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In his speech he shared that document. It deeply touched hearts and set in
motion an overwhelming change. He urged the delegates to do what they could to strengthen
the family, rather than expend the vast majority of their energies creating [substitute
social structures]. He closed his remarks by urging them to "be quite careful before
they took any action that would undermine the central role of the family in their
societies." The reaction to the speech was remarkable. Many of the speakers who had preceded him at the podium hissed as he returned to his seat. He is quite certain he was spit upon, due to some damp spots on his jacket, but MOST of the delegates in the audience gave him a STANDING OVATION. The Ambassador from Saudi Arabia embraced him warmly and asked, "Where have you been?" Several delegates from developing nations expressed their thanks and their surprise that an American law professor would defend such a traditional position on the family. Based on what they had previously heard, they had come to believe that Americans are anti-family. Following Richard's speech, many countries present demanded radical changes to the Habitat draft. In their written demands, they used such statements as "The family is the nucleus of society...the family starts with a man and a woman bonded according to social and religious norms". Of course, not all hearts softened. One prominent Women's Caucus leader said that Wilkins was "only a man" and could "never understand", and she even went so far as to say that people like Wilkins "hardly deserve to live." Wilkins said, "Bella Abzug insisted that there was a massive, well organized, well-funded organization behind me. All I had was a plane ticket purchased by the BYU Law School, a small travel advance, and my MasterCard" and the Proclamation to the World on the Family. He added, "What had looked, from the beginning, like another total victory for the feminist agenda was, instead, almost a total defeat." The Habitat draft DID change. When the document was rewritten, it reaffirmed the centrality of the family, rejected homosexual unions, and retreated significantly from former worldwide commitments to abortion. 28 explicit references to abortion were deleted. But perhaps the greatest coup was the final draft's definition of marriage, recognizing that marriage involves spouses who are husband and wife. Wilkins calls Habitat II the legal equivalent of the parting of the Red Sea. Last May, as a direct result of the events which occurred at the Habitat II conference, a committee of 27 individuals gathered to determine a course of action that would bring "the silent majority" out of their silence. This committee, called NGO FAMILY VOICE, has called for A WORLD CONGRESS OF FAMILIES, to be held November 7-10, 1999 in Geneva Switzerland. The Planning Committee is made up of 27 individuals representing many nations: Russia, Iran, Canada, Japan, Israel, Africa, Philippines, Australia, Czech Republic, Romania, Venezuela, Switzerland, USA. ALL the world's greatest religions are also represented: Islam, Catholics, Protestants, Mormons, and leaders of eastern, non-Christian religions as well. One of the 8 representatives from the United States is Mary Ellen Smoot. The General Relief Society President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. In a written statement, this committee has acknowledged that in recent decades, legislative action and public policy decisions have neglected or even been hostile to the family. They are asking the UN to recognize the natural family and do nothing to undermine its status. To prove that they have the backing of the masses, they have created a petition that is being circulated across the earth, obtaining signatures of people everywhere who are willing to stand and be counted as supporters of the traditional family. It is titled "A Call from the Families of the World". Last November, at an event which was the kick-off of this effort and the introduction of the congress, Elder Boyd K. Packer praised BYU's support of the congress and asserted, "If society is to be saved, it will be in the family. Regarding this organization and it's goals, Elder Melvin J. Ballard said: "The Lord only needs a small handful ...with a small handful of committed leaders, miracles can happen." Wilkins reported that at a recent conference, the Head of Islamic culture promised to gather 66 million Muslim signatures for the petition. Wilkins asked the question, "Do you suppose we could gather perhaps 2 million CHRISTIAN signatures?" The goal of NGO Family Voice is to go to that World Conference in Geneva, armed with millions of signatures, perhaps even billions, so the UN international lawmakers can no longer ignore the silent majority. The opposition continues -- and they are becoming more subtle. They have huge amounts of money and power behind them. Richard Wilkins believes they will not quit until they have succeeded, unless we succeed first. He says the FOUNDATION of his work has been "The Family: A Proclamation to the World" from the First Presidency and Council of the Twelve Apostles. Often in times of overwhelming odds, that statement has invigorated the NGO Family Voice delegates, giving them strokes of intelligence and the strength to see the process through. What can we do?
That is the most important thing we can do to stop the disintegration of the family. However, it is no longer enough to safeguard OUR families. We must extend ourselves in our efforts. I asked why those in the United States heard little about the conference, Wilkins summarized it in two words: presidential election. Wilkins asserts that the president downplayed Habitat II because much of the agenda the U.S. delegates were pushing there (at the UN Conference), was in direct opposition to the president's domestic position, something the electorate might not have appreciated. "The UN affords political leaders the opportunity to say one thing and do another," says Wilkins. "People everywhere need to be aware of the role the UN is having in the United States and the world. We've ignored the dramatic impact that these documents can have and are having." The site to get the petition is: http://www.law.byu.edu./NGO_Family_Voice Just print it out, sign it and send it to the address on the bottom. |
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