Category Archives: Marriage & Family

AP: Arizona lawmakers have jumped in to the national debate over the rights of transgender people with a bill being debated Wednesday that would make it illegal for people to use public restrooms not associated with their birth gender.

SCOTUS Blog: Lawyers for the sponsors of California’s Proposition 8 ban on same-sex marriage suggested in a new Supreme Court filing on Tuesday that their case might be sent back to the state supreme court to further analyze their right to defend that measure’s constitutionality.

The HIll: If the Republican party “abandons marriage evangelicals will either sit the elections out completely — or move to create a third party,” said Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council. “Either option puts Republicans on the path to a permanent minority.”

American Federation for Children: The Marquette poll reported that 37 percent of Wisconsin voters would support a statewide expansion of the program while another 14 percent would support its expansion to large school districts with some failing schools. In contrast, 14 percent of voters say they favor not expanding the program, while 28 percent would end it.

Jillian Kay Melchior at NRO: Uwe and Hannelore Romeike fled to the United States in 2008, claiming the German government had denied their religious freedom by forbidding them from homeschooling their children. Now, the Obama administration is trying to send them back, even though the Romeikes might lose their children if they’re deported to Germany.

Kay Hymowitz, W. Bradford Wilcox And Kelleen Kaye at Wall Street Journal: For many Americans, the phrase “young single mother” conjures up a picture of a teenage high-school dropout. But that image is out of date. Teen pregnancy rates have been declining for two decades now. Today’s typical unmarried mother is a high-school graduate in her early 20s who may very well be living with her child’s father.

KTLA.com (includes video): Some students at a school in Hesperia say they’re being bullied, and they say those bullies are their teachers and administrators.

Brown Daily Herald: The Senate Judiciary committee will meet Thursday to hear two same-sex marriage bills, including one that would legalize same-sex marriage — the Senate version of the bill that passed the House in January.

The Atlantic: This was the most shocking statistic I read this weekend: 58 percent of first births in lower-middle-class households are now to unmarried women. Meanwhile, two in five of all births are to unwed mothers, an all-time high, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

American Federation for Children: The American Federation for Children—the nation’s voice for educational choice— today applauded the hundreds of Louisiana parents, grandparents, and education reform advocates who traveled across the state to gather outside of the Louisiana Supreme Court in New Orleans to show their support of the Louisiana Scholarship Program.

Washington Post: That rapid change — particularly on what had long been a divisive social issue — is remarkable in an age of politics where the entrenchment of the two parties seems close to permanent. And, it begs the question: What the heck happened? The answer comes in two parts — one well understood, the other less so.

NY Times: Ban on Gay Marriage Led Lawyers to Shift Role
John C. Eastman, a law professor at Chapman University in Orange, Calif., and the chairman of the National Association for Marriage, which opposes same-sex marriage, said government officials in the two cases had demonstrated “a cavalier attitude toward their duties to enforce the law.” He was particularly critical of Mr. Herrera’s suit, which followed a brief period in 2004 during which Gavin Newsom, then the mayor of San Francisco and now the state’s lieutenant governor, instructed city officials here to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. “It was exhibiting lawlessness,” Professor Eastman said.

CNSNews: The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded $2.7 million to study why lesbians are at a higher “risk for hazardous drinking.” The University of Illinois has received grants since 2009 for its project, “Cumulative Stress and Hazardous Drinking in a Community of Adult Lesbians” . . .

Yahoo News: In the annals of the Most Disastrous Shows Ever, there is a new entry. Folk-rock singer Michelle Shocked had the plug pulled on her concert Sunday night after launching into an anti-gay-marriage speech that led most of the audience to walk out.

NCPA Policy Digest: There is substantial evidence that choice raises the quality of education in public, charter and private schools and improves educational outcomes. Arizona is a national leader on school choice, says Jonathan Butcher, education director at the Goldwater Institute.

George F. Will at Washington Post: When on March 26 the Supreme Court hears oral arguments about whether California’s ban on same-sex marriages violates the constitutional right to “equal protection of the laws,” these arguments will invoke the intersection of law and social science. The court should tread cautiously, if at all, on this dark and bloody ground.

Nathaniel Frank at Slate: “His rejection of the social science on gay marriage is incoherent, embarrassing, and anti-gay.”

Michael Barone at National Review: If opinion continues to move toward same-sex marriage, it will be a tough issue for Republicans, since most of their voters currently are opposed. But it will be a tough issue for some Democrats as well, since many black voters are staunchly opposed.

NY Times: In December, however, when Coy, 6, was a few months into the first grade, the Mathises angrily pulled her out of school after being told that she could no longer use the girls’ bathroom but could instead use a gender-neutral restroom.

AP: Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton announced her support for gay marriage Monday, putting her in line with other potential Democratic presidential candidates on a social issue that is rapidly gaining public approval.

LifeSiteNews: Reporters in the liberal media had a rare fit of bipartisanship recently when they learned some Republicans had signed a brief with the Supreme Court supporting same-sex “marriage.” A veritable avalanche of stories proclaimed this tiny group the new chiefs of the Republican Party.a

Thomas White at Baptist Press: But we haven’t told our kids about all the consequences — emotion and physical. Abortions leave one dead and one wounded. Extramarital sex (and pornography) leaves emotional scars that affect intimacy in marriage for years to come

Public Opinion: The American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania has agreed to give Chambersburg Area School District an extension amounting to three more business days to reverse a decision that blocked a Gay-Straight Alliance from forming at Chambersburg Area Senior High School.

MTPRNews: A bill to remove a state law criminalizing homosexual sex continues its path through the legislature.

CNN: The placement of a hand or positioning of the groom contains assumptions about physicality and gender roles that often don’t apply to same-sex couples or even nontraditional straight couples.

GLAD: GLAD initially filed the lawsuit, known as Doe v. Clenchy, after officials at an Orono elementary school denied our client the use of the girls’ restroom and other facilities and restricted her participation in school activities. The school had previously allowed Doe to use the girls’ restroom without incident until one of her male classmates began making it an issue with coaching from his grandfather. Doe also suffered a campaign of harassment and bullying for over two school years at the hands of this classmate, whom the school failed to discipline

AP: The chairman of a northern Michigan Indian tribe has signed a bill authorizing same-sex marriage and plans to officiate at the wedding of two men.

J. Daniel Hammond at Public Discourse: The positivist turn in the understanding of reality and the related claim that empirical science is the only source of knowledge have created a faith that economics, or psychology, or neurology, or evolutionary history can potentially explain all that can be known of human behavior. Modern scholars, economists included, are trapped in a ditch that was first dug four centuries ago with the dawning of the “Enlightenment.” The ditch is now so deep that they cannot see over the top. As Pope Benedict pointed out in his address to the science faculties of the University of Regensburg, if all knowledge is based on science and science is restricted to empirically falsifiable statements, then it is man himself who ends up being reduced. Economists have made a significant contribution to the reduction of marriage and family to the merely mundane.

WDTV.com: On Friday, the state Senate is scheduled to vote on a bill that would make a marriage voidable if either party without the other’s knowledge has been convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year in jail.

MinnPost: From their cell phones to their emails to their Capitol hangouts, the men and women who are lobbying Republican legislators to support gay marriage are shouting, “Let freedom ring.”

Daniel Foster at National Review: Han van Lohuizen, a former George W. Bush pollster with a Ph.D. from Rice, is on a mission to show that opposition to same-sex marriage is a political and demographic dead end, propped up by a shrinking core of the old, the undereducated, and the highly churched. Bitter clingers, if you will, to the idea of traditional marriage.

AP: New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman urged the NFL on Tuesday to investigate whether possible draft picks were improperly asked about their sexual orientation during the league’s combine, which he said would be illegal in New York.

The Hill: Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said Wednesday that while he believes in the “historic and religious definition of marriage,” he believes the federal tax code should be reformed in a way to make it “more neutral” and not exclude same-sex couples.

Providence Journal: Ciccone’s bill calls for a statewide vote on a proposed amendment to the state Constitution that would say: “Marriage is the legally-recognized union of two people. The right of the people to marry shall not be denied on the basis of the gender of the parties.”

LifeSiteNews: An expert on sexual ethics and pornography has used a disturbing new report out of the UK to describe how the culture of easy access to pornography and sexual promiscuity is destroying a generation of young people.

James Taranto at Wall Street Journal: “President Barack Obama said he could not imagine a circumstance in which a state banning gay marriage was legal,” the Puffington Host reports. The comment came during an interview with Clinton aide turned ABC Newsman George Stephanopoulos, who asked Obama, in the Puffington paraphrase, “whether gay marriage was a right under the Constitution.”

Ed Whelan at National Review: There is a lot wrong with the Supreme Court brief filed by Ted Olson and David Boies on behalf of the anti-Prop 8 plaintiffs in Hollingsworth v. Perry. Prop 8’s proponents will of course address the major argument flaws in their reply brief (due March 19). In a few posts, I’m instead going to expose some of the lesser myths and distortions that the brief propagates. Let’s get started . . .

CNSNews: etween 1969 and 2012, when there were 49,485,000 students in elementary and high school, the percentage of students eating any category of federally subsidized lunch increased from about 40 percent to about 64 percent. At the same time, the percentage eating “free” lunches increased from about 6 percent to about 38 percent — a more than sixfold increase.

Reuters: In Kentucky, a Bible Belt state where voters have passed a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, the movement to promote gay rights has two factions. One seeks to overturn discrimination through a legislative path, admitting it faces long odds. The other wants to break down barriers to gay marriage with demonstrations and civil disobedience.

William W. Beach and Ryan T. Anderson at Public Discourse: When the Supreme Court hears oral arguments on the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) later this month, many casual observers will focus on what they call the fairness of redefining marriage. Interestingly, though, the dispute at the heart of the DOMA case could have been avoided had Congress enacted fairer tax reform years ago.

Cal Thomas at Fox News: What advocates for same-sex marriage should be asked is whether they consider any other human relationship worthy of similar constitutional protection and based on what standard? The Constitution doesn’t guarantee the right to marry. States, …

Baptist Press: As public policy continues to change on the issue, a LifeWay Research poll shows 58 percent of American adults believe homosexuality is a civil rights issue and 64 percent say it is inevitable same-sex marriage will become legal throughout the United States.

Washington Post: The study was conducted by researchers at National Jewish Health in Denver, who studied the sleep patterns of 2,612 students, including nearly 500 homeschoolers.

Ruth Institute: A bill has been filed in the Iowa House that would prevent no-fault divorce between parents with minor children was debated yesterday in subcommittee. The bill, House File 338 . . .

Illinois Review: As marriage redefinition proponents and opponents lobby legislators, it seems like the same sex marriage bill (SB 10) may be 10 votes short in the Illinois House. The bill’s sponsor, Democrat State Rep. Greg Harris needs 60 votes to make gay marriage the new law of the land. Governor Pat Quinn has already committed to signing the bill.

LifeSiteNews: Critics are asking why a new Quinnipiac poll is claimimg that the majority of America Catholics suport same-sex “marriage” when suppressed data reveals the numbers are almost exactly reversed for the faithful.

LifeSiteNews: After the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) denied a featured role to a homosexual “marriage” advocacy organization, one of CPAC’s sponsors has decided to hold a panel promoting the acceptance of homosexuality at the annual gathering.

Dale Carpenter at Volokh Conspiracy: Two committees of the Minnesota legislature, one from each house, will consider legislation tomorrow to legalize same-sex marriage in the state.

Reuters: Edith Windsor and Thea Spyer, the lesbian couple at the center of a major gay rights case set to go before the Supreme Court this month, were in many ways a typical New York power couple.

Keen News Service: It is hard to overstate the potential impact of the upcoming U.S. Supreme Court cases concerning marriage for same-sex couples. The primary questions posed by the two cases—Hollingsworth v. Perry involving Proposition 8 and U.S. v. Windsor involving the Defense of Marriage Act—could lead to rulings that dramatically advance the equality of LGBT people under the law. But the Supreme Court may end up issuing no ruling in either case.  How is that possible?

LifeSiteNews: The Boy Scouts of America are asking for citizens across the country to express their opinion about the BSA’s policy barring open homosexuals from joining the group as members or scoutmasters. In a tiny link at the top of their website, the Scouts announced their review of the policy. A second link simply asks readers, “Share your feedback.”

Christian Institute: One unnamed local Tory association has seen membership nose-dive from 850 to 550 largely because of gay marriage, the Daily Express reports. It follows news that big money donors have stopped giving to the party because of the Prime Minister’s obsession with the issue.

MPR News: Two public hearings are planned this week on legislation that would legalize same-sex marriage in Minnesota. The House Civil Law Committee and Senate Judiciary Committee are both scheduled to take up the bill on Tuesday.

Frank Kacer at Washington Times: But President Obama apparently knows better. By “evolving” in his understanding of marriage, and disregarding the federal separation of powers, Obama used the full weight of the Executive Branch to file an amicus brief challenging California’s right to define marriage by claiming a violation of the 14th Amendment equal protection clause.

Washington Times: “It is not an exaggeration to call the [Proposition 8 case] Hollingsworth v. Perry the ‘Roe v. Wade for marriage . . . ’”

Patrick Fagan at Public Discourse: The Supreme Court first put marriage on its track of decline forty-one years ago, when it ruled that states could not limit the sale of contraceptives to married couples.

Daily Caller: Longtime social conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly has asked the Republican National Committee to reaffirm the party’s opposition to same-sex marriage at its next meeting.

ABC: A majority of Catholics, 54 percent, now support gay marriage, compared to 47 percent of all Americans, according to a new Quinnipiac Universitypoll.

Washington Post: A new Quinnipiac poll out today drives this home with striking clarity . . . The poll finds that a plurality of Americans supports same sex marriage, 47-43. But dig into the internals and you find that the groups that increasingly make up the main pillars of the Democratic coalition support it in much larger numbers. Hispanics: 63-32. Young voters: 62-30. College educated whites: 59-32. White women: 50-40.

Chicago Tribune: Illinois Republican Party leaders are scheduled to gather behind closed doors Saturday to discuss the fate of state GOP Chairman Pat Brady following his endorsement of same-sex marriage.

The Economist: The problem is that nine states (plus Washington, DC) allow gay marriage, and three others recognise gay unions solemnised elsewhere. This conflict between federal and state law creates all sorts of headaches, such as separate payroll systems and differing tax treatment of health-care benefits. “Even sophisticated employers struggle,” the brief says.

WBUR.org (AP): Massachusetts Democrats are faulting Republican U.S. Senate hopeful Michael Sullivan on the issue of gay marriage even as Sullivan scrambled to say he opposes a federal law that bars benefits for same-sex couples.

Randy Barnett at Volokh Conspiracy: Because I am facing a hard deadline for revisions for a second edition of Restoring the Lost Constitution, I have not been able to formulate a reply to the criticisms of the amicus brief I joined — along with co-bloggers Ilya, Jonathan and Dale — in which we contended that DOMA exceeded the enumerated powers of Congress to enact, and violated the Equal Protection Clause because it served no proper federal interest. Happily, Duke law professor Ernie Young, the principal author of the brief, has formulated a reply. Here it is . . .

Jonathan Adler at Volokh Conspiracy: As Dale noted here, several VC contributors joined a federalism scholars amicus brief in United States v. Windsor arguing that Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act transgresses the limitations on federal power. Our brief questions whether it is proper for the federal government to seek to defend a traditional conception of marriage in response to state decisions to recognize same-sex marriage under state law.

Doug Mainwaring at Public Discourse: While religion and tradition have led many to their positions on same-sex marriage, it’s also possible to oppose same-sex marriage based on reason and experience.

Bill Clinton at the Washington Post: When I signed the bill, I included a statement with the admonition that “enactment of this legislation should not, despite the fierce and at times divisive rhetoric surrounding it, be understood to provide an excuse for discrimination.” Reading those words today, I know now that, even worse than providing an excuse for discrimination, the law is itself discriminatory. It should be overturned.

AP: Sensing a political advantage, Senate Democrats offered an expanded law that specifically protects gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender Americans and gives tribal authorities the power to prosecute non-Indians for abuse committed on tribal lands.

CNSNews: The State Department’s website features travel information for gay, lesbian, bi-sexual and transgender individuals, including advice on getting a temporary passport if you are a transgender in transition.

Leslie Grimard at Public Discourse: No one wants to return to the 1950s as Betty Friedan characterized them, where women felt blocked from pursuing interests outside the home. At the same time, to insist that stay-at-home moms are trapped, desperate, and unhappy is naïve, insulting, and even damaging to the roots of society.

NY Post: The numbers are staggering. Out of 120,000 live births in New York City in 2010, more than 54,000 babies were born out of wedlock. The human toll behind the numbers is devastating. Children raised without two parents face much higher odds in every facet of life. It’s as if they are forced to swim with one hand tied behind their backs.

John S. Hamlon at Catholic World Report: Why natural law arguments for marriage—while very important—are not enoug

Rasmussen: Fifty-nine percent (59%), though, say that is no longer possible, up from 55% in late January and the highest level of pessimism in over four years of surveying.

John Flynn at Zenit: “Marriage is in crisis because it has become nothing more than an adult centric institution, no longer the foundation of the family, in the minds of an increasing number of people,” he commented.

NC Register: Those who testified against a Colorado civil unions bill last week included a Catholic man with same-sex attraction and a Colorado attorney general who was adopted through Catholic Charities.

Ed Whelan at National Review Bench Memos: Taking the opposite position, an amicus brief submitted by six “federalism scholars” in the pending challenge to DOMA (in United States v. Windsor) contends that section 3 “is an unconstitutional and unprecedented incursion into States’ police powers.” I find the brief’s arguments badly confused and utterly unpersuasive. Let’s consider them . . .