Governor Says "No" to Cox Defense of Proposal 2
 Governor Jennifer Granholm has requested outside counsel in a lawsuit filed by the ACLU in state court challenging Proposal 2. Attorney General Mike Cox represents the state in such lawsuits, but due to a disagreement over interpretation of the Proposal, Granholm has taken the rare step of asking for an outside attorney to represent her. The sitting Governor is typically named as the defendant in lawsuits against the state.
The suit stems from a ruling by Cox earlier this year declaring that the city of Kalamazoo could not offer benefits to the "domestic partners" of employees. Cox argued that offering such benefits is recognizing a union that is "similar to marriage," which the proposal clearly prohibits. The Governor disagrees, saying the amendment prohibits same-sex marriage, but does not exclude public entities from providing domestic partner benefits. Cox also wants the Governor dismissed from the case saying the employees' argument is with the city of Kalamazoo, not the state.
To read more, click here.
President's Pick for High Court Enjoys Broad Support
 President Bush's nomination of Judge John Roberts to the U.S. Supreme Court enjoyed broad support from many groups this week. Both Focus on the Family and the Family Research Council issued statements lauding Judge Roberts' credentials and encouraging Americans to support his nomination.
"Judge Roberts is clearly an incredibly talented legal mind who has all of the qualifications most Americans would expect in a Supreme Court justice," said MFF Executive Director Brad Snavely. "It is unfortunate that some liberal interest groups are choosing to attack him based on his religious beliefs and his wife's involvement in pro-life causes."
To view news coverage of the nomination, click here.
To read Focus on the Family's news release, click here.
To contact the Senate Judiciary Committee to ask for their support of the nomination, click here.
To contact Michigan Senators Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow to ask for their support, click here.
Report Shows Decline in Marriage Rates
 A new report indicates that although divorce rates in the U.S. are declining, so are marriage rates - and at a much faster pace. The U.S. divorce rate is 17.7 per 1,000 married women, down from 22.6
in
1980. The marriage rate has seen a 50% drop since 1970
from 76.5 per 1,000 unmarried women to 39.9, says the report, whose
calculations are based on an internationally used measurement.
These findings, and many others detailing the state of marriage in the U.S. are found in the 2005 State of our Unions report from the National Marriage Project at Rutgers University. The study has also documented the rapid rise of cohabitation rates and the detrimental effects on the nation's children.
Click here to view the report. For more information about the National Marriage Project, click here.
Click here to read an article from USA Today about the report.
Stat of the Week
4 out of every 10 cohabitating couples have children present, and of children born to cohabitating couples, only 4 out of 10 will see their parents marry. Those who do cohabitate experience a 50% higher divorce rate.
Source: http://www.allprodad.com/1fatheringfacts.asp
Lawmakers Continue to Push Marriage and Fatherhood Initiatives Despite Opposition from Governor
 Several Michigan lawmakers continue to push for use of available federal funds to promote healthy marriage and fatherhood initiatives. Senator Bill Hardiman (R-Kentwood) has authored language that would increase use of the federal money for the upcoming budget year. Governor Granholm vetoed use of the money two years ago, but allowed it in the most recent budget year. A spokesperson for the Governor said that as the state faces mounting budget deficits, the Governor does not view the programs as a priority in next year's fiscal budget.
The money has been used to spearhead two programs in several Michigan counties. The first program is a 10-week course encouraging parents to marry and teaching them basic parenting and relationship skills. The second is a 14-week program designed to help fathers become more responsible in the care of their children and the mothers of their children. Both programs are designed to help stabilize families resulting in less costs to the state as a result of familial breakdown.
Michigan Family Forum was quoted in a recent article in the Lansing State Journal about this issue. Click here to read the article. To contact the Governor and ask her to retain the funding for healthy marriage and fatherhood initiatives, click here.
Canadian Parliament Gives Final Approval to Same-Sex Marriages
 Canada became only the fourth nation in the world to legalize same-sex marriage earlier this week. The legislation, passed in both houses of the Canadian parliament was signed into law by a supreme court justice acting on behalf of Canada's Governor General, who was ill.
"Canada's legalization of same-sex marriage could have far reaching implications for the United States and Michigan," said MFF Executive Director Brad Snavely. "Thousands of Canadians move to and work in the U.S. every year. These couples may put pressure on state governments to recognize their Canadian marriages. While Michigan law clearly prohibits that from happening, other states are more vulnerable to this kind of challenge. It's yet another reason why we need a federal marriage amendment."
To read a legal analysis of the impact on the U.S. of legalized same-sex marriage in Canada, click here.
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