Advocates International

Family and Community Global Taskforce

Strategic Vision & Mission

July 2009

Advocates International (AI) founded its Family and Community Global Taskforce (the Family Taskforce) to support and protect the sacred institution of the family as it has traditionally functioned as the primary community within civil society. As the fundamental building block of society, the family unit plays an important role in maintaining the rights of an individual, the morals of a community, and the structure of a culture. For this reason, the Family Taskforce seeks to defend the form and function of the natural family as an historical and social fact clearly affirmed in the Scriptures and acknowledged by the international community.

The marital relationship is the heart of the natural family and is the first institution God created. “And Jesus answered and said, “Have you not read, that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘for this cause a man shall leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh?’”¹ In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul explains that monogamous marriage between one man and one woman reflects the intimate relationship between Christ and His Church.² Any deviation from the proscribed form of marital union will bring about an inaccurate understanding of Christ’s love for His Church and will be detrimental to society.

Monogamous marriage between one man and one woman ensures that children are raised by their own biological father and mother, which researchers suggest is the family structure most conducive to raising stable and productive citizens.³ Without the institution of marriage, societies tend to produce irresponsible men, exploited women, and neglected and undisciplined children; these societies also tend to lack productivity.⁴ “The relationship between the factors seem[s] to be so close, that, if we know what sexual regulations a society has adopted, we can prophesy accurately the pattern of its cultural behavior.”⁵

The international community has acknowledged the importance of the natural family in a number of its pronouncements, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (ICESC). The "Natural Family "evolved in large part, from Article 16 of the UDHR, which reads: "The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the state." Similarly, Article 10 of the ICESC states “the widest possible protection and assistance should be accorded to the family, which is the natural and fundamental group unit of society, particularly for its establishment and while it is responsible for the care and education of dependent children. Marriage must be entered into with the free consent of the intending spouses.”⁶ The international community has sought to protect the rights of the family because of its importance to the functioning of society.

Marriage and the natural family have also been defended by national jurisprudence throughout the world. In the United States, marriage and the family were protected in the landmark case Murphy v. Ramsey.⁷ When faced with whether anti-polygamy laws were unconstitutional, the Supreme Court found:

[C]ertainly no legislation can be supposed more wholesome and necessary in the founding of a free, self-governing commonwealth, fit to take rank as one of the co-ordinate States of the Union, that which seeks to establish it on the basis of the idea of the family, as consisting in and springing from the union for life of one man and one woman in the holy estate of matrimony; the sure foundation of all that is stable and noble in our civilization; the best guaranty of that reverent morality which is the source of all beneficent progress in social and political improvement.⁸

Thus, in ruling against polygamy proponents, the Supreme Court recognized the natural family as the protector of a stable civilization and of a moral society.

The Family Taskforce, under the primary supervision of its regional affiliate, Advocates North America, is dedicated to mobilizing advocates to defend the natural family in all matters where such a defense is required.⁹ Acting in legal fora or public educational venues or media, on its own behalf or in collaboration or common cause with other organizations or individuals, the Family and Community Global Taskforce will partake in on-going, multi-year, international legal advocacy to protect the natural family around the world.¹⁰

Within the next five years the total annual cost to fully fund the strategic work and necessary staff of the Family Taskforce is estimated to be $1,000,000. While the cost and priority of each component of the Taskforce may vary year to year subject to legislative priorities, judicial developments and available resources, the major goals, primary strategies and communications methods of the Taskforce shall be:

Goals

1. Establishing, through lawful process, the juridical protection of the natural family in all relevant jurisdictions.

2. Facilitating the legal and legislative advocacy and public educational support needed to defend the natural family in court.

3. Providing legal and public educational support needed to mobilize and guide the volunteer advocates needed to defend proponents of the natural family from false and politically-motivated private or governmental claims alleging hate speech or other discriminatory allegations.

4. Consistent with the AI Communications Plan, developing and maintaining the Family Taskforce portion of the AI website designed to provide public education and distribute legal resources on the natural family.

5. Creating awareness within each region of the current issues affecting the natural family and community by educating advocates and other legal professionals, pastors, politicians, and church members.

6. Identifying practical ways in which advocates can serve and defend the natural family unit based upon Christian principles.

7. To develop global legal strategies capable of reversing the trend toward deconstructing the natural family, including addressing such issues as the redefinition of marriage, same-sex adoption, prostitution, polygamy, no-fault divorce, co-habitation, and other related issues.

8. To disseminate information to advocates, other legal professionals, and interested organizations legal developments in the area of family law, as well as about available training opportunities and relevant legal campaigns.

9. To network with and engage organizations and individuals positioned to defend the natural family.

B. Primary Strategies

1. Encourage the publication of legal, sociological, and anthropological papers that support the natural family.
2. Respond in each region where the natural family is challenged in parliament, the legislatures, or the courts.
3. Educate on the significance of the natural family through legislative submissions, conferences, and public information campaigns.
4. Establish alliances with natural family organizations within and across regions.
5. Convene nationally to discuss potential legal strategies for defending the natural family. Forward the accepted strategies to a regional leader who will compile and present them to the taskforce coordinator.

C. Communications Methods

1. Communication between the members of the Family Taskforce will occur over email.

2. Communication outside of the Family Taskforce will occur through the use of the AI’s website.

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