FOR THE HUMAN RIGHTS OF CHILDREN

I. Michigan rings clarion call to address profound collapse of marriage & family:

  1. Unwed births 75% – 90% in Detroit, Highland Park, Pontiac, Flint, and Saginaw; 49% even in Grand Rapids—Michigan’s second largest, ‘healthiest’
  2. Numerous Michigan cities affected.
  3. Children suffering horrible, lifelong consequences.

 

II. Children without defenders as U.S. Supreme Court to redefine marriage

III. World outlook grim without protection for children.

 

Ten Principles on Marriage and the Public Good[1]

  1. Marriage is a personal union of husband and wife intended for life.
  2. Marriage is a profound human good that elevates and perfects our social and sexual nature.
  3. Ordinarily, both men and women who marry are better off as a result.
  4. Marriage protects and promotes the well-being of children.
  5. Marriage sustains civil society and promotes the common good.
  6. Marriage increases human and social capital. It is a wealth-creating institution.
  7. When marriage weakens, equality gap widens. Children suffer disadvantages of growing up in households without committed mothers and fathers.
  8. A healthy marriage culture protects political liberty & fosters limited government.
  9. The laws that govern marriage matter significantly.
  10. “Civil marriage” and “religious marriage” cannot be rigidly or completely divorced from one another. Article 1 Section 10 of U.S. Constitution safeguards both. Marriage constitutes practice of faith, a covenant when contracted, as 80% of American marriages are, in house of worship—protected by God and 1st Amendment.

 

[1] Marriage and the Public Good:Ten Principles, Witherspoon Institute, Princeton, N.J. August 2008