posted in California, Prop 8, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (9)

Video: RI Speaker Fox Shuts Off Mic of Rep Asking Why SSM Is Holding Up the Budget

April 20, 2011 at 10:37 am

In Rhode Island, House Minority Leader Bob Watson thinks focusing on the serious budget issues facing the state is long overdue. When he tried to raise that point of view on the House floor, however, Speaker Gordon Fox had his microphone shut off. Leader Watson commented later:

“I don’t like it when they turn my microphone off, and I also don’t like it when we keep secrets in that building,” Watson said of the Statehouse. “There’s no reason why we can’t discuss the travel and the tracking of the gay marriage bill. It is a distracting issue. It’s been a preoccupation throughout the course of the session, and I just hoped and expected when we came back off of April vacation we would be focused on the budget exclusively.”

Local WPRI Eyewitness news talks about the episode --and shows us what happened in the Statehouse-- during an interview with Leader Watson:

By NOM Staff | Posted in Rhode Island, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (2)

Why Supporting Marriage is Not "Anti-Gay": Rep. Quigley and I Have a Heart-to-Heart

April 20, 2011 at 10:00 am

I don't expect any gay marriage activist to appreciate this exchange, but I did. Gay parents can be good parents, just as single moms and dads, or remarried parents can be good parents. That doesn't mean we should abandon the idea, or the ideal that children should be loved and cared for by the man and woman who made them--or the idea that this is what marriage is for.

By Maggie Gallagher | Posted in DOMA, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (30)

Catholic Church blasts Scottish SSM push

April 20, 2011 at 9:30 am

From the Christian Institute in the UK:

Calls in Scotland for marriage to be fundamentally redefined ... have come under fire from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland.

John Deighan, the Parliamentary Officer for the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland, asked: “Are we saying that, for the past few thousand years, Western civilisation has been wrong and because of the lobbying by pressure groups over the past ten years everything should now change?”

Mr Deighan also asked: “What are we going to teach our children at school, that you can marry a man or a woman when you grow up?”

By NOM Staff | Posted in Europe, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (8)

Video of Maggie: Why DOMA is Good Policy for Society and the Next Generation

April 20, 2011 at 9:00 am

NOM Chairman Maggie Gallagher, in her testimony last Friday, examines why DOMA is important for establishing the sort of parameters most conducive to raising and educating the next generation well - one of the primary signs of a stable and flourishing society (read her written, more complete testimony here):