Family First NZ states:

TEENS REJECT ‘SAFE SEX’ EDUCATION

SUPPORT PARENTAL NOTIFICATION AND ‘RIGHT TO LIFE’

A nationwide poll of 600 young people aged 15-21 poll has found that they hold conservative values on sex issues – which are significantly similar to the views of parents.

 SEX EDUCATION

When asked “Do you think sex education in schools should teach values, abstinence and consequences such as pregnancy, or just teach safe sex?” only 19% supported just the ‘safe sex’ message currently being taught in schools, with one in three (34%) wanting ‘values, abstinence, and consequences such as pregnancy’ taught instead, and a further 42% asking for a combination of both – especially amongst older teens. The support for just the ‘safe sex’ message dropped even lower for the older teens.

 “This is a direct rebuke from young people to the ‘use a condom’ and ‘everyone’s doing it’ messages being pushed by groups like Family Planning, AIDS Foundation and Rainbow Youth,” says Bob McCoskrie, National Director of Family First NZ.

 “Many parents were rightly horrified last year when details of what was being taught in schools under the guise of ‘sex education’ surfaced. Judging by the results of the current approach – which is a good place to start – sex education has been an utter failure. New Zealand has one of the highest teenage pregnancy rates in the OECD, our STD rates are out of control and the number of teenage girls having abortions continues to rise.”

 “For those youth who are sexually active, they are not being told the truth. Groups like the Family Planning Association and the AIDS Foundation are perpetuating the myth that as long as you use a condom, you can pretty well do what you like in terms of promiscuity, experimentation, and fringe behaviours – with little or no information on the physical or emotional ramifications or prevention of disease.”

In one example, a mixed class of boys and girls were asked by the AIDS Foundation if they had masturbated lately and were given condoms and strawberry-flavoured lubricant. They were also given a leaflet featuring graphic pictures, terms including “cock” and “wank”, and advice on the best condoms. Reports last year highlighted that children as young as 12 are being taught about oral sex and told it’s acceptable to play with a girl’s private parts as long as “she’s okay with it”. In other cases, 14-year-old girls are being taught how to put condoms on plastic penises, and one female teacher imitated the noises she made during orgasm to her class of 15-year-olds. One concerned father took his 12-year-old son out of a sex education class at his all-boy school after he came home upset about what had happened during one of the lessons. It included a question-and-answer session that focused on, “I have learned that my girlfriend has a thing called a clitoris. I really want to play with it. Is that okay?” The answer was: “Yes, if you ask her and she’s okay with it.”

 A poll of parents in 2010 found that three out of four parents of young children want the abstinence message taught in sex education – with 69% of kiwis overall supporting the ‘wait’ message.

 PARENTAL NOTIFICATION

When asked “Provided it won’t put the girl in physical danger, should parents be told if their school-age daughter is pregnant and considering getting an abortion?” 59% of young respondents thought the parents should be told. 34% disagreed. More young men than women agreed, but both had majority agreement.

 “It is significant that even young people can see the importance of having parents informed and involved, even when they know that those same parents will be rightly disappointed and upset. This is a very strong response from young people, and is a rebuke to the politicians in 2004 who chose to exclude parents from this process when debating the provision in the Care of Children Bill,” says Mr McCoskrie.

 According to the Care of Children Act 2004, access to abortion is not restricted on grounds of age. Section 38 of the Act says that a girl of any age can give consent to an abortion and that consent operates as if it were given by her parents. Therefore, her parents need never know that their daughter is having such a procedure. Family First is aware of young girls being written to directly asking them to make an appointment to have the Gardasil vaccine.

 “This all effectively means that while a parent has to sign a letter for their daughter to go on a school trip to the zoo or to play in the netball team, they are totally excluded from any knowledge or granting of permission for that same child to be put on the pill, have a vaccine, or have a surgical abortion,” says Mr McCoskrie.

 When parents were asked a similar question in a 2010 poll, 79% responded yes – only 12% said no.

 Family First is asking for the law to be amended to allow for parental notification in all cases of medical advice, prescriptions and procedures unless it can be proved to a family court that it would place the child at extreme risk.

 “Parental notification laws in Texas, Michigan, Minnesota, and other US states have seen a drop in both the pregnancy rate and the teen abortion rate – a win-win situation for all concerned. This is especially relevant when almost 80 teenagers a week have an abortion in NZ,” says Mr McCoskrie.

 UNBORN CHILD’S RIGHT TO LIFE

When asked “Do you believe an unborn child or foetus has a right to be born?” 56% of youth respondents said they believed an unborn child or foetus has a right to be born. Slightly more young women than young men agreed – 58% to 55%. Those aged 15 to 17 were strongest in support – 66%.

 “This is a pleasantly pro-life view from our young people. A decision from the Court of Appeal last June that the law does not recognize or confer a right to life on the unborn child sends a dangerous message, and should make NZ’ers feel very queasy,” says Mr McCoskrie.

 “The message that an unborn child has absolutely no rights is completely inconsistent with warning messages about prenatal alcohol and drug use, recognising the unborn child as a victim with respect to violent crimes on pregnant women, and even the report released by Sir Peter Gluckman referring to ‘environmental risks that occur prenatally’.

 “On the one hand we are imploring pregnant women to live a healthy lifestyle to enhance the wellbeing of their unborn child, yet on the other hand the courts are telling us that the child has no right to life. That’s a contradictory message that shows a complete disregard for the most vulnerable. Just when does a child obtain the right to live? 30 weeks? 40 weeks? In the birthing room? At the first Plunket visit?” asks Mr McCoskrie.

Family First is calling for a law change that gives an unborn child the same human rights as any other human being.

 “Teenagers are right to say that we should not allow discrimination against our most vulnerable.”

 The Curia Market Research poll surveyed 600 15-21 year olds nationwide. The poll was conducted between 4 and 6 December 2011 and has a margin of error of +/- 4.1%.

ENDS

FULL POLL RESULTS CAN BE FOUND AT:

http://www.familyfirst.co.nz

Bob McCoskrie – National Director, Family First NZ

See Sunday Star Times coverage of Family First media release:

http://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/wellbeing/6226549/Conservative-young-cautious-on-sex-education

What better way to fulfill our Society’s charitable aims of “promoting moral and spiritual welfare” among this sector of society, than to supply a high quality and easy-to-read book to each of our 8,800 prisoners: one that promotes spiritual and moral values! During the year our Society has been helping get a copy of The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan – in a modern English version – to every prisoner. Already over 800 have been distributed with the help of the NZ Prison Chaplaincy Services. This book is arguably the most published book in the world – second only to the Bible and is acclaimed by some reputable scholars as “the greatest allegory ever written” (see www.pilgrimsprogress.co.nz ).

Our involvement in this project has come about in part as a result of research the Society has carried out into the needs of prisoners in the area of literacy and rehabilitation. A number of our members have been involved for many years in prison ministry and are still actively involved.

The Society’s objectives (see www.spcs.org.nz ) include:

“To encourage self-respect and the dignity of the human person made in the image of God” and promote “wholesome personal values as the foundation for stable communities”.(extract from SPCS Constitution available in full on line at www.charities.govt.nz & www.societies.govt.nz). See Mattew 25: 36-40.

View the brochure below if you wish to financially support the project

An essay by Robert P. George, McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence at Princeton University and editorial board member of Public Discourse

This essay, published 17 October 2011,  is adapted from remarks he delivered earlier this month at a conference honoring John Finnis at the University of Notre Dame.

Copyright 2011 The Witherspoon Institute – PUBLIC DISCOURSE – Ethics, Law and the Common Good.

Quote:

“….the familiar depiction of the debate over pornography regulation as pitting the “rights of individuals,” on the one side, against some amorphous “majority’s dislike of smut,” on the other, is false to the facts. The public interest in a cultural structure—in which, as Dworkin says, “sexual experience has dignity and beauty”—is the concrete interest of individuals and families who constitute “the public.” The obligations of others to respect their interests, and of governments to respect and protect them, is a matter of justice.”

For fulll essaygo to: http://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/2011/10/3958

It says that potential complainants may not speak up and complain about breaches of broadcasting standards as a result of the BSA refusing to grant name suppression to complainants.

 “It takes a lot of courage for complainants to speak up about broadcasting breaches and it serves no purpose for their names to be broadcast or printed in the media. Families will be less inclined to speak up if they know they will have their name splashed across the media, and especially where they are complaining about what they consider a moral issue which they feel strongly about,” says Bob McCoskrie, National Director of Family First NZ. Family First is referring to a decision released today regarding a Prime TV programme on the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra which included references to sexual activity and bodily functions where the complainants requested name suppression but were refused by the BSA. 

“The programmers, producers and schedulers responsible for broadcasting the material are often able to hide behind a mask of anonymity, but complainants have no similar right,” says Mr McCoskrie. 

“The issue is not who complained, but whether the complaint was warranted. This is no different to Crimestoppers, CYF, the Department of Labour, and the IRD – all which allow for anonymous complaints.” 

“The BSA should focus on the merits of the complaint, not the identity of the complainant. And complainants should be given the right to ask for name suppression.”

End

Tens of thousands of the guides were distributed throughout the country by Family First NZ, a charity registered with the Charities Commission; assessing the political parties based on their responses and/or lack of responses to questions on their respective policies on moral and conscience issues considered by the charity to be highly important to prospective voters. Such issues included:

1. Define marriage as one man and one woman

2. Policies promoting marriage

3. Unborn child has right to life

4. Informed consent for women seeking abortion 

5. Parental notification for teen pregnancies

6. Abstinence and parental-based sex education

7. Legalisation of surrogacy

8. Same sex adoption by non-biological adults

9. Decriminalisation of euthanasia

10 G-rated billboards

11. Decriminalise non-abusive smacking

12 Raise drinking and purchase age to 20

The pamplete stated: “The leaders of the Labour, National and Maori Parties refused to complete the questionnaires.” Points were awarded to responses (Yes/No) which were in line with Family First NZ position. Where possible the charity analysed these three partys’  voting record and public statements on these issues, but was only able to provide guidance on the policies relating to a small small number of the 30 questions/issues raised.

NZ First NZ and the Conservative Party (the latter received 2.8% of the vote, fifth in ranking ahead of their closest rival the Maori Party, which only scored 1.3%) were real ‘winners’ on election night. ‘Winners’ in the sense of wooing a significant block of voters (almost 10%), based on a firm, unequivocal policy stance taken on 30 values issues – with answers in harmomy with Family First NZ position – while leaders of the National, Labour and Maori parties who refused to respond ‘failed’ in the “value” assessment. The Greens scored poorly in the Family First NZ guide at 23% – well below Act at 43% and United Future at 37%.

All but one Hamilton City councillor at yesterday’s strategy and policy meeting voted against hosting the R18 event at the new Claudelands Event Centre in March, amid accusations of trying to win votes after the V8 debacle cost the city almost $40 million.

Councillor Ewan Wilson was the lone supporter of pornographer Steve Crow’s Erotica Lifestyles Expo show being held at the council-owned centre.

Staff decided to let councillors make the final decision because of the sex expo’s potential moral impact on the community. Councillors voted nine against and one for the event.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10768050

Mayor Julie Hardaker and councillors Daphne Bell and John Gower were not present for the debate.

Councillor Ewan Wilson was the lone supporter of pornographer Steve Crow’s Erotica show being held at the council-owned centre.

“I don’t believe it’s our job to act as moral policeman. I think my colleagues are running scared. They are trying to appease a certain voting segment and ignoring the fact that this event is in a defined area when one has to pay, and has an age restriction.”

Mr Wilson questioned what the council would ban next. “Are we going to ban Puppetry of the Penis next time it goes to Founders Theatre and are we going to ban nudist art in our museum?”

But councillor Dave Macpherson said it wasn’t something the city wanted or needed.

“And my observation is most of the city doesn’t want it either. The city is not required to open its doors to anything and everything.

“Plus the whole sexpo is just designed to make money out of exploiting women. It has no redeeming features.”

Mr Macpherson said the council had to draw the line somewhere despite Claudelands’ struggle to meet its financial targets.

“What if the Nazis came along and wanted to hold a rally and promised us $50,000 – would we do that?”

On hearing the news, Mr Crow said it would be a decision the council would rue and he would not let them off the hook “that easily”.

“Hamilton City Council are throwing away their money and I’m going to have a lot of fun with them over this.

“I hope Hamilton ratepayers are really happy to fund a council that turns down revenue on a loss-making centre. I hope they consider that at the next election and vote these idiots out.”

Source: Article by Nikki Preston. No sexpo please, we’re Hamiltonians. Published 23 November 2011

 http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10768050

The majority of its $434,000 debt is owed to the NZ Inland Revenue Department and Trade creditors are owed $119,000 according to the Liquidator’s first report published today on the Companies Office website (www.companies.govt.nz). The report records the reasons provided by the director Mr Carr for Eden Digital being put into into liquidation and they include:

(1) the company was in default with its financiers and demand was made on the company due to that default, (2) the company has been supported financially by related entities [directed by John M Carr] and recently their financial support was withdrawn (3) the business was recently sold and such proceeds were applied to the security holder(s) [listed below], (4) with no remaining assets the company was unable to trade and as a result its only shareholder [CVC Group Ltd, directed by John M Carr] had no option but to place the company into receivership, (5) Eden Digital Ltd that held the licence for Erotica Lifestyles Expo, cancelled the license which meant that this aspect of its business could not continue.

The Waikato Times reported on 18 November 2011 that the Hamilton City Council “had been approached by Eden Digital Media [sic] to book Claudelands [event venue] for the [Erotica Lifestyles] expo in March [2012]“.

Fortunately for the Council, its councillors voted yesterday against allowing this hardcore porn fest using council facilities, given the fact that Eden Digital must have been insolvent throughout much of the period of time that its officers entered into negotiations with the Hamilton City Council. The Liquidator will be examining such matters to determine whether or not the company director John M Carr may have committed offences under the Companies Act 1993 (eg. trading whie insolvent)..

The majority of councillors (9 to 1) took the view that it was “inappropriate” to use the Claudelands venue for the staging of porn related activities as proposed by David Crow. They voted against the Arena being used for this proposed event.

David Bruce Crow, has been reported as acting as “spokesperson” for Esprit Events Ltd (Co. No. 3648912), another company directed by John M Carr and only recently incorporated on 10 November 2011. David Crow made an approach to the Hamilton City Council seeking the use of the Claudelands event venue for the sexpo, but without success. Concerned over the moral welfare of the community, councillors voted against the proposed use of the events venue to stage and promote porn 9 to 1.

Secured creditors of Eden Digital Ltd include its shareholder, CVC Group Ltd, directed by John M Carr, Vision rentals Ltd, Solutions Group Receivables, Konica Minolta Business Solutions and Harper Collins Publishers.

Unsecured creditors include Inland Revenue, Ezisoft Computer Systems Ltd directed by David Bruce Crow and owned by his wife Carolyn Rose Crow; PJ Digital Ltd and San Antonio-US -based Better Business Services both owned and directed by John Malcolm Carr and the ASB Showgrounds, Epsom, Auckland – the former longtime venue for Erotica Lifestyles Expo.

They are all unlikely to receive anything according to the Liquidator, Grant Bruce Reynolds of Reynolds & Associates Ltd, Insolvency Practitioners of Penrose,  Auckland.

Update: Liquidatation Notice – NZ Herald Thursday 24 November 2011. The failed company was put into liquidation puruant to section 241(2)(a) of the Companies Act 1993.

The Strategy and Policy Committee yesterday rejected the proposal, viewing the event to be held at the Council-run Claudelands events venue as unsuitable for the city. [The expo promotes hardcore pornography].

The Committee agreed that a report into the need for a policy on appropriate events to be held at Council premises, including Claudelands, and in public places was required. This report will return to the Committee early next year.

Committee chair Maria Westphal said: “We had a full discussion around the proposal to host this event, but our view was that it was not appropriate to hold it at Council’s Claudelands venue.

‘The view of most councillors was that the adult lifestyles aspect of the Expo, and the likely promotion of it with the ‘Boobs on Bikes’ parade was not a good fit with the family friendly values of our city.”

http://nz.news.yahoo.com/a/-/top-stories/11941317/thumbs-down-for-erotica-lifestyles-expo/

Note: Esprit Events Ltd (Co. No. 3648912) was incorporated on 10 November 2011.  Its spokesperson in media reports on the expo has been David Bruce Crow. Its registered office is at 2b/18 Triton Drive, Albany, NSC 0632.

Born in 1955, his destiny and his ability to affect people globally, may never have happened. Steve Jobs was born out of wedlock and adopted into a loving home by Clara and Paul Jobs.

… as we [continue to mourn the passing] of Steve Jobs we should remember with gratitude the heroic birth mother who in the face of possible pressure to terminate Steve’s life chose life. We should reflect with gratitude on his adoptive parents who provided Steve with a loving home and nurtured his outstanding talents.

His life is a reminder of the value of every human being made in the image and likeness of our Creator, a unique and unrepeatable miracle of His loving creation sent into this world with a special plan to fulfil.

It is an appalling tragedy that in New Zealand nearly 18,000 unborn children each year have their lives terminated in our nation’s hospitals. They are deemed to be of little worth. How many of these children would have made an outstanding contribution to society if only they had been allowed to live. Each one of these children came with special gifts to enrich our society.

We should in sorrow mourn our irreparable loss. In 2009 there were only 43 babies adopted in New Zealand i.e. one adoption for every 408 abortions. Why do we as a nation have such antipathy to adoption?

Abortion, the killing of the child in the womb is part of a culture of death. Adoption the positive option is part of a culture of life, let us be inspired by the life of Steve Jobs and make the promotion of adoption a national priority.

Source:  Right to Life New Zealand Inc. Media Release 9 October 2011.

Speaking in pidgin English,via a translator, he stated: “I am a very passionate man,” and “I do haf a verry beeg reeespect for sex.”

Gordon writes:

He is passionately pro-life, and last year filmed a video expressing his views which, when posted on the web, was hailed by anti-abortion campaigners as “one of the most beautiful, authentic things ever seen”.

In it, Bocelli sits at a piano and tells the camera that he wants to recount a “little story” about a young pregnant woman who is admitted to hospital with a misdiagnosed case of appendicitis. After tests, “the doctors advised her to abort the child. They told her that would be the best solution because the child would doubtless be born with some kind of disability. But the courageous young wife decided not to terminate the pregnancy, and the child was born. The woman was my mother, I was the child”.

Bocelli was born with sight problems and was eventually diagnosed with congenital glaucoma. At the age of 12, he went completely blind after an accident during a football game….

His views on abortion are well rehearsed, and he has heard about British MP Nadine Dorries and her recent attempt to strip termination clinics of their conselling roles. He interrupts the translator as she relays my question and says very firmly, which I repeat in full here: “You ask me before of my point of view about religion, and I told you I am very religious. It means that before I fight against something, I try to fight in favour of something.

“It is not Christian to go against someone. I am in favour of life. And, of course, personally I do not share the idea of being able to interrupt life arbitrarily. But I cannot be the judge of those who decide in a different way. As much as I can, I show them an example and act as a role model, because I believe this is the only way.”

Source: Article (abridged)

He’s ‘very passionate’  but no bunga bunga please.

Based on interview with Andrea Bocelli by Bryony Gordon, Telegraph Group

Reprinted in The Dominion Post. 19 Novembr 2011, B5.