Thank You for Making a Difference in 2005
A Special Message from MFF Executive Director, Brad Snavely
 Over the past year, MFF has successfully advanced our “Putting Families First” agenda while defending the family against those who seek to weaken marriage, redefine the family and steal the innocence of our children.
Some of the highlights from 2005 included our ongoing efforts to "Defend Marriage, Expand the Abstinence Message, Protect Children from Violent Video Games, Promote Adoption and Educate Lawmakers and Policy Leaders."
We also produced several new resources on marriage and the family covering topics such as the economic impact of marriage, public opinion on marriage and divorce, and infant adoption in Michigan as well as Policy Briefs concerning the rising cost of out-of-wedlock births and accountability for state funded “family planning” programs.
Your support and involvement has been critical to our success. We are so thankful for your involvement and the difference you have made. As you consider your year end giving, please remember Michigan Family Forum. We have a goal of raising $150,000 before the end of the year. If you are as concerned as I am about the future of the family, would you prayerfully consider a generous year-end gift to help us reach our goal?
If you have already sent in your contribution, thank you! We appreciate your vote of confidence as we prepare for a busy 2006! May God richly bless you and your family!
To make a year-end contribution to MFF, click here, print off the support card, and drop it in the mail by December 31. Credit card donations can also be made via fax - (517) 374-6112. Our fax machine is in a secure location until staff returns on January 2.
Alito Update
 Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito will begin hearings before the U.S. Senate on January 9. The debate is expected to center largely on how Judge Alito interprets the Constitution. The President has pledged to only nominate judges who are "strict constructionists" rather than those who view the Constitution more broadly and may "legislate from the bench."
A recent Washington Times - ABC poll found that public support for Alito's confirmation has increased. Fifty-four percent (54%) of those surveyed said the Senate should confirm Judge Alito, while twenty-eight percent (28%) said they should not. This is a slight increase since the poll was last taken in November. In both surveys, roughly one in five Americans said they did not know enough about the nominee to have an opinion.
"Michigan Family Forum believes the hearings should be timely and fair, and that Judge Alito - like all judicial nominees - deserves an up or down vote," said MFF Executive Director Brad Snavely.
To read more about the Alito nomination from Focus on the Family, click here.
Justice Sunday III - Proclaim Liberty Throughout the Land
 The Family Research Council (FRC) will host "Justice Sunday III" in Philadelphia on Sunday, January 8, 2006. The event is designed to educate people of faith on how the judiciary impacts their lives and to show how activist judges seek to end the mention of God in the public square.
This year's speakers include Dr. James Dobson of Focus on the Family, Tony Perkins of Family Research Council, U.S. Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA), Dr. Jerry Falwell, Bishop Wellington Boone, and others.
This event is being simulcast on FRC's website (www.frc.org), and will also be shown on the Sky Angel Network and Trinity Broadcasting Network. For more details and information on how to view the program, click here.
Georgia Chief Justice - "Valued Marriages Invaluable for All"
 Leah Ward Sears, Chief Justice of the Georgia Supreme Court, recently authored an opinion piece published in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Chief Justice Sears argues that "even though family problems begin in private, statistics show that they become public problems with social and financial consequences."
Sears' opinion piece was published as part of her crusade to raise awareness about the impact the disintegrating family is having on the court system in Georgia. Justice Sears also shares MFF's view that society can benefit from marriage education and divorce intervention programs.
"We must work to reinvigorate the institution of marriage," Sears writes. "Much lasting good can be accomplished through marriage education and divorce intervention programs. Fledgling families can be nurtured; fractured families can be put back together. Lastly, mothers and fathers from all walks of life must be reminded that the precious children they bring into this world have much more to lose from divorce and family disunity than they do."
MFF is working with lawmakers to reintroduce the package of marriage education and divorce intervention bills the Governor vetoed in 2004. To read Chief Justice Sears' full opinion piece, click here.
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