Dear Cordell,
While I was in Denver last Sunday my friend, Joan Erickson, taught the Relief Society lesson in our ward. She was the Utah Mother of the year 1998-99 and is now serving on the National board of American Mothers Inc. She sent me this letter. I was most impressed with her message. It is very long but I hope you will all take the time to read it.

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One month ago today I was in Hawaii. You may say, "Wow, a vacation! How fun." Well, it WAS fun, but I was actually there on business. It was the National Convention for an organization called American Mothers, Inc. I serve on the National Board and was therefore required to attend the convention. While there, our keynote speaker was a man by the name of Richard Wilkins, who is a Law Professor at BYU. Keep in mind, this was a gathering of men and women from across the United States, representing many religions & cultures.

Brother Wilkins spoke shortly after each state Mother-of-the-Year had given her speech. As he came to the pulpit, he was visably emotional, and he expressed his gratitude to those outstanding mothers for the tender things they had shared about mothering and families, then he surprised us all by saying, "In our world today, it takes great courage to stand and boldly speak out for families. Do you realize that in many audiences you would have been stoned for saying such things. I know that to be true, because I have addressed such audiences."

Then he proceeded to share information that alarmed me and inspired me.

To help you follow this abbreviated story, I want to share some background information which was new to me, and perhaps will be helpful to you.

*During the past decade the UNITED NATIONS has assumed a major new role, that of international lawmaker. However, as an international lawmaker, the input they have been receiving as they create these laws has been largely HOSTILE TO the TRADITIONAL FAMILY and religion. As a result of their lop-sided view, due to their limited input, there are some serious threats to family stability.

*In June 1996 there was a UN Conference in Istanbul, Turkey...The conference was known as Habitat II. There would be 25,000 participants from across the earth. Today I will be spending most of my time informing you about events that transpired at this conference.

The Habitat II conference was the culmination of a series of 5 conferences designed to develop a "blueprint for international laws for the coming century". Now you understand, these laws would set a precedent and would directly affect the laws made in individual countries of the world. Among those 25,000 participants were many governmental officials, along with many NGOs. (NGOs are non- governmental organizations.) Among the NGOs who were planning on attending was an organization called United Families International and American Mother, Inc. Leaders of these organizations became alarmed when they realized how FEW participants at the conference REPRESENTED TRADITIONAL FAMILY VALUES, whereas the opposing side had a powerful, well-funded, well-oiled lobbying machine. Foremost among those fighting against the traditional family and religion was an NGO called the Women's Caucus, a US feminist organization headed by Bella Abzug.

In the past 4 conferences, these women had literally DOMINATED the conferences, with their twisted ideology. As one scholar put it, these women have "marginalized parents, ignored the family, denigrated cultural and religious values, and enshrined reproductive and sexual health."

Because of their efforts at the previous 4 conferences, the women's caucus had been extremely influential in the language of the UN document which had already been drafted. At this 5th and final conference, that UN draft would be finalized and adopted, making it international law. Thus far, the drafted document included language in support of same-sex marriages and abortion on demand.

Realizing the lack of support for traditional families, leaders of the United Families International and American Mothers, Inc. thought of Richard Wilkins. Richard had been serving as a Bishop in Provo, was a well-respected professor of law at BYU, and had been very active in fighting for family-values in Utah. They asked (begged) him to accompany them to Istanbul for the Habitat II conference.

Brother Wilkins told of his desire to say no--he was weary. He had worked his heart out and had continually lost family-value battles here in Utah. He said, "I thought it was useless. It was like slogging through molasses. I tried everything in the world to back out." But because of the insistence of the promptings of the Spirit, he agreed to go.

What occurred after that was amazing.

He registered for the three-week conference as a representative of BYU's David M. Kennedy International Center and the Law School. He prepared a paper to present at a SEMINAR for NGOs. Among the things he would teach were these lines: "Great care is warranted in crafting the precise language incorporated into a formal conference declaration, as it has significant impact upon domestic policy."

When he checked in at the conference, Richard was shocked to find that he had been assigned to present his paper on the SECOND DAY, in the LARGEST ROOM, with a FULL CADRE of translators. He explained, "There were all kinds of rooms in which you could give your presentation. Some of them were about the size of a closet. There were very few large rooms that would seat several hundred people with full panels of interpreters.

Since there were hundreds and hundreds of presentations given during the three weeks, my placement was very unusual. After inquiry, I learned the scheduler thought I was from the John F. Kennedy School at Harvard--not the David M. Kennedy Center at BYU. The confusion was understandable." (Undoubtedly the Lord's hand was in that oversight)

While preparing to leave for the conference, Richard was in a dilemma. He had been acting in the musical Fiddler on the Roof, playing the part of Tevye. He had grown a shaggy beard for the production, and even though BYU's dress code mandates that no beards are to be worn by faculty or students, he had been given permission to grow one for the play. Thus far that summer, he had become quite tan (except for where his beard was) and he felt if he shaved it off before leaving for the conference, he would look like a raccoon, so he decided to neatly trim it instead.

As it turned out - the beard was a blessing. Because he was in an Islamic country and was conversing with many Islamic leaders, he is convinced that his beard gave him CREDIBILITY with people who otherwise wouldn't have listened to this white-shirted, clean-shaven American. (Do you see the hand of the Lord in even these small details?)

At the end of the first week, things did NOT look bright for the NGOs in favor of the traditional family. The opponents of families were powerful and were still getting the upper hand.

Then a series of events began unfolding.

For the first time EVER, the UN implemented a plan to choose 10 NGO voices to address the ACTUAL DELEGATES WHO WERE DRAFTING THE FINAL HABITAT DOCUMENT. The process whereby the 10 NGO voices would be chosen was as follows: Nominees from among the NGOs would be invited to "try out" for the opportunity of being selected as one of the lucky 10. Those lucky 10 speakers would be privileged to present their viewpoint to the men and women (Habitat delegates) who were drafting the final document. It was a rare and unheard of opportunity for NGOs.

A man named Johnson N. Mwaura, from Nairobi, was a member of that UN Selection Committee. Not only that, Mwaura was also an Elder's Quorum President. He came to the booth where Richard Wilkins and the other NGO delegates from Utah were camped, told them what was up, and suggested they nominate one of their group to "TRY-OUT" for this honor of being one of the ten. Richard was not there, but in his absence someone at the booth nominated him, and Mwaura rushed to submit his name...only moments before the deadline.

Wilkins said, "No-one in our group even knew about the opportunity before Brother Mwaura appeared. Non-governmental representatives had NEVER addressed an official UN body before." But Richard admitted that when he heard he had been nominated, he KNEW he would be selected to speak. He also sensed in the next few days opposition would mount, and his life would become very difficult.

Richard immediately went to work, preparing his "two-minute" "try- out" speech for the selection committee. He had decided to speak about "The Impact of UN Declarations on the Disintegration of the Family."

He arrived at 10AM with the other nominees, prepared to present his speech. He says, "The panel of judges had barely begun their work when a representative of the women's caucus appeared, first declaring that the selection process was invalid, then demanding that 8 of the 10 speakers would be from their Women's Caucus. Thereupon ensued one of the most bitter and irrational battles I have ever witnessed. For three hours the women's caucus continued the battle, saying such things as, "No man has the right to evaluate what a woman has to say, and "rules should never get in the way of justice." When other NGOs protested that their viewpoints should also be considered, the woman retorted, "those objections were irrelevant because the caucus's outlook was more important than other possible opinions."

After three long hours, Wilkins had had enough. Grabbing the attention of the raucous group he said, "I have been a law professor for 12 years, and never have I heard arguments that have such little appeal to either the rule of law or a sense of justice. There are limited speaking slots available, and the procedures to select a broad range of speakers have been in place and approved for some time. Now the Women's Caucus appears and claims that, because of its size and power, it is entitled to disregard those rules.

This is quite like a litigant coming into a courtroom and declaring that, because of her wealth and prestige, she is entitled to her own brand of justice. Law and justice should treat everyone equally and fairly. It is time to get on with the established selection process."

After a bit more shouting, the irate women's caucus representative left the room, and finally the tryouts continued late into the evening. Arriving at his hotel room at midnight, he received a message that he had been chosen as one of the ten, and that his presentation should be 10 minutes long. He would be given time the following morning to use one of the conference computers to prepare his 10 minute speech.

The following morning he arrived to find that the women's caucus war was still raging. The ten selected speakers were informed that, because there was some question about the selection process being fair, other speakers might be added after all. Each of the 10 speakers were to disclose their intended topics. The women's caucus paid special attention as he reported his topic, "The impact of UN declarations on the disintegration of the family".

He and the other speakers went to various computers to work on their remarks. A group of women gathered uncomfortable close to Wilkins, while he was trying to type, and made DERISIVE REMARKS, such as "Can you believe that someone is actually speaking about families, the most oppressive unit of society and the root of every war since the beginning of time?" and "Can you believe that someone is actually opposing homosexual marriages? We have reached the point in our civilization where there should be no discrimination." Two hours later the representative next to Wilkins was summarily dismissed and informed that a representative from the women's caucus would take her place. He became aware that the women's caucus was playing a game-- they were planning to eliminate any who opposed their platform.

That evening Richard continued working on his 10 minute talk. He worked under extremely adverse circumstances. Among other things, his roommate had a medical emergency for a kidney stone. He said as the night passed, the only text he had before him was "The Family: A Proclamation to the World." Wilkins felt it was to be used in his presentation, and he said, "My constant prayer was that the message of that proclamation would touch some hearts."

The next morning, at the session where Wilkins was to speak, the committee chair announced that a "few" additional presenters had been added to the roster..eight representatives from the women's caucus, to be exact. The chair continued to announce that only SIX minutes per speaker would be allowed and that it was likely they would NOT be able to hear from everybody. Wilkins noted that he was scheduled to speak second-to-last, right AFTER the eight additional presentations. Then he again saw their game plan...if they couldn't ELIMINATE him, they would SQUEEZE him out.

Predictably, the eight speakers took much longer than their allotted six minutes. They repeatedly discussed their positions: Here are some examples of what they advocate:

*The worlds' housing problems would disappear if...alternative forms of sexual partnerships were recognized (give legal protection to same sex marriages, allow homosexuals to marry)

*Give women ready access to pregnancy termination (world-wide abortion on demand)

* Religion is an obstacle to progress and must be eliminated.

*Increase funding for adolescent sexual reproductive services in the schools, including teaching technical sexual know-how and providing them with prophylactics. (parent permission is unnecessary as they have no say in the matter)

*Provide 18-20 hours a day of government-sponsored day care.

*Take all 'necessary steps' to ensure that every woman is "fully employed" outside the home.

Members of the Women's Caucus believe their platform is the solution to our modern problems.

Then the floor was given to Bella Abzug, founder of the Women's Caucus, who spent 10 minutes extolling the virtues of the Women's Caucus. (Note: Hillary Clinton is a member of this caucus)

Wilkins reported, "I sat back in my chair, astounded at the breadth of the Women's Caucus' total DOMINATION".

The language used by these female presenters had become so vile that an Algerian delegate formally protested: "Mr. Chairman, we were to hear a variety of views from NGOs this morning, but this has been turned into a seminar on radical lesbian feminism. I want to know if other views are being foreclosed." Then the Holy See (from the Vatican) seconded the motion, which resulted in a flood of objections and charges of corruption.

Trying to assure the delegates that he was not corrupt, the chairman invited Wilkins to deliver a severely abbreviated version of his speech--no more than FOUR minutes.

As Wilkins walked to the podium, he was loudly hissed.

Having so little time, he fell back upon the Proclamation to the World on the family. Later, as he retold this experience Wilkins admitted that at the time the Proclamation had first come out, he was serving as a Bishop. He read it and thought, "Yes, well, we all know that." Back then he thought little of it, but THAT day in Istanbul, standing before influential representatives from across the world, he knew without a doubt it was an inspired document...one prepared well in advance by Prophets of God, for just such a time as this.

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. You will recognize one name on the committee - one of 8 who represents the United States - Mary Ellen Smoot, our General Relief Society President.

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 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 Ballard said: "The Lord only needs a small handful ...with a small handful of committed leaders, miracles can happen."

Brother Wilkins reported that at a recent conference, the Head of Islamic culture promised to gather 66 million Muslim signatures for the petition. Brother 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 also believes the scripture in the D&C which says, "We should waste and wear out our lives in bringing to light all the hidden things of darkness,wherein we know them." (D&C 123:13)

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. -------------

Sisters, what can we do?

1) We must wake up and recognize that the family is in peril! This threat demands our urgent attention.

2) We must cease to be a part of the "silent majority". We have not raised our voices, therefore the "tail has wagged the dog". We are in the majority, and we must replace our silence with action. Regardless of our circumstances, we can become involved and make a difference. We can give our support to organizations, in and out of the church, who support the goal of strengthening families. We can sign the petition being circulated by NGO Family Voice entitled "A Call From the Families of the World."

3) Mother Teresa, at one time was asked by a concerned group of people what they could do to help bring about world peace -- she answered by saying, "Go home and love your children." That counsel parallels the admonition of our prophet when he repeatedly urges us to STRENGTHEN OUR FAMILIES. 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 to strengthen other families.

**I would like to end by relating an experience shared with me by a good friend. She attended a session of a United Nations Conference on the Family, and heard a woman from the Czech Republic speak. This woman spoke of the horrors of living under Communist rule. She told of mothers being FORCED TO LIMIT their families, and subjected to IMPOSED ABORTION. She talked of being REQUIRED TO GIVE THEIR LITTLE CHILDREN to be cared for in state institutions while the mothers were COMPELLED TO ENTER THE LABOR FORCE. And then she reported how, when the iron curtain fell, the women of Czechoslovakia were stunned to find that women of the western world had CHOSEN to adopt a similar course of action OF THEIR OWN FREE WILL. I found this woman's account to be sobering.

Sisters, we must wake up. We must see the ploys of the adversary and take steps to save our families. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen

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PS You can pull up the petition "A Call From The Families Of The World" on the internet:

http://www.law.byu.edu/NGO_Family_Voice/Ngowct.html
or
http://www.law.byu.edu/NGO_Family_Voice/call.html

There are other excellent articles written about this event on the internet.

For example:

http://advance.byu.edu/Law/istanbul.html

By the way, this statement is out of one of the articles I read:

When 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."

--------- End forwarded message ----------

The "Call" is on the webpage in a large number of languages. I don't know about the others but it can be signed directly on the web. The following directions should get you to the page where you pick which language/way you wish to send it in.

http://www.law.byu.edu/NGO_Family_Voice/

(Select "World Congress on Families", on left side of window; Select "A Call From Families" across 'top' of window.)

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