[Active-l] (NEWS) Today's Cultural Warfare Update

[Dara (R'ykandar Korra'ti)]

This is an incomplete update, but it's got some good bits in it, if  
by "good," you mean "awful," as I usually do in these things. Sorry  
about the incompleteness, I'll try to get caught up more tomorrow.

No Room for Contraception - website working against contraception  
rights, as the next step to follow the ending of abortion rights.  
Asserts first and foremost that birth control causes abortion. Yes,  
really. Also includes assertions such as the rhythm method being the  
only valid method of birth control, that condoms don't prevent  
conception or STD spread, that most hormonal forms of birth control  
"can act as... abortifacient[s]" and so on; it's overtly theological;  
link courtesy Livejournal user elfs;

Moscow mayor calls gay pride parade "satanic," vows he will never  
allow one; last year's was assaulted by right-wing protesters and  
broken up by the police, with many participants detained;

Focus on the Family news article opposes "abortion reduction" bill  
because it's pro-birth-control, and again issues the "emergency  
contraception can cause abortions" meme, which, as I've noted many  
times in these CWUs, is a lie;

FotF condemns reciprocal beneficiaries (civil unions, sorta) bill in  
Hawai'i;

FotF story condemning San Francisco officials for not condemning a  
porn company doesn't mention that the building they're moving into is  
a national landmark that the company in question is saving; it's been  
empty for years and the company plans to restore it under landmark  
guidelines, as well as using portions of it as a film studio. I've  
seen pictures, it's a great building and I'm glad someone is going to  
step forward to restore it;

FotF advertises an Pennsylvania theocon political organisation workshop;

FotF: Texas AG calls for abortion prosecutions via the Texas  
Occupations Code;

FotF: South Carolina anti-marriage amendment working its way through  
the legislature;

FotF: National media "ignore public-school sex scandals"; Concerned  
Women for America's Robert Knight says that if it weren't for the  
implied cover-up, Americans would be reconsidering the validity of  
public schools as an institution; CWA has flirted with the Exodus  
Mandate effort in the past;

FotF: attempt to ban courts from hearing challenges to the "Under  
God" portion of the Pledge of Allegiance introduced in Congress  
again; it's of interest mostly because of the extended and continuing  
attack on the independent judiciary;

FotF article condemning a state court ruling saying that Arizona  
cannot exempt transport for medical care involving abortion from  
their prisoner medical care transport system;

FotF: "Episcopal diocese of Virginia is threatening to defrock  
priests who follow biblical teaching on homosexuality" - which is to  
say, Focus on the Family's vision of biblical teaching, which is to  
say, fags all burn in hell;

Wyoming anti-marriage legislation being worked on; Focus calls it  
"one of the toughest... in the nation," which presumably means it  
compares to Virginia's, which bans any hint of anything like civil  
unions, recognition of parental rights, and so on; if it's tougher,  
it may have the original Virginia language which threw out contract  
rights between GBLT people, but I haven't seen the text;

FotF promotes the American Family Association claim that their anti- 
gay boycott of Ford is in part responsible for Ford Motor Company  
losses; the AFA is condemning Ford for advertising to GBLT people and  
demanding all such advertising, as well as all anti-discrimination  
activities and so on, stop;

FotF condemns Santa Cruz city council action to join the Pro-Choice  
City Campaign;

FotF, other groups, condemn sex education funding; the interesting  
part here is the headline, "NARAL Tells President Bush What to Do";

FotF critical of State of the Union address for not addressing the  
theocon social agenda; wanted mentions of abortion, stem-cell  
research, a Federal marriage ban;

FotF happy with Sen. Brownback for reintroducing "Foetal pain  
awareness act" in the latest variation - the point, as always, is to  
get doctors parroting theocon positions at abortion-seeking women;

FotF supports HR223, which would send Federal funding to anti- 
abortion "pregnancy resource centres";

Focus on the Family is very happy that "three states want to bring  
sacredness back to marriage," which is to say, three state  
legislatures (Michigan, Wisconsin, and Virginia) have bills floating  
around which would bar "no-fault" divorce; the practical effect would  
be that both partners have to agree to divorce, and if one doesn't  
want to, the other is screwed. There are exceptions - for now, anyway  
- in the bills;

Concerned Women for America condemns a German teenager's gender  
reassignment; CWA's Matt Barber declares "the homosexual agenda" to  
be of a "truly destructive, bleak and evil nature";

CWA calls upon membership to support "Pledge of Allegiance Act,"  
which would prohibit court challenges as described above;

CWA links to a newspaper article about a Dr. William Struthers going  
around saying pr0n is "crack for the eyes," and "just as addicting,  
or more so, than drugs"; anybody know anything about this guy?;

CWA links to commentary condemning the HPV vaccine - that prevents  
cervical cancer - on the Washington Times. The columist, Terence P.  
Jeffrey, calls the vaccination shot "an invasive procedure [the  
child] does not want and may not need," and asserts that including it  
in the standard vaccine regimen is "aimed at socializing the risk of  
promiscuous sexual behaviour" and says it's aimed at "creating  
[liberals'] sought-after, if never attainable, Utopia where people  
can engage in promiscuous sex without fear of consequence";

Christian Post, Concerned Women for America condemn Sundance Film  
Festival;

Concerned Women for America's Mike Mears cranky about rumours that  
California governor Schwarzenegger may be willing to sign a GBLT  
marriage bill if the legislature passes it again.


----- 1 -----
FAQ -- Frequently Asked Questions
No Room for Contraception
Online as of 27 January 2007

http://www.noroomforcontraception.com/Resources/Birth-Control-FAQ.htm

If you have a question for the No Room for Contraception team, send  
an e mail to info at nrfc.net, and we'll post the answer here.

1. What is No Room for Contraception purpose? Why and how did you  
decide to start it?

The purpose of No Room for Contraception is to expose the harms of  
contraception on marriage, society and women's health. Both pro- 
choice and pro-life forces know that the end to legal abortion is  
coming soon, and many think that we should turn to contraception to  
decrease the need for abortion; the widespread availability and use  
of contraception, however, is what created the need for abortion in  
the first place.

2. What different methods of artificial birth control are there?

The three different kinds of artificial birth control are chemical  
contraception, barrier contraception and surgical sterilization.  
Emergency contraception (also known as Plan B or the morning-after  
pill) is a type of chemical contraception.

3. Does No Room for Contraception oppose all methods of birth control  
including condoms?

No Room for Contraception opposes all artificial methods of birth  
control. We support the use of Natural Family Planning for prevention  
of pregnancy.

Condoms are proven ineffective much of the time in preventing both  
the transmission of STDs and in preventing pregnancy. By promoting  
condoms, people are given a false hope and are only encouraged to  
continue to engage in risky and extramarital sexual activity. This  
increase in sexual activity increases disease. In the late 1950s,  
there were only two known types of STDs; now, there are almost 50! If  
condoms lived up to the expectations of birth control proponents,  
there would be less disease, not more.

4. What is Natural Family Planning?

Natural Family Planning (NFP) is a scientific method of determining  
the time a woman ovulates. The time of ovulation is the only time out  
of a month that a woman can become pregnant and is called the fertile  
time. Using the NFP method requires that the couple have self-control  
in order to avoid sexual relations during the wife’s fertile time in  
order to prevent pregnancy.

5. Is No Room for Contraception a Catholic organization?

The founders of No Room for Contraception are Catholic, however this  
is not a Catholic organization. The purpose and goal of No Room for  
Contraception is to expose the harms that artificial contraception  
brings to marriage and society, and this goal does not require belief  
in any religious tradition. The Catholic Church has been the only  
major Christian religion to firmly oppose artificial contraception.  
Her many documents clearly and prophetically explain this teaching.  
Because of Her firm leadership against the use of chemical  
contraception, No Room for Contraception has links to the major  
Catholic Church documents on this topic, and draws heavily from the  
works of Catholic theologians and scholars.

[More at URL]


----- 2 -----
Moscow mayor: Gay parades are ‘satanic’
He rules out allowing event; activists vow to march anyway
Associated Press
Updated: 3:58 p.m. AKT Jan 29, 2007

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16874960/from/RS.4/

MOSCOW - Moscow's mayor vowed Monday never to allow a gay rights  
parade, calling such events "satanic," but activists said they would  
defy a city ban.

Yury Luzhkov and city authorities barred activists from staging a  
parade last year, citing the threat of violence. Activists ignored  
the ban and were attacked by right-wing protesters and detained by  
police.

Speaking at a Kremlin event attended by the head of the Russian  
Orthodox Church, Luzhkov again lambasted gay and lesbian groups.

"Last year, Moscow came under unprecedented pressure to sanction the  
gay parade, which can be described in no other way than as satanic,"  
he said to applause in comments broadcast on a city-controlled TV  
channel. "We did not let the parade take place then, and we are not  
going to allow it in the future."

[More at URL]


----- 3 -----
Democratic Bills Target 'Pregnancy Reduction'
by Pete Winn, associate editor
Focus on the Family
February 29, 2006

[Received in email; no URL]
Hoping to recast the abortion debate, Democrats in Congress are  
introducing bills that target ways to discourage abortion -- but life  
advocates question just how "pro-life" those bills really are and the  
motivations behind them.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y.,  
introduced a bill that would clearly open access to emergency  
contraceptives -- which can sometimes cause an early abortion.  
[Editor's note: This is not true, but is part of their attempt to  
link contraception in general as somehow the same as abortion. See  
previous CWUs for details, or ask if you're confused.]

In the House, however, a bill, sponsored by Reps. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio,  
and Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., could attract support from some pro- 
lifers, because it sounds good on the surface.
"Our bill would reduce the number of abortions in the country," Ryan  
told CitizenLink. "It has three basic components -- the first is to  
try to prevent unintended pregnancies to the extent that we can, by  
making sure that poor women have access to contraception, birth- 
control pills and the like."
The second component is to increase the adoption tax credit from  
$10,000 to $15,000. The third is to increase family-planning funding  
that routinely goes to condom distribution and comprehensive sex ed.
"If a woman does get pregnant and doesn't intend to, we as a society  
need to do everything we can to help her carry the baby to term,"  
Ryan said. "That is something I hope we can all agree upon."
But Dave Christensen, director of congressional affairs for the  
Family Research Council, said there is significant disagreement about  
the bill -- even among pro-life Democrats.
"It is not being supported by any of the 100-percent pro-life members  
of the House," he said.
Christensen said the bill uses code words like "pregnancy-prevention  
programs" to mask the true impact.
"By that they mean 'condom distribution,' " he said. "But they also  
go so far as to fund 'emergency contraception' -- or Plan B."
Probably the most egregious feature of the bill, however, is the  
increase in funding for family planning.
"The problem is that -- because of regulations from under the Clinton  
administration -- any organization that gets Title X family-planning  
money has to refer for abortion," Christensen said. "That means  
crisis-pregnancy centers, pro-life groups and conservative groups  
cannot get those funds unless they compromise and refer for abortion."
Meanwhile, Planned Parenthood -- the nation's largest abortion  
provider -- would get a huge boost in federal funding for family- 
planning services -- from $283 million a year to $647 million.
"In a nutshell, they are saying, 'We want to reduce abortion by  
funding Planned Parenthood' -- which makes absolutely no sense,"  
Christensen added.
Douglas Johnson, legislative director for the National Right to Life  
Committee, called the Ryan-DeLauro bill "deceptive," but expects it  
to move through the House.
"This is a bill cooked up by a think tank called Third Way, which is  
staffed by veteran pro-abortion activists," Johnson said. "The  
Democratic leadership wants to have it both ways. They want to  
deliver the goods to the pro-abortion side. And they want to create  
the perception that they are creating reasonable policies that  
everybody supports."
Both Christensen and Johnson said there is an alternative Democratic  
bill, sponsored by Rep. Lincoln Davis, D-Tenn., that has the support  
of Democrats for Life as well as many 100-percent pro-life congressmen.

[More at URL]


----- 4 -----
Hawaii Lawmaker Seeks Marriage Benefits for Homosexuals
Focus on the Family
February 29, 2007

[Received in email; no URL]

Legislation that would grant same-sex couples all the rights of  
married couples has been filed in the Hawaii Legislature, The  
Associated Press reported.
State law already allows same-sex couples to become reciprocal  
beneficiaries. In 1998 voters approved a state Constitutional  
amendment that gave the Legislature the power to define marriage, and  
lawmakers defined marriage as the union of one man and one woman.
Eduardo Hernandez, executive director of The LGBT Center, said  
reciprocal benefits aren't enough.
"It offers some benefits for some couples, but does not approach even  
a hint of equality," he said. "The new bill was designed to be as  
equal as possible to marriage and still be constitutionally viable."
But Kelly Rosati, executive director of the Hawaii Family Forum,  
called the bill an attempt by gay activists to circumvent the law  
protecting marriage.
"It's simply everything that is marriage by another name," she said.  
"It is all the rights and benefits of marriage -- but it is called  
civil unions -- and we think it becomes virtually indistinguishable."
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Visit the Hawaii Family Forum Web site. ( http:// 
www.hawaiifamilyforum.org/ )


----- 5 -----
San Francisco Officials Won't Speak Poorly of Porn Studio
Focus on the Family
February 29, 2007

[Received in email; no URL]
People in a San Francisco neighborhood are frustrated with the city's  
lack of concern over plans to turn a vacant, historic building into a  
studio for filming bondage-oriented pornography, The San Francisco  
Chronicle reported.
Roberto Hernandez, a community activist, said he and others are  
asking elected officials to work with them to improve their  
neighborhood -- something that won't be accomplished if a  
pornographer moves in.
"How do you tell a child from a school right down the street they are  
going to be filming pornography there?" he said. "Is it appropriate  
to have a business -- (near) a school -- that is tying up women and  
exploiting them?"
But city officials appeared reluctant to say anything negative about  
a pornographer in the neighborhood.
Amit Ghosh, director of the planning department, said the building is  
zoned for commercial and industrial use -- and that includes film  
production.
"The planning code is not really worried with moral propriety," he said.
Peter Ragone, spokesman for Mayor Gavin Newsome, said that office is  
looking into the concerns.
"You don't want to seem prudish," he said. "The fact that there's  
going to be a bondage and S&M porno studio in the vicinity of schools  
gives pause."
Daniel Weiss, senior analyst for media and sexuality for Focus on the  
Family Action, said people may not be able to count on city officials  
to help them create a family-friendly neighborhood.
"San Francisco officials may have lost their moral bearings long  
ago," he said, "but if these residents are truly concerned about  
bondage films being produced in their neighborhood, they should  
contact the U. S. Department of Justice to investigate possible  
violations of federal obscenity statutes."


----- 6 -----
Pennsylvania Event to Emphasize Taking a Stand for Life
Focus on the Family
January 29, 2007

[Received in email; no URL]

Western Pennsylvanians will be called to stronger support of life  
issues on Feb. 9 and 10.
The event, called Life Support, will be held in Export, Pa., at  
Cornerstone Ministries. Scheduled speakers include Tony Perkins,  
president of the Family Research Council (FRC); Dr. David Prentice,  
senior fellow for life sciences at the center for human life and  
bioethics at FRC; Michael Geer, president of the Pennsylvania Family  
Institute; and Olivia Gans, spokeswoman for National Right to Life.
Breakout seminars will deal with a pro-life worldview, stem-cell  
research, pregnancy-resource center support and ministering to women  
hurt by abortion.
Dr. Donn Chapman, senior pastor of Cornerstone Ministries, said the  
nation is at a point of crisis in protecting preborn life.
"We can never give up because we are right and so much is at stake,"  
he said. "We must do something else and something more."
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Visit Cornerstone Ministries' Web site to learn more. Admission is  
free, but seating is limited.


----- 7 -----
Texas AG Says Illegal Abortion Should Be Prosecuted
Focus on the Family
1-26-2007

http://www.citizenlink.org/CLBriefs/A000003748.cfm

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott issued an opinion Wednesday that  
any physicians who perform late-term abortions on minors without  
parental consent should face jail time and lose their license.

In a letter to Republican Rep. David Swinford, Abbott explained that  
anyone who violates the law is subject to criminal penalties of the  
Texas Occupations Code.

[...]

Swinford asked for clarification because the Texas Penal Code makes  
killing "an unborn child at every stage of gestation from  
fertilization until birth" a crime of capital murder, with exceptions  
when the child's death is caused by the mother or a physician  
performing an abortion.

[More at URL]


----- 8 -----
S.C. Legislature Move Toward Ratifying Marriage Amendment
Focus on the Family
1-26-2007

http://www.citizenlink.org/CLBriefs/A000003747.cfm

South Carolina lawmakers are voting on the ratification of a voter- 
approved state constitutional amendment that defines marriage as the  
union of one man and one woman, The Associated Press reported.

The state Senate has passed it, and it is making its way through the  
House.

[More at URL]


----- 9 -----
National Media Largely Ignore Public-School Sex Scandals
Some estimate 5 million students have been involved.
Focus on the Family
1-26-2007
from staff reports

http://www.citizenlink.org/CLNews/A000003744.cfm

The mainstream media have heavily covered sex-abuse scandals in the  
Catholic Church, but some say the national news media have ignored an  
estimated 5 million students who have been sexually abused by their  
public-school teachers.

Terri Miller, president of Stop Educator Sexual Abuse, Misconduct and  
Exploitation, suggested a cover up by school officials.

"Reports aren't being made by administrators when these allegations  
come to light," she said. "They are allowing too many teachers to  
quietly resign and move on to go molest somebody else's children."

[...]

Bob Knight, director with the Culture and Media Institute, said the  
media have been no-shows on covering the larger scandal.
"If the media treated the school scandals they way they treated the  
Catholic Church," he said, "they'd be calling for reforms, top to  
bottom, they'd be questioning the validity of the institutions  
themselves."

[More at URL]


----- 10 -----
Pledge-Protection Bill Reintroduced
SUMMARY: Bill would prevent courts from ruling on challenges.
by Pete Winn, associate editor
Focus on the Family
January 25, 2006

[Received in email; no URL]
A bill introduced today in the U.S. House of Representatives today  
would prevent federal courts from accepting challenges to the Pledge  
of Allegiance, specifically the phrase "under God."

Rep. Todd Akin, R-Mo., said the latest version of his Pledge  
Protection Act -- now called the Pledge of Allegiance Act -- grew out  
of Americans' outrage in 2002 after the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of  
Appeals declared the Pledge unconstitutional because of the words  
"under God."

"The congressman feels that type of treatment is really a censorship  
of the rights of those who wish to express certain basic principles  
that this country was founded upon," said Steve Taylor, Akin's press  
secretary.

Atheist Michael Newdow sued the Elk Grove Unified School District in  
Sacramento County, Calif., claiming a policy requiring students to  
recite the Pledge violated his daughter's religious liberty.

The case reached the U.S. Supreme Court in 2004, which ruled 8-0 to  
dismiss the case on technical grounds.

Bruce Hausknecht, judicial analyst for Focus on the Family Action,  
noted the high court never ruled on "under God," so Akin's  
legislation is desperately needed.

"We need the Pledge of Allegiance Act," he said, "in order to prevent  
out-of-control courts just like the 9th Circuit from deciding that  
the wording of the Pledge should be revised to meet some politically  
correct notion the justices have about 'under God.' "

And politically correct notions abound inside and outside courtrooms.  
Just this month, an Arizona charter school, Tucson Accelerated High  
School, banned the Pledge.

On Jan. 17, students were told the Pledge would no longer be recited,  
according to Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) attorney Jeremy Tedesco, who  
represents two students who challenged the ban.

"The school allowed the student council to vote on whether to  
continue or discontinue the recitation of the Pledge-- and the  
student council decided to cease reciting the Pledge at the beginning  
of every day," Tedesco said.

Students Sam and Robert Lucero, who lost a family member in Iraq and  
have two siblings fighting there now, brought a U.S. flag to school  
and began reciting the Pledge, but were told by school officials to  
stop.

"The good news is that the school did the right thing, and righted  
the ship, so to speak, once they understood the law," Tedesco said.

Calls to the school were not returned.

Akin's bill passed the House in the last Congress, but failed in the  
Senate.
"It did very well in the House," Akin's spokesman said. "There was  
strong bipartisan support, and if it's given a chance in the House  
again, it will pass."

Wendy Wright, president of Concerned Women for America, said the new  
Democratic leadership needs to remember that when the Newdow ruling  
came down, lawmakers gathered on the Capitol steps to recite the  
Pledge to encourage children, teachers and Americans.

"Now they need to do more than that," she said. "They need to  
preserve and protect the Pledge. Children deserve the same freedom to  
acknowledge God when saying the Pledge that the congressmen enjoyed."


----- 11 -----
Appeals Court: Inmates Have Right to be Taken to Abortion Clinic
Ruling overrides state law forbidding taxpayer dollars from going  
toward abortions.
by Wendy Cloyd, assistant editor
Focus on the Family
January 25, 2007

[Received in email; no URL]

The Arizona Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday that if a pregnant inmate  
requests to be taken to an abortion clinic, Maricopa County must do  
it, despite state law that forbids taxpayer funding of abortion  
services.

According to The Associated Press, Sheriff Joe Arpaio established a  
policy in 1990 prohibiting the county from paying for the staffing  
and transportation cost of taking women to abortion clinics --  
estimated to cost as much as $1,000 per trip.

Daryl Manhart, a county attorney, pointed out that other courts have  
ruled taxpayer dollars shouldn't pay for abortion services.

"The state is not obligated to provide resources for that decision,"  
he argued. "If she were outside of the jail, she could execute the  
decision without our resources."

Abortion is not considered a "medically necessary" procedure, Manhart  
said.

But Judge Patrick Irvine said since women are taken to health centers  
for other reasons, to refuse to provide a ride for those seeking to  
end a pregnancy is discrimination.

"While we recognize that the county might decline to transport an  
inmate who presents a particular security or liability concern," he  
wrote, "an indiscriminate ban on all transportation for non- 
therapeutic abortions does not allow inmates sufficient alternative  
means to exercise their right to choose to have an abortion."

Carrie Gordon Earll, senior analyst for bioethics for Focus on the  
Family Action, said the judge's interpretation of state law is  
unfortunate.

"Sheriff Arpaio's understanding of the Arizona law makes perfect  
sense. If citizens don't want their tax dollars used in abortions,  
that would include transporting a female inmate to have one," she  
said. "Unfortunately, the sheriff's common sense conflicted with  
judicial rulings, and we know what wins in that scenario."

Arpaio said he intends to appeal the ruling the state's high court.


----- 12 -----
Episcopal Diocese Threatens to Defrock Priests
SUMMARY: As issue is the denomination's stance on homosexuality.
Focus on the Family
from staff reports
January 25, 2007

[Received in email; no URL]

A bishop in the Episcopal diocese of Virginia is threatening to  
defrock priests who follow biblical teaching on homosexuality.

Virginia Bishop Peter Lee this week officially warned clergy who  
disagree with the guidelines that they have six months to change.  
Twenty-one clergymen have left the diocese over the denomination's  
stand on the issue.

Patrick Getlein, a diocese spokesman, was reticent to talk about the  
spiritual implications.

“I’m not really in a position to talk about the theology of this," he  
told Family News in Focus. "I’m happy to talk about the nuts and  
bolts of this going on, but if you want that kind of interview, I’d  
be happy to set you up with someone.”

The Rev. Todd Wetzel of the Good Shepherd Episcopal Church in Cedar  
Hill, Texas, former director of Episcopalians United, said he’s seen  
the fallout coming.

“The issue is really on the authority of Scripture and the departures  
of the Episcopal Church consistently over the last 40 years,” he  
said. “The Episcopal Church is stepping further down the path of  
apostasy.”

Bishop Martyn Minns, who will lead the clergy members who have  
objected, agreed that changing views on moral issues have contributed  
to the problem, but he said the church should not accommodate the  
culture.

“I’m more than willing to say that we all fall short and we all need  
God’s healing and transforming grace," he said. "But when we start  
saying that God’s intention as is shown in Scripture has now been  
changed, then we’re really in trouble.”


----- 13 -----
Wyoming Lawmakers Seek to Protect Marriage
SUMMARY: Bill would nullify same-sex marriages performed elsewhere.
from staff reports
Focus on the Family
January 25, 2007

[Received in email; no URL]

Wyoming lawmakers are ironing out one of the toughest marriage- 
protection bills in the nation. Not only would Senate Filing 13  
forbid recognition of gay marriages performed elsewhere, it would  
also void any same-sex marriages performed in the state.

John Birbari, president of the Wyoming Family Coalition, said such  
protections are necessary to defend against what other states are doing.

“States like Massachusetts and others that are considering same-sex  
marriage, this bill, if passed, would keep Wyoming from having to  
recognize those marriages as legal,” he told Family News in Focus.

Glen Lavy, senior counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund, said until  
the U.S. Congress passes a marriage-protection amendment, each state  
must do its part to strengthen existing law. Such laws, he added,  
have fared well in court.

“It is very defensible," he said. "Forty to 45 states already have  
defense of marriage bills that are similar to this one.”


----- 14 -----
AFA Boycott Said to Contribute to Ford's Financial Loss
Focus on the Family
January 25, 2007

[Received in email; no URL]

The American Family Association (AFA) said last year's $12.7 billion  
loss by Ford Motor Company is no surprise. AFA launched a boycott  
against the automotive giant in March 2006 because of its promotion  
of the homosexual agenda.

Donald Wildmon, chairman of AFA, said nearly 650,000 people signed  
the boycott, and he said he's confident that many more simply quit  
buying Ford products.

"The boycott was not totally responsible for all of Ford's financial  
problems," he said, "but it certainly contributed to them."

Ford helped pay for a voter guide Web site endorsing same-sex  
marriage, stem-cell research and abortion, Wildmon said. The company  
also ran ad campaigns targeting gay consumers.

"We have asked Ford several times to remain neutral in the culture  
battles, as Wal-Mart recently announced they would do," he added.  
"Ford has consistently refused."


----- 15 -----
Santa Cruz Votes to be a Pro-Abortion City
Focus on the Family
1-24-2007

http://www.citizenlink.org/CLBriefs/A000003701.cfm

The Santa Cruz, Calif., City Council passed a resolution Tuesday to  
give the town the label of "pro-choice," the Santa Cruz Sentinel  
reported.

The resolution, which passed 5-2, authorizes the city to join the Pro- 
Choice City Campaign -- described as a network of cities dedicated to  
advocating for "reproductive health choices" -- which always  
translates as abortion.

[...]

"Declaring Santa Cruz as a pro-choice city is a murder mentality,"  
she said. "We believe the unborn would ask the council, 'Please don't  
promote and encourage the Santa Cruz mommy's womb to be a tomb.' "


----- 16 -----
NARAL Tells President Bush What to Do
from staff reports
Focus on the Family
1-24-2007

http://www.citizenlink.org/CLNews/A000003702.cfm

NARAL Pro-Choice America is demanding President Bush unite the  
country in support of nine bills it claims would prevent unintended  
pregnancies and reduce the need for abortion.

NARAL claims the legislation would bridge the pro-abortion/pro-life  
divide by helping women prevent unintended pregnancies. The bills  
deal with condom-based sex education, increased funding for abortion  
providers and forcing pharmacists to dispense the so-called morning- 
after pill in spite of objections that it can sometimes cause an  
early abortion.

Judie Brown, president of American Life League, called the bills  
dangerous.

"It's dangerous because it would quadruple the amount of funding  
going to organizations like Planned Parenthood," she told Family News  
in Focus.

[More at URL]


----- 17 -----
Bush Speech Silent on Most Pro-Family Issues
Family advocates wish he had addressed the concerns of the people,  
not the new Congress.
by Pete Winn, associate editor
Focus on the Family
1-24-2007

http://www.citizenlink.org/CLtopstories/A000003705.cfm

Pro-family leaders say President Bush missed a golden opportunity to  
define the final two years of his administration by not speaking in  
defense of the family Tuesday night during his annual State of the  
Union address.
Family Research Council President Tony Perkins praised Bush for  
challenging Congress to protect Americans against Islamo-fascism and  
for how he dealt with the bulk of issues he touched on in the 50  
minute-long address -- health care, energy, education, Iraq,  
immigration and spending reform.

It's what Bush didn't say that caught Perkins' attention.

"The president failed to challenge the new majority to advance core  
family and cultural issues -- issues of faith, family and freedom --  
that many in the new congressional majority campaigned upon last  
fall," he said
The speech neglected any mention of strong families -- and the  
"culture of life" the president has referenced in past speeches.

"As the new leadership of this Congress seeks to advance ineffective  
and unethical stem-cell research, not to mention funding for Planned  
Parenthood," Perkins said, "the president failed to draw a line in  
the sand on behalf of life."

He added that Bush could have mentioned marriage, the child tax  
credit, or even permanent tax relief -- but did not. Instead, he sent  
a basic message challenging the new Congress to join him in advancing  
bipartisan solutions to strengthen the union.

[More at URL]


----- 18 -----
Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act Reintroduced
Focus on the Family
January 22, 2007

[Received in email; no URL]

U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kansas, today reintroduced the Unborn  
Child Pain Awareness Act.
The legislation would require abortionists to inform mothers who seek  
abortions 20 weeks after fertilization that their child is able to  
feel pain.
“It is a scientific, medical fact that unborn children feel pain,”  
Brownback said in announcing the legislation.  “We know that unborn  
children can experience pain based upon anatomical, functional,  
physiological and behavioral indicators that are correlated with pain  
in children and adults. Mothers seeking an abortion have the right to  
know that their unborn children can feel pain.”

[Editor's note: Actually, from what I've read, this isn't true  
either. The brain isn't developed enough yet, not until much later in  
pregnancy than 20 weeks. I haven't done enough research on this to be  
on as firm ground here as I usually am, tho'.]
The bill would also have the abortionist recommend anesthesia for the  
child, if the mother chooses to continue with an abortion, in hopes  
it will make it clear that she is aborting a human being.


----- 19 -----
Informed-Choice Bill May Have Tough Time in Congress
Pro-life legislation not welcomed by House Democratic leaders.
from staff reports
Focus on the Family
1-23-2007

http://www.citizenlink.org/CLNews/A000003693.cfm

The House is considering a plan that would give government grants to  
community-based pregnancy-resource centers for the purchase of  
ultrasound equipment. But with the current leadership in Congress,  
the legislation may have a tough time getting through committee.

H.R. 223, the Informed Choice Act, would authorize the secretary of  
Health and Human Services to offer federal money to clinics that  
provide free services to women, according to its sponsor, Rep. Cliff  
Stearns, R-Fla.

"Ultrasound equipment can give women, particularly poor women, an  
opportunity to see the fetus and understand the scope of what they're  
doing, if they have an unplanned pregnancy," the congressman said.

[More at URL]


----- 20 -----
No-Fault Divorce Reform Needed
Three states want to bring sacredness back to marriage.
from staff reports
Focus on the Family
1-23-2007

http://www.citizenlink.org/CLNews/A000003694.cfm

Citing high divorce rates as proof, same-sex marriage advocates have  
long argued that heterosexuals have not done a great job of keeping  
marriage sacred. But three states are brewing a plan to combat the  
trend by reforming no-fault divorce.

Under no-fault divorce -- the law in all 50 states -- all that's  
required is one unhappy spouse. He or she doesn't need a reason to  
end the marriage. Since no-fault divorce swept the nation in the  
1970s, 38 million marriages have dissolved, according to Mike  
McManus, cofounder of Marriage Savers.

"(No-fault divorce) has destroyed or . . . scarred the lives of 35  
million children who are now, as they grow up, finding it very  
difficult to bond with someone of the opposite sex," he told Family  
News in Focus.

While 27 states have passed constitutional amendments affirming  
marriage as being between one man and one woman -- efforts McManus  
applauds -- he wonders why divorce isn’t being addressed as well.

Three states want to change that. Michigan, Wisconsin and Virginia  
are considering mutual-consent divorce proposals; meaning both  
spouses must agree to split, if there are children involved. The  
proposals include exceptions for abuse and adultery.

Julaine Appling, executive director of the Family Research Institute  
of Wisconsin, said the government can change the perception of the  
institution.

"When we allow people to enter into marriage with the understanding  
that they can walk away from that vow for no cause, and the other  
spouse cannot contest it," she said, "we're sending a message to  
young people that marriage is not permanent."

FOR MORE INFORMATION
To learn more about the state of marriage in the U.S., read Glenn T.  
Stanton's article, "How is Marriage Dying in Our Culture?"


----- 21 -----
CWA: Political Correctness Endangers Child; Youngest Boy in History  
to Undergo Sex Change
Concerned Women for America
1/29/2007

http://www.cwfa.org/articles/12242/MEDIA/misc/index.htm

Washington, D.C. ––A 14-year-old German boy has decided to undergo a  
sex change, making him the youngest patient in history to receive  
this extreme procedure. The young boy Tim, who prefers to be called  
“Kim,” has wanted gender reassignment surgery since he was 12 and  
claims to have considered himself female since age two. Concerned  
Women for America (CWA) is saddened that doctors and parents have  
fostered this young boy’s gender confusion and are allowing him to go  
forward with the surgery.

“This poor kid’s situation really undercuts the homosexual lobby’s  
deceptive equality-fluff and hyperbole,” said Matt Barber, CWA’s  
Policy Director for Cultural Issues. “It casts a bright light on the  
truly destructive, bleak and evil nature of the homosexual agenda.  
Has our world completely lost all sanity? That parents would allow  
their child to be treated like this is mind-boggling.

“Rather than addressing the emotional or chemical problems  
responsible for Tim’s gender confusion, his parents and doctors have  
bought into the homosexual lobby’s PC puffery hook, line and sinker.  
They’re about to rob him of his ability to father a child, and render  
him horribly disfigured and further confused. It’s not just a  
tragedy. It’s a travesty.”

[More at URL]


----- 22 -----
CWA Urges Congress to Pass the Pledge Protection Act
Protect the Pledge
Concerned Women for America
1/25/2007

http://www.cwfa.org/articles/12231/MEDIA/misc/index.htm

Washington, D.C. –– Today, the Pledge of Allegiance Act, a bill to  
ensure that children across America can say the phrase “under God”  
when reciting our nation’s oath, will be introduced by Rep. Todd Akin  
(R-Missouri) in the U.S. House of Representatives. This bill grew out  
of Americans’ outrage over the Ninth Circuit ruling that the Pledge  
of Allegiance is “unconstitutional” because it contains the words  
“under God.” It would prevent lower federal courts from ruling on the  
constitutionality of the Pledge of Allegiance.

Concerned Women for America (CWA) President Wendy Wright said, “When  
this ridiculous ruling was announced, congressmen gathered on the  
steps of the Capitol to recite the Pledge of Allegiance to encourage  
children, teachers and Americans. But they need to do more than that  
– they need to preserve and protect the Pledge. Children deserve the  
same freedom to acknowledge God when saying the Pledge that the  
congressmen enjoyed on the steps of the Capitol.

“Americans are bonded by a special patriotism and loyalty to our  
country and a sense of gratitude for the liberties we enjoy. Reciting  
the Pledge of Allegiance kindles that bond of patriotism between  
Americans, and the important phrase ‘under God’ is a humble  
acknowledgement of Whom our country recognizes as our ultimate  
Authority. While we understand that some judges believe themselves to  
be decisive authorities who should not be questioned or criticized,  
the Pledge stands as a reminder that America is ‘one nation, under God.’

“Congressmen have an opportunity in this bill to show whether their  
support for the Pledge and against activist judges is merely symbolic  
or sincere. Concerned Women for America encourages Congress to  
protect the Pledge of Allegiance and restrain activist judges from  
stripping God from public speech.”

For Information Contact:
Stacey Holliday
(202) 488-7000
media.cwfa.org



----- 23 -----
‘Crack For The Eyes’
Daily News Record Online
Posted 2007-01-27
EMU Speaker Discusses Science Of Porn
By Heather Bowser

http://www.dnronline.com/news_details.php?AID=8448&CHID=2

HARRISONBURG — The same scenario happens time and time again.

It’s a dreary evening after a long day at work. A man — stressed from  
issues at the office and fussy toddlers in the kitchen — retreats to  
the backroom to surf the net.

"I just need to unwind," he thinks to himself.

But this is where his real problems begin, says Dr. William  
Struthers, a psychology professor at Wheaton College in Wheaton Ill.

A few mouse clicks later, guilt washes over him. He did it again — he  
looked at pornography. And sadly, Struthers says, this probably won’t  
be the last time.

"Pornography is crack for the eyes," said Dr. William Struthers,  
"Porn is just as addicting, or more so, than drugs."

[More at URL]


----- 24 -----
Socializing sexual risk
By Terence P. Jeffrey
The Washington Times
January 19, 2007

http://www.washingtontimes.com/commentary/20070118-084416-7068r.htm

A movement has started in this country that ought to permanently  
dispel the myth that liberals embrace a right to privacy.

Here is the issue: Can the government compel a pre-teen girl to  
undergo an invasive procedure she does not want and may not need,  
whose long-term adverse affects cannot yet be known and which,  
according to the Food and Drug Administration, opens her to the  
already demonstrated, albeit minor, risk of certain short-term  
adverse affects? You might think liberals would rank an invasion of  
privacy of this magnitude right up there with, say, warrantless  
eavesdropping on al Qaeda. Strangely, they do not.

Why not? Well, the specific procedure envisioned here is a series of  
injections to immunize girls against the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV).  
Unlike the measles, which a girl could give to a classmate simply by  
showing up at school contagious, HPV can only be transmitted by  
intimate contact of a sort that as far as I know has not yet become  
officially sanctioned classroom activity even in the most progressive  
school districts. Infection with some forms of this venereal virus  
can lead to cervical cancer.

[...]

Ultimately, any mandate for a venereal-disease vaccine is aimed at  
socializing the risk of promiscuous sexual behavior. It is about  
using the power of government to make all of the people bear some of  
the cost created by the reckless behavior of some of the people.

[...]

Yet, the greatest costs will be moral and cultural, as the venereal- 
vaccine promoters clearly know. "But realizing the vaccine's  
potential will depend on addressing worldwide issues of social and  
cultural resistance, which are already threatening to slow Gardasil's  
roll-out in the U.S.A.," the Lancet editorialized last June. "Such  
issues of social and cultural acceptability are important to address  
now, not least because similar arguments will apply to an HIV  
vaccine, if one is ever developed."

Advocates of universal vaccination against venereal diseases realize  
that traditional cultural values are an obstacle to creating their  
sought-after, if never attainable, Utopia where people can engage in  
promiscuous sex without fear of consequence. So, traditional cultural  
values must go.

[More at URL]


----- 25 -----
Sundance Film Fest Accused of Helping Porn Industry
By Kevin Jackson
Christian Post Reporter
Thu, Jan. 25 2007 06:44 PM ET

http://www.christianpost.com/article/ 
20070125/25412_Sundance_Film_Fest_Accused_of_Helping_Porn_Industry.htm

Some Christians have accused Zoo and Hounddog, two movies presented  
at the Sundance Film Festival this week, of aiding the porn industry.

The Concerned Women for America (CWA) made the accusation due to the  
movies’ inclusion of bestiality and a sexual assault scene involving  
a 12-year-old girl.

"I doubt that either one of these films deals with the reality of the  
subject, which would include all of the harms to the individual and  
to society," says Jan LaRue, chief legal counsel for the CWA,  
according to One News Now.

LaRue even dubbed the festival with her own pun: "The Sundance Sleaze  
Festival."

[More at URL]


----- 26 -----
California Governor Ponders ‘Gay’ Marriage (2:44)
Concerned Women for America
1/29/2007

http://www.cwfa.org/articles/12244/CWA/family/index.htm

Recent media reports indicate that California Governor Arnold  
Schwarzenegger is considering actions to promote “gay” marriage in  
the state, despite the expressed wishes of voters. Mike Mears, CWA’s  
Director of State Legislative Relations has more on this and what it  
means for grassroots activists in the state.

[Mike Mears: "Rumour has it that the governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger  
is ready to change course and actually sign a gay marriage bill."  
Claims Tom Arnold talked Schwarzenegger into it, Claims Tom Arnold  
said, "Gay marriage - I want it, and I know he feels the same way."  
"Gay activists have confirmed that they have been talking to unnamed  
sources... that are signaling that the governor may be changing his  
mind." Calls on theocons to continue pressuring Gov. Schwarzenegger  
to veto any future bill. Also warns about "several bills that are  
favourable to the gay agenda." Promotes cwfa.org's California  
organisation.]