1.Family Structure Impacts Socio-Economic Level
The recent case of civil unions in New Hampshire highlights the importance of family structure for society. Sutherland Institute has worked hard to explain the importance of the natural family — a married mother and father with children. Sutherland’s essay, “More than Money: The Influence of Family Structure on Prosperity and Educational Attainment” focuses on the natural family and how it has thrived across cultures, languages, and political ideals. Among other benefits, Sutherland’s analytical and empirical research into the socio-economic benefits from the natural family shows:
- The tradional couple is likely to be more capable of increasing the household provision of family goods and services than any one parent alone or any other parental arrangement.
- All members of society are affected by the family structures chosen by all other members of society.
- A child raised from birth to adulthood by one mother and one father who are married is more likely to experience greater educational achievement than a child raised under any other family structure.
2.Pope Invokes ‘Natural Family’ in Christmas Message
In Pope Benedict XVI’s message for the new year, he focuses on the importance of the natural family and what it represents. “The natural family, as an intimate communion of life and love, based on marriage between a man and a woman, constitutes ‘the primary place of ‘humanization’ for the person and society’, and a ‘cradle of life and love’. The family is therefore rightly defined as the first natural society, ‘a divine institution that stands at the foundation of life of the human person as the prototype of every social order’.”
The Pope further adds that it’s through a healthy family that there is peace: “Justice and love between brothers and sisters, the role of authority expressed by parents, loving concern for the members who are weaker because of youth, sickness or old age, mutual help in the necessities of life, readiness to accept others and, if necessary, to forgive them.”
3.Sutherland’s Goals for 2008
Sutherland Institute’s efforts for the upcoming year are focused on more effectively reaching out to a growing constituency in Utah. To that end, we are preparing to launch four new policy centers: the Center on Limited Government, the Center for Family Policy, the Center for Education Policy, and the Center for Health Care Policy. This expansion includes extensive work on education reform and moving forward the Institute’s efforts to implement a constitutional spending limitation for Utah.
We remain committed to our Governing Principles and to our belief in Utah’s capacity to be an example of good government for the rest of the nation. As such, we will continue to look for new ways to influence Utah law and policy and make good ideas broadly popular. Guided by these objectives, the Sutherland Policy Committee and legislative team have been preparing for the 2008 general session of the State Legislature.
Share with your friends and family…