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News
E-Alert 5.5.10
Wednesday May 05, 2010 - 09:50 AM
Inside this issue: DOMA lawsuit in Boston court tomorrow; "Bathroom Bill" fate rests with Judiciary Committee; Successful "Truth Project" training in Worcester; National Day of Prayer tomorrow; "Protect Life Act" filed in Congress; Upcoming Event - Reasons for Believing; Bishop Won't Let Voters Become Pawns on D.C. Marriage. Be sure to click on eForce to receive our MFI eForce E-Alert in your Inbox every Wednesday.
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DOMA lawsuit in Boston court tomorrow
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Eight “married” homosexual couples and three others will be in federal court in Boston tomorrow to challenge a section of the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), saying the law that protects marriage as the union of one man and one woman harms them. Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) will be representing the plaintiffs in the case. GLAD successfully argued the Goodridge case that brought same-sex “marriage” to Massachusetts.
“Americans overwhelmingly believe marriage to be the union of one man and one woman,” said MFI President Kris Mineau. “What happened to public policy being decided by the public? One judge and a very small number of activists should not have the right to change the definition of marriage simply because they can’t get the public behind their radical agenda.”
The plaintiffs argue that the federal law restricts federal benefits to those in heterosexual marriages and they said that is inherently unfair and that only the states should be able to determine marriage and domestic relations laws. The U.S. Attorney’s office in Boston will be defending the law, having already asked for it to be thrown out saying, among other things, that there is no fundamental right to federal benefits based on marital status.
“The court should reject this thinly-veiled attempt to impose same-sex marriage on American citizens who have overwhelmingly voted otherwise,” concluded Mineau.
The case was originally filed in March 2009, and will be argued before U.S. District Court Judge Joseph L. Tauro. The National Law Journal said the case is one of the “opening shots in a struggle destined for the U.S. Supreme Court.”
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"Bathroom Bill" fate rests with Judiciary Committee
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As our special alert yesterday explained, the “Bathroom Bill” remains in the Judiciary Committee, which has until Friday, May 7th, to act on it. They can either send it to further study, where it would likely remain through the end of the year, or vote it out of Committee and to the full Legislature.
If you haven’t done so yet, be sure to email the Judiciary Committee, as well as your own state Representative, to ask them to keep the “Bathroom Bill” in Committee where its far-reaching consequences can continue to be vetted. Click Here to watch a special update from Kris Mineau on this, and to take action RIGHT NOW to help stop the “Bathroom Bill.”
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Successful "Truth Project" training in Worcester
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Massachusetts Family Institute, in conjunction with Focus on the Family, held a very successful “The Truth Project” training event in Worcester last Saturday. There were 57 attendees from all six New England states. These attendees were taught about “The Truth Project” and how to lead the Biblical worldview lessons in their own small groups. The attendance was higher at this event than in December, and we hope to continue that trend as we bring the next training event to the Southeastern part of Massachusetts this fall. For more information on The Truth Project, visit www.thetruthproject.org.
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National Day of Prayer tomorrow
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Tomorrow, May 6, people around the nation will be celebrating the 59th annual National Day of Prayer. The purpose of the NDP is personal repentance and prayer, and serves to mobilize the Christian community to intercede for America and its leadership in the seven centers of power: Government, Military, Media, Business, Education, Church and Family. We encourage you to host an event in your own community, or attend a nearby event. There will be an event at the State House in Boston, Room 437, from Noon to 1:00 pm. Find out more at www.nationaldayofprayer.org, or contact Dr. Paul Taylor to help coordinate one in Massachusetts (ptaylor@flameoffire.net or 781.775.9283).
A complimentary tour on the Commonwealth’s Christian heritage as depicted in the State House works of art will take place immediately following the NDOP event. Dr. Paul Jehle, one of the foremost historians regarding Christianity’s influence on the founding of our nation, will meet all those who wish to participate just outside Room 437.
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"Protect Life Act" filed in Congress
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From Massachusetts Citizens for Life:
Congressman Joe Pitts (D, Pa) has filed HR5111, "Protect Life Act", which would amend ObamaCare to restrict the several different ways in which the measure funds abortions. HR 5111 restores the Stupak language to ObamaCare. There are 57 co-sponsors - but only a few of Stupak's coalition, and not Stupak himself.
So far no Massachusetts Congressmen have co-sponsored the bill. Certainly Congressmen Lynch and Neal, who voted for original language in Stupak, are logical co-sponsors.
Please call your own Congressman urging him or her to co-sponsor HR 5111, the Protect Life Act. Then please contact someone you know who lives in the Lynch or Neal district and make sure that person calls also.
John W. Olver (D-01), 202-225-5335
Richard E. Neal (D-02), 202-225-5601
James P. McGovern (D-03), 202-225-6101
Barney Frank (D-04), 202-225-5931
Niki Tsongas (D-05), Phone: 202-225-3411
John F. Tierney (D-06), 202-225-8020
Edward J. Markey (D-07, 202-225-2836
Michael Capuano (D-08), 202-225-5111
Stephen F. Lynch (D-09), 202-225-8273
William D. Delahunt (D-10), 202-225-3111
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Upcoming Event - Reasons for Believing
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Massachusetts Family Institute and “The Truth Project” will both be participating in the “Reasons for Believing” apologetics conference at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary on June 4-5. The theme is “Knowing what you believe; Believing what you know.” There will be three renowned Christian apologists and outstanding workshop leaders who will help you explore how the church can engage our culture in new ways. Among the workshops to be held are: “The Exclusivity of Christ,” “The Knowability of Truth & Understanding Relativism,” and “Holy Jihad! What Are We To Do about Islam?” Registration by May 7th is $65, and by May 24th is $75. Late registration is $85. You can register online at http://store.gordonconwell.edu or by calling 1.800.294.2774.
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Bishop Won't Let Voters Become Pawns on D.C. Marriage
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From FRC President Tony Perkins’ Washington Update:
Three weeks ago, news outlets yawned at the confirmation of Judge Marisa Demeo. An open lesbian, Demeo's nomination was stalled longer than any other White House appointee because of her extreme support for same-sex "marriage." Why is that significant? Because today, Demeo sits on the very bench that will decide the fate of marriage in our nation's capital: the D.C. Superior Court. As a liberal reporter put it, Demeo won a 15-year term to "lesbianify" the court. But Bishop Harry Jackson and the Stand4MarriageDC coalition are doing all they can to keep her from starting that campaign today. This morning, with the support of hundreds of local pastors, Bishop Jackson filled the sidewalks outside the Court for a "Let the People Vote" rally and press conference, where I spoke with other pro-family leaders. FRC had worked for months with Hill offices trying to get the House and Senate to exercise some oversight on D.C.'s same-sex "marriage" law. But help never came. Congress may have let the country down on this issue--but Stand4MarriageDC refuses to. After exhausting almost every legal avenue, Bishop's coalition sued the D.C. Board of Elections for standing between the people and their right to vote. And although he doesn't have the City Council's support, he does have voters'. Nearly six out of 10 said the issue of marriage should be theirs to decide.
The arguments kicked off this morning. In an unusual twist that reflected the importance of this case, all nine judges met to hear the suit. FRC's Peter Sprigg was in the courtroom during the trial. Peter reports that Austin Nimocks of the Alliance Defense Fund was brilliant in his defense of the people's right to vote--much stronger that the counsel for the District. The questioning of both attorneys by the judges was vigorous, so he said it was hard to get a read on how the case might turn out. The discussion involved a lot of technical points about the legislative history of the D.C. Charter, Charter Amendments Act, Human Rights Act, and Initiative Procedures Act. Interestingly enough, the District's claim that restoring a traditional definition of marriage would be "discrimination" based on "sexual orientation" was mentioned only in passing. The bottom line is that the D.C. Charter gives the people a right to legislate via initiative--and the Council can't take that right away from them.
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