Category Archives: Global: Marriage and Family

AP: Going against a trend in Africa, Malawi’s government is moving to suspend laws against homosexuality and has ordered police not to arrest people for same-sex acts until the anti-gay laws are reviewed by parliament.

Pro Life Blogs: Irish voters will take up a referendum this Saturday to decide whether or not to surrender their parental rights to the government. The referendum would insert a “child rights” amendment into the Irish constitution and open families up to forced adoptions and the use of the “best interests of the child” standard in “all proceedings.”

Telegraph: A judge has warned a mother to stop poisoning her children against her lesbian ex-partner after hearing how the couple have fought a bitter ten year custody battle costing hundreds of thousands of pounds.

NY Times: If the French bill passes, France will become the 12th country, including Britain, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Spain and Sweden, to make its marriage laws “gender neutral.” In Germany, registered same-sex couples have essentially the same legal rights as married heterosexual couples, but same-sex marriage is not legal.

Christian Institute: Equalities Minister Maria Miller says the Government will publish the results of its consultation on redefining marriage before Christmas. The Government says it has received a staggering 228,000 responses – the largest number in British Government history.

AP: President Francois Hollande’s Cabinet pushed ahead with a controversial French bill Wednesday that could see gay marriage legalized early next year, defying vocal opposition in the majority Catholic country from religious leaders

Christian Institute: A man who wanted his three children to be brought up in his Islamic faith instead of their mother’s Christian beliefs has failed in his court bid. The children will continue to be raised with their Scottish mother but can be taught about Islam when visiting their father. The mother was not a practising Christian until she split from her Muslim husband, when she started taking her children to church and Sunday school.

Christian Institute: Britain’s youngest sex swap patient has decided to reverse the procedure after living as a woman for less than a year.

Christian Institute: Parents in the East End of Glasgow were shocked to be asked about their sex lives, so that their pre-school children would get “gay-friendly” lessons.

Christian Institute: Over 1,000 French mayors are calling for the scrapping of controversial proposals to redefine marriage, as President Hollande faces mounting opposition over the issue.

San Francisco Chroncle: Now, as the Socialist government prepares to unveil its draft “marriage for everyone” law Wednesday, polls show wavering support for the idea and for the president himself amid increasingly vocal opposition in this majority-Catholic country.

Globe and Mail: Ms. Wynne, the first openly lesbian politician at Queen’s Park, has held several cabinet portfolios during her nine years in office, including transportation and education. She resigned last Friday from the dual positions of municipal affairs and housing and aboriginal affairs to jump into the leadership race.

Ed News: Countless tears were shed at the first Global Home Education Conference here as homeschooling parents told horror stories of having to flee vicious persecution in their home countries – mostly Sweden and Germany, but other places as well.

AP: Spain’s Constitutional Court is expected to rule on an appeal against the country’s gay marriage law, seven years after the legislation was approved.

NY Daily News: Malawi minister has ordered laws against same-sex marriage to be put on hold as lawmakers debate whether to repeal current legislation

Huffington Post: The political hot potato has exposed divisions between urban France, where homosexuality is widely accepted, and the rural heartland, where conservative attitudes hold sway. Unusually for this strictly secular country, it has also brought religious views to the foreground.

Bradley Miller at Public Discourse: The effects of same-sex civil marriage in Canada–restrictions on free speech rights, parental rights in education, and autonomy rights of religious institutions, along with a weakening of the marriage culture–provide lessons for the United States

AP: Q: WHAT COUNTRIES HAVE LEGALIZED GAY MARRIAGE?

BBC: A mother and father in Pakistani-administered Kashmir have been arrested for murdering their 15-year-old daughter by dousing her with acid “in the name of an honour”, police say.

BBC: The Office for National Statistics (ONS) data suggests the number of people who cohabit has doubled to 2.9 million since 1996.

Christian Institute: Research shows 59% of youngsters wish they could spend more time with their mum and dad. The study from the Family and Parenting Institute also shows that one in eight parents admitted to only giving their children their full attention “once or twice a week.”

Christian Institute: Government plans to redefine marriage are “disingenuous” and marriage will “eventually unravel altogether”, a law professor has said. Professor Julian Rivers, an editor-in-chief of the Oxford Journal of Law and Religion, said the Government was being “disingenuous” by falsely claiming a distinction between civil and religious marriage

C-FAM: The OHCHR has become a principal promoter in the UN system of new special rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons. The African Group and other delegations asked the Ms. Pillay to concentrate on “universally recognized human rights.” Roughly half of all UN member states perceive the efforts of the OHCHR to advance LGBT rights as offensive, given the many pressing human rights issues they face.

World Net Daily: Norbert Blum, a prominent member of Angela Merkel’s German CDU party who served as Helmut Kohl’s minister of labor for 16 years, has said Germany’s modern education system is “usurping” children and ignoring the important role parents must play in education.

LifeSiteNews: An MPP who sponsored what critics call the “bathroom bill” was irked by a mail drop in her riding last Saturday that questioned her leadership and called for a repeal of the bill.

LifeSiteNews: Court of Appeal judges turned down a mother’s plea not to have her two children adopted by a homosexual couple. The mother of the two boys, aged four and six, appealed an earlier court decision that ruled she was incapable of looking after her children because of alcoholism, when she discovered that councillors in the north London borough of Camden had decided the boys would be placed with two homosexual men.

Christian Institute reports and embeds the video.

Christian Institute: Brighton Council is thinking of banning the use of ‘Mr’ and ‘Mrs’ in official documents, all in the name of equality. The barmy proposal has been suggested following a council survey into the lives of transsexual resident

Christian Institute: The French Socialist Government, which has vowed to legalise gay marriage, says the plans must include “assisted human procreation” for gay couples. But the proposal has hit the buffers following a strong reaction from conservative politicians and religious leaders in France. And it seems that gay marriage will no longer be fast tracked through the French National Assembly as previously proposed.

LifeSiteNews: Some time ago we informed our readers about an attempt by the taxpayer-funded EU “Fundamental Rights Agency” to push the LGBT agenda through a grotesquely manipulated opinion poll. The apparent purpose of that poll, which, albeit carried out bu the renowned Gallup Institute, faild to meet even the most basic scientific standards for such surveys, was to provide credibility to the assertion that gays and lesbians are the victims of “discrimination”.

Christian Institute: A homosexual Conservative MP says there is “no clamour” for redefining marriage within the homosexual community. Conor Burns, an MP in the south of England, said he was baffled by the Government’s move to bring in same-sex marriage.

C-FAM: The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is continuing to spearhead efforts to make lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights into human rights. The efforts range from engaging in advocacy within the UN system, to issuing glossy publications directed at the public, like the most recent one, “Born Free and Equal: Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in International Human Rights Law”.

LifeSiteNews: Irish pro-life and family observers are warning that an upcoming referendum to amend the constitution regarding the “rights of the child” is in reality a “power grab of monstrous proportions” by government aimed at erasing the natural rights of parents and of children.

Christian Institute: He will say: “What is the point of canvassing the views of the electorate and then cynically discarding them?” And he is set to comment, “if you think we are sliding down a road to state fascism and intolerance, you may not be far wrong”.

StCatherinesStandard.ca: Saudi millionaires who flout Canadian laws by arriving with multiple wives will be kicked out if immigration authorities find they lied about their polygamous relationships.

Telegraph: A former SNP leader will tell the party’s conference this week that Alex Salmond’s plans to legalise gay marriage are a step towards “state fascism”.

Christian Institute: A tax break for married couples – which was promised in the Tory manifesto – should be introduced as soon as possible, Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith has said.

Edmonton Journal: On Saturday, Gordon introduced a resolution at the annual synod of the diocese of Edmonton requesting that clergy members be allowed to ask the bishop for permission to similarly bless the unions of same-sex couples. After four hours of emotionally charged debate in the crowded hall at St. Matthias Church, more than 200 delegates passed the motion by a healthy majority. With it, Edmonton became the seventh diocese among 30 in the country to take the step, which some Anglicans find controversial and others a long time in coming.

The Australian: TASMANIA is getting no hints from federal Attorney-General Nicola Roxon as its upper house considers an investigation into whether a state-based same-sex marriage law would be constitutional.

allAfrica.com: THE issue of same sex marriage has been rejected by citizens contributing their views in the on-going collection exercise by the Constitution Review Commission here. Speaking at various meetings in Kiloboi, Uleno, Kaselya in Iramba district and in Nduguti, Gumanga, Kinampanda and Mwangeza in Mkalama district over the weekend, the subject of same sex marriage received the wrath from contributors who said that the next constitution should put it clear that same sex marriage is a crime.

Christian Institute: London Mayor Boris Johnson says the nation needs “to move beyond the Stone Age” by redefining marriage.

Daily Mail: Married couples will be in the minority in little more than a generation and half of all children can now expect to see their parents separate, a shocking report reveals today. The Centre for Social Justice, the think tank set up by Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith, says marriage is increasingly the preserve of the middle and upper classes.

AFP on Google News: France on Wednesday named October 31 as the date when a draft law authorising gay marriage will be approved by government ministers, amid mounting opposition to the proposed legislation.

Peter Smith at MercatorNet: Peter Smith considers where the same-sex marriage debate lies in Britain today. There are foreseen consequences of redefinition: the severe hindrance of the freedom of expression and the reasonable manifestation of religious belief, and a profound effect on the provision of fundamental public services.

Christian Post: A prominent policy analyst in the United Kingdom has publicly stated that the continued push for same-sex marriage by Members of Parliament have caused unnecessary divisions within the governmental body.

AP: A Malaysian court on Thursday dismissed an attempt by a group of transsexuals to challenge a law that bars Muslim men from wearing women’s clothes.

Christian Institute: The Church of Scotland has been accused of the “systematic dismantling of the true gospel” over the ordination of homosexual ministers. Revd Paul Gibson, who left over the issue, says the Kirk is pursuing an “erroneous liberal agenda”.

BBC: The foreign secretary and chancellor have both said they will back the introduction of same-sex marriage when MPs are given a free vote on the issue.

Christian Institute: The widespread grassroots opposition to David Cameron’s plan to redefine marriage has been revealed by a new poll. According to the poll over 70 per cent of Conservative Party Constituency Chairmen think the proposals should be scrapped.

LifeSiteNews: Delegations from European Countries and the United States suffered a setback last week when the Human Rights Council adopted a resolution affirming a positive link between traditional values and human rights. The European and U.S. delegations view traditional values as threats to women, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual persons.

Volokh Conspiracy: So report RIA Novosti, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, the Kyiv Post, and Lenta.ru (in Russian). From the Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty story: The draft, approved by lawmakers on October 2, would make what it calls “promotion of homosexuality” — defined as taking action to create a positive portrayal of gays — a crime.

AP: Serbia’s police on Wednesday banned a gay pride march in Belgrade, citing security concerns but also complying with a request from Serbia’s Christian Orthodox church.

HSLDA: Arguing that homeschooling damages children and is an abuse of parental authority, a German district court in Darmstadt transferred the custody rights of Dirk and Petra Wunderlich’s four children to the Jugendamt, Germany’s child protective agency.

Christian Institute: Canada, which has allowed same-sex marriage, is now embroiled in a row over a poster which promotes polygamy in schools. The poster declares: “Love has no gender” and shows a variety of relationships including an image of one man and two women, and two men and one woman. Toronto District School Board has tried to defend the poster, but has come under fire for being “blind” to its effect.

LifeSiteNews: When it comes to major life decisions, who in his right mind wouldn’t choose what sounded like more fun and less work? This, according to one observer, is the rationale behind a new trend in Canada: childlessness.

Australian: For the first time, the Government’s paid parental leave for fathers will be extended to dads who whose partner is another dad. Two women who become mums are also eligible for the paid leave.

Christian Institute: The Labour Party has been accused of being “brutal” and “illiberal” amid reports that it is “highly likely” to force its MPs to vote for gay marriage whether they like it or not.

Christian Institute: A poll of MPs shows that most voters who write to them about the plans to redefine marriage are opposed to the measure.

Christian Institute: A motion to support redefining marriage has today been defeated in the Northern Ireland Assembly.

SMH.com.au: Gay marriage advocates have vowed to keep campaigning as numbers mount against them in the first attempt at pioneering state-based same sex marriage.

C-FAM: A surprise attempt to pass the UN Disability treaty in the U.S. Senate last Thursday was thwarted when Senator Mike Lee announced he and 36 other senators object to passing any treaty at this time. The 37 senators are enough to block treaties.

Christian Institute: Parents who home-school their children could be forced to register with their local council, under new Welsh Government proposals.

Fox News: But the Catholic singer, a long-time defender of gay rights, hit back at his comments on French radio. “I think that gay marriage is going to happen. It must.” she said. We are not actually equal—humanity—if we are not allowed to freely love one another.
“What the Pope thinks of being gay does not matter to the world. It matters to the people who like the Pope and follow the Pope. It is not a reflection of all religious people.”

The Guardian: The new Socialist government’s determination to abolish prostitution has the whole country in debate. But what do the sex workers think of the plan?

Christian Institute: A former senior advisor to Nick Clegg says supporters of traditional marriage are “bigots” and Mr Clegg should have said so in a speech last week.

C-FAM: UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon courted controversy last week when he told nations on the Human Rights Council to place lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transsexual rights and reproductive rights at the forefront of the United Nations human rights agenda.

AP: A British soldier has given birth to a boy while serving in Afghanistan at the same desert camp where Prince Harry is deployed and a Taliban attack last week killed two U.S. Marines.

Christian Institute: But one critic accused the Minister of “undermining” the Government’s consultation on the issue by commenting “before it has had a chance to analyse the 228,000 responses it received”.

LifeSiteNews: Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird told a gathering in Montreal on Friday that Canada will continue to promote homosexual rights as a key component of foreign policy.

Chicago Tribune: Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, whose wedding plans appeared to have been thwarted when a court ruled he was already wed to a former flame, pressed ahead with his marriage on Saturday under a custom that permits polygamy.

allAfrica.com: Rokhaya*, a 23-year-old university graduate who earlier this year was forced to marry a 48-year-old rich man, agrees: “Polygamy is hell and a pack of lies.”

Christian Institute: Mums have told a study that they would like to stay at home and look after their children but financial pressures are forcing them back to work. According to research for a money advice service, 75 per cent of new mothers would remain at home if money was no object.

SMH.com.au: THE Premier, Barry O’Farrell, will allow Coalition MPs a conscience vote on a bill to legalise same-sex marriage, which a cross-party group of MPs will introduce this year.

LifeSiteNews: As a Calgary lobby group threatens a lawsuit against the city’s Catholic school district over its opposition to the HPV vaccine, the city’s bishop is questioning their chances.

LifeSiteNews: The Hamilton-area Christian father who is suing the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board after the board refused his repeated requests over two years to withdraw his children from classes dealing with homosexuality and other sensitive issues, is coming under attack from the local newspaper, The Spectator.