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Marriage and Families Do Mothers Matter? Elizabeth Marquardt, director of the Center for Marriage and Families at the Institute for American Values, The Atlantic online, February 10, 2012, based upon her recent report One Parent or Five: A Global Look at Today's New Intentional Families: "Do mothers matter? Having no mother was -- at least until recently -- widely agreed to be a tragedy. Psychiatric case studies, Disney movies, and well-known spirituals such as 'Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child' have testified to the importance of mothers and the pain of mother loss. For decades we have debated whether fathers matter. Must we now debate whether mothers matter, too?" The piece inspired responses in the blogosphere: Egg Donors Are Business People Not Parents April Peveteaux, The Stir blog, February 14, 2012 "Based on her study of children conceived through sperm donation, Marquardt makes the argument that children struggle with a parental loss when they don't know their biological father, and this can lead to depression, delinquency, and addiction. She assumes the same with donor eggs, or surrogate moms." Yes Mothers Matter. Eggs Don't Sierra, Strollerderby blog, February 14, 2012 "Children born through egg donation or surrogacy may well have questions about their origins. They may, as Marquardt claims children born through sperm donation do, wonder about the person who donated to make their life possible. They are not, however, victims of violence and loss in the way that children orphaned through war and death are." Institute senior fellow Brad Wilcox was quoted in a major New York Times story reporting new findings showing that among women in their 20s more than 50 percent of births are now out of wedlock: For Women Under 30, Most Births Occur Outside Marriage Jason DeParle and Sabrina Tavernise, New York Times, February 18, 2012 "Others noted that if they married, their official household income would rise, which could cost them government benefits like food stamps and child care. W. Bradford Wilcox, a sociologist at the University of Virginia, said other government policies, like no-fault divorce, signaled that 'marriage is not as fundamental to society' as it once was." Do We No Longer Need Marriage? W. Bradford Wilcox, Special to CNN, February 21, 2012 "Is anyone surprised that more than half of births to American women under 30 now occur outside of marriage? Or that marriage is losing ground in Middle America? What's the big deal? After all, some Americans believe that "marriage is just a piece of paper," while others think that fathers are no longer essential. Despite these worrisome statistics and views, the institution of marriage is not disappearing in American life." Institute board member and the William Thomas Sears Senior Fellow in Family Law and retired Georgia supreme court chief justice Leah Ward Sears published a piece at the influential "Room for Debate" blog at the New York Times. The debate topic was Family Ties, Without Tying the Knot Contracts, Though Flawed, Can Help Leah Ward Sears, New York Times, February 13, 2012 "Not all relationships that look like families can -- or should -- be formally sanctioned by law. If we did, there would be no end to it. Consider, for example, the 56-year-old woman taking care of her elderly teacher that she loved so much growing up, or the two straight, 50-year-old women (unrelated by blood) who pooled their resources by living together, or the gay man and his straight best friend, a woman, who love each other so much that they have decided to spend their lives together. In none of these instances does either the notion of a marriage or a civil union provide the answer for friends seeking benefits which, in all fairness, they ought to be entitled to." Institute affiliate scholar Amy Ziettlow published a powerful piece at The Atlantic online: Our Aging Prison Population: Should Criminals Die Free? Amy Ziettlow, The Atlantic online, February 15, 2012 "As our nation's aging prison population explodes, we have not only a financial but also a moral imperative to confront the consequences of our system of mass incarceration. As a society, we must bring justice on behalf of those who have been grievously wronged. At the same time, the vulnerability of aged prisoners imposes a renewed responsibility for us to take a hard look at our criminal justice system, how we lock people up and when, and if, we set them free." The Atlantic online piece also inspired a debate on Southern California Public Radio in which Los Angeles Times reporter David Lazerus read on air from Ziettlow's piece. Should Prisons Save Money By Releasing Older Inmates? Patt Morrison, KPCC Radio, February 21, 2012 Other examples this month of our ideas in the news in debates about marriage and the future of parenthood include: What Charles Murray Gets Right Ross Douthat, New York Times, February 14, 2012 "First, 'Coming Apart' is one of the strongest and most lucid explorations of the existing data on the long-simmering social crisis in working-class life, and the extent to which American society's recovery from the dislocations of the 1960s and 1970s has been a recovery primarily for the upper middle class. Other writers have covered this territory -- the Manhattan Institute's Kay Hymowitz in 'Marriage and Caste in America,' the [Institute for American Values and] University of Virginia's Brad Wilcox in 'When Marriage Disappears,' and even Reihan Salam and myself, to some extent, in our 2008 book on domestic policy." U.S. Marriage Rate Continues to Decline; Men Tie Knot Later Cheryl Wetzstein, Washington Times, February 5, 2012 "Taxpayers already spend at least $112 billion a year to support households that have experienced divorce and unwed parenting, [Sheila Weber] says, citing a study from the Institute for American Values." Generosity Fuels Successful Marriages Randy Fossum, Austin Daily Herald, February 3, 2012 "In marriage we are expected to do our fair share when it comes to housework, child care and being faithful, but generosity is going above and beyond the ordinary expectations with small acts of service and making an extra effort to be affectionate," explains the [Institute senior fellow and] University of Virginia's W. Bradford Wilcox, who led the research. The Crisis in American Marriage Russell Shaw, Catholic News Agency, February 6, 2012 "Various solutions have been proposed to the no-fault plague, among them legislation called the Second Chances Act. It provides a one-year waiting period before divorce along with education in reconciliation as an option. Sponsors William J. Doherty, [Institute partner and] a University of Minnesota scholar, and Leah Ward Sears, [Institute board member and the William Thomas Sears Senior Fellow in Family Law and] former Chief Justice of the Georgia Supreme Court, cite studies showing that among 40 percent of divorcing couples, at least one spouse is open to reconciliation." The Happiest Wives in America Maggie Gallagher, Human Events, February 3, 2012 "Just who are the happiest wives in America? According to a new report by the [Institute for American Values and the] University of Virginia's National Marriage Project, 'When Baby Makes Three,' the surprising answer is: women who attend church at least weekly with their husband and have four or more children." Sperm-Donor Children Have a Right to Know Their Identity Barbara Kay, National Post, February 15, 2012 "And research backs up the importance for children of knowing their full biological identity. A few years ago [the Institute for American Values and] The Commission on Parenthood's Future released a report: My Daddy's Name is Donor: A New Study of Young Adults Conceived through Sperm Donation. The study belies the politically correct notion that how children are conceived is irrelevant, and that love is all they need." The Kids Are Not Always Alright Michael Brown, Townhall.com, February 28, 2012 "The AnonymousUs.org website, which features the real life stories of 'voluntary and involuntary participants in these [reproductive] technologies,' paints a very different picture. In 2010, [Institute director of the Center for Marriage and Families,] Elizabeth Marquardt and a team of family scholars produced a deeply disturbing 140 page report entitled, 'My Daddy's Name is Donor: A New Study of Young Adults Conceived through Sperm Donation.'" There Are Many Risks Linked to Bearing Children Out of Wedlock Betsy Hart, The Dickinson [College] Press, February 25, 2012 "Married women and men are, typically, and by large margins, happier and better off financially, physically and emotionally than their single peers. For starters, 'married young adults are between 11 and 28 percentage points more likely to report that they are "very happy"' with life, compared to their unmarried counterparts. That's just one of the findings from 'When Baby Makes Three: How Parenthood Makes Life Meaningful and How Marriage Makes Parenthood Bearable,' from the [Institute for American Values and the] Marriage Project's latest 'State of Our Unions' annual report, released in December." For Prop 8, No Hollywood Endings Dahlia Lithwick, Slate, February 7, 2012 " Consider what a dismal job the proponents of Prop 8 did at trial in this case, proffering mediocre witnesses who proffered mediocre evidence that gay marriage would harm children and imperil heterosexual marriage. (Who can forget Prop 8's star witness [Institute president] David Blankenhorn's admission that he knew of no study that proved children reared by gay couples fared worse than those raised by heterosexual parents.)" The Making of Gay Marriage's Top Foe Mark Oppenheimer, Salon, February 8, 2012 "When she joined Blankenhorn's Institute [for American Values], Gallagher was not interested in same-sex marriage either. She was busy writing about easy divorce, out-of-wedlock births, and the high costs of feminism. Gay men and lesbians, for their part, were focused on increased funding for AIDS research, hate-crimes statutes, and the dim prospect of someday, maybe, ending 'don't ask, don't tell.' They did not believe they would live to see the legalization of same-sex marriage, and neither, of course, did Maggie Gallagher." Should Same-Sex Marriage Be Legalized in Australia, and Why? Staff, National Times, February 15, 2012 "The one thing that is studiously avoided by the proponents of same-sex unions is the purpose of marriage. Historically, marriage is about the protection of children. As [Institute president] David Blankenhorn observes, its primary purpose is to ensure 'that any children resulting from the union are – and are understood by society to be – emotionally, morally, practically and legally affiliated with both of the parents'." THRIFT AND GENEROSITY The Casino Effect Frank J. Fahrenkopf, Jr., The New York Times, January 31, 2011 "I take issue with 'New York's Bad Bet,' by [Institute Fellow] Paul Davies (Op-Ed, Jan. 23), and its portrayal of the gaming industry and its effect on communities across the nation." Texas Saves Campaign Offers Opportunities Don Baylor and [Institute Fellow] Chuck Stokes, Alpine Avalanche, February 23, 2012 "To strengthen our communities, Texas needs to adopt a new blueprint for helping families save. As noted in 'Why Thrift Matters: 20 Propositions,' a report recently released by the Institute for American Values, Americans are rediscovering the thrift of our forefathers and mothers, who worked hard, saved their money and shared their wealth with those in need." Why Thrift Matters! Reid Cramer, New America Foundation's blog The Ladder, February 8, 2012 "The rise of America's debt culture has fueled impressive levels of consumption but proven to be unsustainable. A group of scholars have been convened by the Institute for American Values to consider the question of what comes next. What's the upside to welcoming the return of a culture of thrift? In their new report, they remind us that 'thrift is the ethic of wise use. The root of thrift is thrive.' There are some values at play here, such as industry, frugality, and stewardship, which may generate collective benefits if adopted widely." Speedway Gets In Line For Casinos Matthew Spolar, Concord Monitor, February 14, 2012 "Leslie Bernal, [Institute partner and] the executive director of D.C.-based nonprofit Stop Predatory Gambling, warned of the social impact of legalized casinos. He mentioned the plight of Gail Rasmussen, a teacher at Hollis Brookline Middle School whose gambling addiction led her rob banks in Massachusetts and Connecticut in 2009." Budget Writers Tackle Casino Bill Kevin Landrigan, nashuatelegraph.com, February 14, 2012 "[Institute partner] Les Bernal of Stop Predatory Gambling, a national group, said supporters are kidding themselves by thinking New Hampshire would ever be a destination casino locale. Instead, the customers will come from local residents visiting the site several times a week, which Bernal argued would create a corrosive habit that for individual gamblers becomes much more addictive than alcohol." Raynham Park Sets Sights on Slots Marc Larocque, Taunton Daily Gazette, February 18, 2012 "'You are talking about Raynham in a potential partnership with government to aggressively push citizens into deeper personal debt and create addiction in order to feed off of it,' [Institute partner Les] Bernal [of Stop Predatory Gambling] said. 'The casual visitor to a racino, they are irrelevant to the business model. It is the people going five times a week. That's the business model.'" PUBLIC CONVERSATION Upcoming conversations at our Center for Public Conversation: March 22, 2012, "Flagrant Conduct: The Story of Lawrence v. Texas" New York, NY A Conversation with Dale Carpenter, the Earl R. Larson Professor of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Law at the University of Minnesota Law School, about on his new book, Flagrant Conduct: The Story of Lawrence v. Texas. Hosted by Elizabeth Marquardt, director of the Center for Marriage and Families at the Institute for American Values. June 7, 2012, "Debating Same-Sex Marriage" New York, NY A Conversation with John Corvino, Associate Professor of Philosophy at Wayne State University, and Maggie Gallagher, co-founder of the National Organization for Marriage on their upcoming book, Debating Same-Sex Marriage. |
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