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September 2, 2004 - Volume 2, Issue 33 |
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September 2, 2004 - Volume 2, Issue 33 |
Marriage
Protection Update
This past week has seen a flurry of activity on the marriage protection front as Citizens for the Protection of Marriage has gone into overdrive to ensure the success of the "Protect Marriage Yes" petition drive.
Subsequent to the recent partisan action of the Board of Canvassers (BOC), the coalition asked the Michigan Court of Appeals to overturn the BOC ruling. As this issue of Forum Online goes to press, the Court of Appeals has not yet issued its ruling, but coalition members are confident they will go ahead and certify the signatures.
"This is really a no-brainer for the Court of Appeals," said Michigan Family Forum Executive Director Brad Snavely. "This petition drive followed all of the rules, turned in a record 500,000 signatures (the final tally was indeed exactly 500,000) with a 96.3% accuracy rate. The Board of Canvassers and same-sex marriage proponents really don’t have a leg to stand on."
For more information, or to find out how you can help with the marriage amendment,
click here.
Census
Bureau Analysis Exaggerates Poverty
A recent Census Bureau report indicated that poverty in America continues to increase. Many politicians have blamed the President and his economic policies for the increase. Under closer scrutiny, however, there appears to be one major flaw in the report.
The Census Bureau based their findings only on household income, and did not take into account government subsidies such as welfare, food stamps, or the Earned Income Credit. The numbers shift drastically when these forms of income are included. Statistics also indicate that poverty is often tied to family structure. Children who grow up in a two-parent home are less likely to live in poverty.
For more information about the Census Bureau report,
click here.Michigan Family Forum has a publication titled "Family Health Indicators" detailing the impact of family structure on poverty.
Click here for more information.
Marriage
Protection Sunday – September 19
The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote on the marriage amendment sometime after September 20 and in response, Sunday, September 19 has been declared Marriage Protection Sunday.
To give churches and pastors the resources they need to join this fight the Wilberforce Forum, created by Chuck Colson, has created the National Preaching Initiative. This new and exciting program is designed to equip pastors to address their congregations on God's design for marriage, families, and civic duty.
For more information,
click here.Abstinence Fact
"Teens are disproportionately affected by the nation's epidemic of STDs, including HIV. By age 25, one of two sexually active young people will acquire a sexually transmitted disease. While the majority of the 500 teens age 15 to 17 who participated in a recent Kaiser Family Foundation phone survey knew about birth control pills, more than one in four of that majority didn't know that oral contraceptives offer no protection against sexually transmitted disease."
Michigan
Family Forum Prepares New Sex Education Guidelines Booklet
Michigan Family Forum is pleased to announce their most recent publication, "Sex Education – Rights and Responsibilities in Michigan Law." This booklet is designed to help readers understand Michigan’s sex education laws, as well as the new components of the law due to passage of Public Act 165.
An online version will be available soon. Bulk copies will also be available. Stay tuned to Forum Online for more details coming soon!
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Forum Online
© 2004 Michigan Family Forum
1003 N. Washington, P.O. Box 15216
Lansing, MI, 48901-5216
Phone: (517) 374-1171, Fax: (517) 374-6112
Executive Director: Brad Snavely
Editor: Jon Stanton
Questions? E-mail us: info@michiganfamily.org
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