SPCS

SOCIETY FOR PROMOTION OF COMMUNITY STANDARDS INC.

Why saying ‘I do’ is good for families – Bob McCoskrie (Director – Family First NZ)

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[On 27 June the Dominion Post published the following article in defence of marriage and the family, by Bob McCoskrie, national director of the registered charity – Family First NZ]

On April 29, two billion people worldwide sat in front of their TV screens as they witnessed one of the most public weddings in history – the marriage of Prince William and Catherine Middleton.

No-one asked why they were getting married, why they didn’t get a civil union instead, or said that the ceremony was pointless and unnecessary. It was simply the dream that many aspire to.

Just 20,900 couples got married in New Zealand last year – an all-time low. This has led to claims that a wedding ring is unnecessary to legitimise parenthood and sexual activity. Put simply: some think marriage doesn’t matter. On that basis, civil unions matter even less – only 273 couples got one last year.

But do declining rates mean that it doesn’t matter? Should we be concerned that marriage rates are at an all-time low? Yes, we should. Marriage matters. The weakening of marriage is one of the most important social issues we are facing.

A 2006 British report said that the breakdown of the traditional married family was at the root of teenagers being involved in violent acts, taking more drugs, drinking more, and having sex at a younger age.

But the report didn’t come from a “Right-wing think-tank’ or lobby group with a “moralist agenda”. It was from Britain’s most prominent and influential Left-leaning policy group – the Institute for Public Policy Research. It contradicted years of ideology that family structure doesn’t matter.

Cohabitation statistics in the 21st century released this year by British social reform organisation the Jubilee Centre found that married couples with children are 10 times more likely to stay together than de facto couples – and marriages last an average of four years longer if partners haven’t lived together before getting married.

According to the study, in 1993 70 per cent of couples who had children after they got married remained married at their child’s 16th birthday – increasing to 75 per cent in 2006. Yet just 36 per cent of cohabiting parents were together for their child’s 16th birthday in 1992 – reducing to just 7 per cent in 2006. This indicates that marriage has become a more stable family background for raising children.

According to Why Marriage Matters – a report co-authored by 13 leading social- science scholars, including Professor William Galston, a domestic policy adviser to the Clinton administration – parental divorce or non-marriage appears to increase children’s risk of school failure, the risk of suicide, psychological distress and, most significantly, delinquent and criminal behaviour.

For full published article go to:

http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/comment/5195687/Why-saying-I-do-is-good-for-our-families

OR

Family First NZ website: www.familyfirst.org.nz

Juries Protecting Parents From Politicians – Family First (NZ)

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Family First (NZ) Media Release 17 June 2011

Family First NZ [a registered charity with the Charities Commission] says that the anti-smacking law is criminalizing good parents and only the common sense of juries is protecting parents from the actions of politicians. It is challenging Prime Minister John Key to amend the [so-called ‘anti-smacking’] law that he has labeled “a dog’s breakfast”, and introduce the amendment that he lobbied for before he became Prime Minister which decriminalizes reasonable force for the purpose of correction

“A father was acquitted in the Wellington District Court today by a jury which threw out three charges of assault. The judge also threw out another charge of assault which the police had laid because of the father physically restraining the child, saying that it was clearly an act of reasonable force to control a disruptive and unruly child. All these charges related to a dad with no previous involvement with CYF,” says Bob McCoskrie, National Director of Family First NZ.

“The dad was blocked from seeing his son for over a year while awaiting trial, although cynically, the police tempted him with the offer of allowing contact if he pleaded guilty there and then, which would have resulted in him carrying assault convictions on his record.” [Read more…]

Timaru drink-driving – all in the family

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Three members of a South Canterbury family were booked for drink-driving on the same night.  At 12.15 am on Saturday, a boy, 15, was stopped and arrested for drink-driving on State Highway 1 near Timaru. He blew 529 micrograms per litre of breath, more than three-and-a-half times the youth limit. He was taken to Timaru police station and his mother was called to collect him, but she was stopped about 2.14 am and arrested for drink-driving after blowing 776 mcg, nearly twice the adult limit of 400. The woman rang her partner to come and pick them both up, but he was stopped about 3 am and arrested when he blew 559 mcg.

Source: Dominion Post 13 June 2011, p. A3.

Adoptee spurred battle for law reform to enable access to birth information

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On 12 January 2011 Rev. Keith Clifton Griffith MBE sadly passed away after a short period of illness and will be sorely missed by his wife Helen, three sons and their respective young families. Our Society executive, one of whom had known Keith for almost 40 years and was able to attend Keith’s funeral held in Porirua, are so grateful for his valuable contribution to our Society’s direction as set out in our revised Constitution (see Objectives tab on our website homepage or go to www.societies.govt.nz and search under Inc. Soc. No. 217833).

Keith, who was guest speaker at our Society’s AGM held on 30 June 2010, and who in 1988 was awarded an MBE for services to adoption research, publications and formation of adoption support networks; emphasised in his address the importance of adopting three guiding principles in all charitable work: truth, openness (or transparency) and integrity. The Society executive has sought to follow his advice and we found his AGM talk involving his account of his own charitable work, most inspirational. [Read more…]

‘Crass’ News Item on Child Abuse Draws Formal Complaint [from Family First NZ]

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MEDIA RELEASE: 28 December 2010 Source www.familyfirst.org.nz

Family First NZ has laid an official complaint with the Broadcasting Standards Authority over a disgraceful TV3 Nightline news story (ref. 1) broadcast on the day before Christmas Eve which trivialised and made light of child sex abuse. [Family First NZ is a registered charity with the NZ Charities Commission and its objectives are supported by SPCS].

“It was broadcast only 24 hours after it had been revealed (ref. 2) that the horrendous case of child abuse of a West Auckland 9 year old that had shocked the nation also involved sexual abuse by a CYF caregiver. It was also introduced by the presenter with the pun ‘a touching Christmas story’,” says Bob McCoskrie, National Director of Family First NZ.

“It was crass, completely inappropriate, and offensive to many people who would have been shocked, revolted and upset by the revelations of severe and long-term abuse of a nine year old which was in the news.” [Read more…]