Marriage Amendment Lawsuit Dropped
 A lesbian couple challenging Michigan's Marriage Amendment (Proposal 2) in federal court announced this week they are dropping the lawsuit. Attorney Jessie Olson and her partner announced that they were withdrawing the suit after consultation with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). The ACLU has a lawsuit pending in state court challenging Attorney General Mike Cox's ruling that it is illegal for state and local governments to provide insurance benefits for the domestic partners of their employees.
"It appears that the ACLU convinced Ms. Olson to withdraw her federal lawsuit until the results of the state court lawsuit are known," said MFF Executive Director Brad Snavely. "It is an indication that even the ACLU felt that their case was weak and unlikely to be successful."
Click here to read more about this story.
Supreme Court Battle Heats Up
 The pundits in Washington have been having a heyday this week as speculation regarding Sandra Day O'Connor's replacement on the U.S. Supreme Court. Adding even more interest is the strong feeling that Chief Justice William Rehnquist will also step down soon.
Meanwhile, a new poll is showing that most Americans feel that the Senate should confirm a qualified conservative nominee. According to a recent Rasmussen Reports survey, just 24 percent believe Democrats should oppose such a nominee, and 58 percent believe the pick should be confirmed.
For more information about the poll, click here.
New MFF Publication Available
 Michigan Family Forum is pleased to announce the release of our latest Resource Center publication. "Marriage and the Limits of Contracts: Public Costs for Private Choices" is authored by Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse, a Ph.D. economist with the Hoover Institution. Dr. Morse was the featured speaker at a special legislative issues luncheon MFF hosted for the state legislature in May.
In this publication, Dr. Morse, a libertarian, makes the argument that our society can be safer, more stable, and enjoy more freedom if children are born into a married home and are raised by a father and mother. She reasons that we can govern ourselves with a smaller, less intrusive government if we are willing to support and encourage the "organic" understanding of marriage.
This new booklet has been distributed free of charge to all state legislators and other state policy staff. Click here to view the publication in Adobe Acrobat. For information on obtaining a printed copy, contact MFF at (517) 374-1171. For more information about Dr. Morse's research and work, click here.
Quotes of the Week
"The demand that the government be neutral among family forms is unreasonable. The reality is that married couple families, and childless people, are providing subsidies to those parents who dissolve their marriages, or who never form marriages."
"A society full of people who treat sex as a purely recreational activity, a child as a consumer good, and marriage as a glorified roommate relationship, will not be able to resist the pressures for a vast social assistance state. The state will irresistibly be drawn into parental quarrels and into providing a variety of services for the well-being of children."
Source: "Marriage and the Limits of Contracts: Public Costs for Private Choices," by Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse. Reprinted with permission from Policy Review, a publication of the Hoover Institute.
Leading Pro-Abortion Organization Shows True Colors
 The Washington chapter of the National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL) showed their true colors this week with the announcement of a "Screw Abstinence" party in Seattle. It's clearly billed as an event for 21-and-over, but is also designed to raise money to support comprehensive sex education in public schools.
"Pro-abortion organizations have claimed for years that they 'favor' teaching abstinence to help reduce the number of abortions," said MFF Executive Director Brad Snavely. "Clearly NARAL has an agenda that advocates for sexual freedom, not abstinence."
To read more about this disturbing event, click here.
|
