Congress Shocked By Law Society's Decision To Ban UK Marriage Conference, "Natural Family" Violates Diversity Policy

WASHINGTON, May 21, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- World Congress of Families Managing Director, Larry Jacobs, reacted with astonishment to the decision by the Law Society to ban a "natural marriage" conference co-sponsored by the Congress and Christian Concern, a WCF Partner in the United Kingdom.

WCF and Christian Concern's "One Man, One Woman: Making The Case for Marriage" Conference is scheduled for May 23 at the Law Society in London.

Christian Concern is in the forefront of efforts to preserve marriage in the United Kingdom, and has helped to collect over half-a-million signatures on its Don't Play Politics With Marriage petition, through the Coalition for Marriage.

Jacobs charged: "The Law Society – which represents solicitors in England and Wales -- has taken the extraordinary step of banning the conference, supposedly because, by questioning the social utility of same-sex marriage, it violates the Society's diversity policy.  Apparently, the diversity the Society approves of least is the one that matters the most – diversity of opinion."

Jacobs continued: "A group which represents legal professionals, and – by extension – the rule of law, has decided that discussing the current law in England and Wales and debating a fundamental change in that law, is somehow discriminatory.  According to researchers, natural marriage, as it exists now in England, has been shown to reduce poverty by more than 80% and is the most beneficial arrangement for children."

Allan Carlson, World Congress of Families Founder and International Secretary added, "The most bizarre aspect of this action is that Law Society is punishing us for, in effect, defending the British marriage law that now exists."

Prime Minister David Cameron wants to change British law to allow gay marriage. As the petition referred to above demonstrates, there is considerable opposition to the move, including among members of Cameron's cabinet. 

Speakers at the scheduled conference will include: Sir Paul Coleridge (High Court Justice, Family Division), senior Family Law Practitioner Peter Duckworth, Phillip Blond (director of ResPublica think tank), commentator Cristina Odone, Ben Harris-Quinney (chairman of the centre-right think tank, The Bow Group), Dr. Allan C. Carlson, Ph.D. (Founder and International Secretary of the World Congress of Families) and Don Feder (WCF Communications Director).

The Law Society's London headquarters was also the site of Christian Concern's June 29, 2011 "The Future of The Family in Coalition Britain Conference."

Jacobs asked: "At the 2011 conference, Member of Parliament Stewart Jackson observed that 'marriage should be preserved as being solely between a man and a woman.' Why was this not a violation of the Society's diversity policy then, but it is now?"

Jacobs concluded: "World Congress of Families stands fully behind Christian Concern and its CEO, Andrea Minichiello Williams. If the Law Society is really interested in diversity, it should consider including advocates for the natural family – who happen to constitute most of the world's families.   The international rights of the natural family are outlined by the United Nation's Declaration of Human Rights (UNDHR), article 16(3), which states, 'The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by Society and the State.'"

World Congress of Families VI will be held May 25-27, 2012, in Madrid, Spain, at the Palacio de Congresos, and is the world's largest gathering of pro-family leaders, scholars and activists.  

The theme for the Madrid 2012 Congress is "Marriage and Family: The Future of Society."  Those interested in attending World Congress of Families VI can register online at www.worldcongress.es. 

WCF VI  is organized by HazteOir.org (the local host committee)  and The Howard Center for Family, Religion & Society.   Co-conveners for WCF VI in Madrid include Alliance Defense Fund, Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute and Focus on the Family.  World Congress of Families is also supported annually by our 35 partners, in 11 countries.  Click here for a complete list of WCF Partners.

For more information on World Congress of Families go to www.worldcongress.org.  To schedule an interview with Larry Jacobs, contact Communications Director Don Feder at 508-405-1337, [email protected] or Judy Hodge 815-964-5819, [email protected].

The World Congress of Families (WCF) is an international network of pro-family organizations, scholars, leaders and inter-faith people of goodwill from more than 80  countries that seek to restore the natural family as the fundamental social unit and the 'seedbed' of civil society (as found in the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948).  The WCF was founded in 1997 by Allan Carlson and is a project of The Howard Center for Family, Religion & Society in Rockford, Illinois.  To date, there have been five World Congresses of Families – Prague (1997), Geneva (1999), Mexico City (2004), Warsaw, Poland (2007) and Amsterdam, The Netherlands (2009).  World Congress of Families VI will be held in Madrid, Spain in May 25-27, 2012.

SOURCE World Congress of Families