International Organization for the Family (IOF)

President Trump Delivers… Again

IOF Weekly — President Trump Delivers… Again

President’s Message

Dear Friend:President Trump has again delivered on his promise to American voters that he would only nominate to the US Supreme Court strong conservatives who will uphold the Constitution as written and who will refrain from legislating from the bench, imposing their own views on the nation. This week Mr. Trump announced the nomination of Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh to replace the retiring Anthony Kennedy on the US Supreme Court. This issue of our newsletter reviews Judge Kavanaugh’s stellar credentials and track record as a judge. Senate President Mitch McConnell has pledged to have a confirmation vote this fall, before the midterm elections, in time for Judge Kavanaugh to join the Court at the beginning of its 2018-19 term.

This week is an important one for our work at the United Nations. Our Doug Clark writes about a new statement penned by IOF for delegations and missions to the UN’s High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development underway at UN headquarters in New York. The statement extolls the genius of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which establishes the natural family as the foundation of society and declares that the family is entitled to special protection by the State.

IOF is also working hard on the rapidly-approaching World Congress of Families XII conference in Moldova which is September 13-16. We have an urgent need to raise funds to provide scholarships for young people who otherwise would not be able to attend. Will you consider making a generous donation so that a young leader can join us in Moldova and deepen his or her commitment to the natural family, and be equipped to be an effective advocate for the values we all care so deeply about? This could be a life-changing event for young leaders, motivating them to devote their talents and energies to working to support families, and family values the world over.

Meanwhile, registration for the WCF XII Congress remains open. A registration link is included in this newsletter. We expect thousands of pro-family activists and leaders to attend. We hope that you will be able to join us!

Finally, as a reminder, if it is easier for you to support IOF and the natural family by contributing anonymously via crypto currencies, we do accept crypto currencies such as Bitcoin, Bitcoincash, Litecoin, and Ethereum. Thank you for your support!

God bless,

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International Family News

Keeping Family in Focus at the 2018 High-Level Political Forum

By E. Douglas Clark
Director of UN and International Policy

In our ongoing work in the United Nations, one of our critical areas of emphasis is the indispensable role of family in sustainable development. Our highly effective UN team, coordinating with trusted colleagues and organizations, continues to be a powerful voice in educating and empowering policymakers as we lobby influential ambassadors and delegates, hold special events organized by our Wendy Wixom at the UN and in missions, and produce cutting-edge materials like the widely used books edited by our Susan Roylance with contributions from selected colleagues on the pivotal role of family capital in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. As this year’s High-Level Political Forum begins at UN headquarters in New York, we have provided a powerful statement to over 160 ambassadors and missions about the role of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which has become a moral beacon for the world and a critical international principle that the natural family is the bedrock of a healthy civil society and is entitled to protection by the State.

Read the full statement here.

President Trump Nominates Brett Kavanaugh, A Proven Conservative and Constitutionalist, To The US Supreme Court

President Trump this week nominated Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh to the US Supreme Court. He described Kavanaugh as “a judge’s judge” and praised his intellect, legal credentials, judicial record and reputation. Most importantly, President Trump extolled Kavanagh’s judicial philosophy saying, “What matters is not a judge’s political views, but whether they can set aside those views to do what the law and the Constitution require. I am pleased to say that I have found, without doubt, such a person.”

Kavanaugh is a graduate of Yale College and Yale Law School where he served as an editor of the Yale Law Journal. Married to his wife Ashley, the couple has two children and lives in Maryland. He is a devout Catholic, a lector at his church, and active in several charities and community groups. For the past twelve years, Kavanaugh has been a leading member of the federal Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, widely considered to be the second most influential federal court in America because of the prevalence of major cases that are decided there. Kavanaugh, like President Trump’s first nominee Neil Gorsuch, once clerked for Justice Kennedy, the man he now hopes to replace.

The National Organization for Marriage (NOM), an IOF partner group that is also headed by our president, Brian Brown, announced its support for Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination and pledged it will fight to help secure his confirmation. NOM cited several reasons for supporting Kavanaugh:

He has a philosophy and track record of relying on the text of the Constitution as drafted by the framers and opposes judges inventing “rights” that do not exist in the Constitution itself. He has said, “Read the text of the Constitution as written, mindful of history and tradition. Don’t make up new constitutional rights that are not in the text of the Constitution. Don’t shy away from enforcing constitutional rights that are in the text of the Constitution.”
He has a strong record of fighting to protect religious liberty. While in private practice, Kavanaugh chaired the Federalist Society’s Religious Liberty Practice Group and fought for the religious liberty rights of people of faith.
His track record as a judge is as a staunch conservative and, like Justices Scalia and Gorsuch, someone who applies the Constitution and the law as written, not legislating from the bench to impose his own political views. He has authored over 300 opinions, and has proven himself to be a man of principle, able to resist pressure from liberal judges and interest groups.
A number of top legal experts revered in the pro-family movement, including the Federalist Society’s Leonard Leo and Ed Whalen of the Ethics and Public Policy Institute, sing Judge Kavanaugh’s praises as a strong, reliable conservative who can be counted upon to apply the law and the Constitution as written.

Read more here … and here…

WCF Founder Allan C. Carlson Writes on How Families Contribute to the Rise and Fall of Civilizations

The Intercollegiate Review, published by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute, has published an insightful article by Allan C. Carlson, Ph.D about how families contribute to the rise and fall of civilizations. Dr. Carlson, a founder of the IOF’s World Congress of Families serves as IOF’s John Howard Senior Fellow and is Editor of The Natural Family, an international journal of policy and research. He wrote his article as an introduction to the new addition of Carle Zimmerman’s Family and Civilization. Carlson referred to Zimmerman as “the most important American sociologist of the 1920s, ’30s and ’40s.” Dr. Carlson notes the importance of Zimmerman’s work as an advocate of the normative family as a sharp counter to the neo-Marxist orientation of the so-called Chicago School then prevalent in that era which considered the family a mere “parking place” for parents and children who spent their time elsewhere. Chicago School adherents advocated for mobilizing mothers for full-time employment, putting small children in collective day care arrangements and other policies designed to facilitate the state taking on the role of family. Zimmerman derided such thought as “the work of amateurs” who utterly fail to comprehend the “inner meaning of their subject.” Zimmerman, Dr. Carlson writes, embraced “an unapologetically normative view of the family as the necessary center of critical human experiences.”

Read more…

Register for World Congress of Families XII in Moldova

Registration to attend the upcoming World Congress of Families XII conference in Chisinau, Moldova, September 13-16, 2018 remains open and individuals are encouraged to register today.

Thousands of pro-family supporters and activists are expected to descend on Moldova to participate in this important World Congress. Moldova, under the leadership of President Igor Dodon is a staunchly pro-family nation that reveres marriage and life and promotes traditional family values. It’s a beautiful country with rich cultural traditions. President Dodon and his team have been closely involved in working with us to design and conduct the Congress.

We look forward to seeing all our friends and supporters at WCF XII in Moldova. Basic registration for the Congress is free, but various supplemental packages are available for purchase.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER.

Natural Family News and Research

Millennials Who Cohabit Tend To Accrue Less Wealth

An interesting financial story this week highlights yet one more negative result of cohabitation in comparison with marriage—less wealth.

The study found that, “People who cohabited had less wealth compared to those who never lived together before marriage.” Why the difference? Researchers highlight the instability of the cohabiting relationship, pointing out that, “survey respondents who were single but had previously lived with someone more than once fared the worst.” The story speaks to financial planners in dealing with cohabiting couples, sagely advising that they treat cohabitors more like “marrieds” than “singles”—they need to invest more in long-term assets like houses and savings, versus short-term expenditures like cars and furniture. The story also recommends a “cohabitation agreement,” something like a prenuptial agreement in case the arrangement doesn’t work out.

But with all the evidence indicating that cohabitation causes long-lasting damage, even to those who eventually marry, this advice seems rather short-sighted.

For more on the dangers of cohabitation, click here to read the full essay at The Natural Family, IOF’s international journal of research and policy.

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Upcoming Events

September 13-16, 2018 — World Congress of Families XII Moldova in Chisinau, Moldova (#WCF12Moldova). Click here for more info or to register.

Fall 2018 — World Congress of Families Dominican Republic Regional Conference in Dominican Republic organized by Miguel Moreno, University of North America. Contact Rebekah Ali-Gouveia, WCF Caribbean Coordinator for more information…

November 2018 — World Congress of Families Guyana Caribbean Regional Conference in Georgetown, Guyana headquarters of CARIFAM. Contact Rebekah Ali-Gouveia, WCF Caribbean Coordinator for more information…