On the occasion of International\nWomen\u2019s Day on March 8, 2020, the International Organization for the Family celebrates\nwomen\u2019s rights as anchored in what the American Declaration of Independence\ncalls the Creator-endowed unalienable rights of \u201clife, liberty and the pursuit\nof happiness.\u201d The right to life for every woman begins before birth, as\ndeclared by the United Nations\u2019 Convention on the Rights of the Child: every\nchild \u201cneeds special safeguards and care, including appropriate legal protection,\nbefore as well as after birth.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Protecting women after birth is\nequally urgent. \u201cThere is no trust more sacred than the one the world\nholds with children,\u201d\nstated Secretary-General Kofi Annan. That trust is best kept by what the CRC calls \u201cthe family, as\nthe fundamental group of society and the natural environment for the growth and\nwell-being of all its members and particularly children\u2026. [T]he child, for the\nfull and harmonious development of his or her personality, should grow up in a\nfamily environment, in an atmosphere of happiness, love and understanding.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The \u201cnatural\u201d family\nenvironment\u2014echoing the description of the family in the Universal Declaration\nof Human Rights as \u201cthe natural and fundamental group unit of\nsociety\u201d\u2014presupposes a mother, whose role, in the words of Secretary-General\nBan Ki-moon, \u201cis vital for the healthy development of children\u2026. We face multiple challenges in our\nchanging world, but one factor remains constant: the timeless importance of\nmothers and their invaluable contribution to raising the next generation.\u201d The\nother component of the natural family environment was emphasized by President\nRonald Reagan: \u201cFathers play an indispensable role in forming vital, whole\nfamilies. They serve as models and guides for their sons and daughters and help\nto pass on to the next generation the heritage of our civilization.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Together,\n\u201cthe roles of a father\nand a mother\u201d in marital union constitute what Michael Novak calls \u201cthe\nabsolutely critical center of social force,\u201d or, in the words of Pope Francis, \u201ca\nunique, natural, fundamental and beautiful good for people, families,\ncommunities and societies.\u201d And \u201cat\nthe root of marriage and family,\u201d he continues, is \u201cthe complementarity of man and woman,\u201d\nanswering the right of children \u201cto grow up in a family with a father and a\nmother capable of creating a suitable environment for the child\u2019s growth and\nemotional development.\u201d In other words, man and woman are endowed with equal\nrights but distinct gifts marvelously designed\nto work in concert for the benefit of themselves, their children, and society\nas a whole. No wonder the UDHR recognizes the natural family\nas the only group unit intrinsically possessing rights and meriting the\nprotection of society and the State. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ironically, some of the greatest threats to the natural\nfamily\u2014and therefore to the rights of women\u2014come in the form of policies purporting\nto protect women\u2019s rights. \u201cIn our day,\u201d declared Pope Francis, \u201cmarriage\nand the family are in crisis\u201d due to a \u201crevolution in manners and morals [that]\nhas often flown the flag of freedom, but in fact\u2026 has brought spiritual and\nmaterial devastation to countless human beings, especially the poorest and most\nvulnerable. Evidence is mounting that the decline of the marriage culture is\nassociated with increased poverty and a host of other social ills,\ndisproportionately affecting women, children, and the elderly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We call for\nprotection of the rights of women both before and after birth, including defense\nof the natural family as their best refuge growing up; for the rejection of any\npolicy proposal flying the false flag of freedom but actually undermining the\nrights of women; and for the implementation of the UDHR provision that \u201cMotherhood and childhood are entitled to special\ncare and assistance.\u201d At stake is the future not just of women but of the\nchildren they nourish and the society they build. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In celebration of International Women\u2019s Day, the International Organization for the Family has issued the following statement, which has been provided to over 125 missions of the United Nations in Manhattan.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":10814,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"give_campaign_id":0,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"mc4wp_mailchimp_campaign":[],"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":{"subtitle":"Statement by the International Organization for the Family","format":"standard","video":"","gallery":"","source_name":"","source_url":"","via_name":"","via_url":"","override":[{"single_blog_custom":"","sidebar":"","second_sidebar":"","share_position":"","share_float_style":"","post_date_format":"","post_date_format_custom":"","post_reading_time_wpm":"","zoom_button_out_step":"1","zoom_button_in_step":"1","number_popup_post":"1"}],"image_override":[{"single_post_thumbnail_size":"","single_post_gallery_size":""}],"trending_post_position":"","trending_post_label":""},"jnews_primary_category":{"id":"510"},"jnews_social_meta":{"fb_title":"","fb_description":"","fb_image":"","twitter_title":"","twitter_description":"","twitter_image":""},"jnews_override_counter":{"view_counter_number":"0","share_counter_number":"0","like_counter_number":"0","dislike_counter_number":"0"},"footnotes":""},"categories":[804,510,805],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10916","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-breaking-news","category-family","category-foreground"],"yoast_head":"\n