More Than 50 Distinguished Scholars Issue Landmark Principles on the
Importance of Marriage and the Public Good
PRINCETON, N.J., June 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Marriage as the union of a man
and a woman is profoundly in the public interest and should be reaffirmed,
not redefined, says a landmark scholarly document published today.
Signed by more than fifty distinguished scholars nationwide, Marriage
and the Public Good: Ten Principles published by the Witherspoon Institute
of Princeton, NJ, makes a deeply intellectual case for marriage as the
foundational institution of society. Although respecting the role of
religion in most marriages, the scholars make the case for traditional
marriage on the basis of sociological evidence of its social value.
The document signatories include James Q. Wilson of Pepperdine
University, Paul McHugh of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine,
Robert P. George of Princeton University, Amy Wax of the University of
Pennsylvania School of Law, Hadley Arkes of Amherst College, Mary Ann
Glendon of Harvard Law School, Leon R. Kass and Jean Bethke Elshtain of the
University of Chicago, Jeremy Rabkin of Cornell University, and Daniel N.
Robinson of Oxford University.
"These principles are the result of scholarly discussions that began
with a meeting at the Witherspoon Institute in 2004," said James Stoner,
chair of the drafting committee, and Professor of Political Science at
Louisiana State University. "These discussions brought together leading
scholars from history, economics, political science, law, psychology,
sociology and philosophy. Marriage and the Public Good represents the
consensus of these scholars on the indispensable importance of marriage."
Stoner noted that Professor Robert George Monday presented a copy of
Marriage and the Public Good to President Bush during a meeting at the
White House. President Bush remarked on the importance of having
distinguished scholars widely respected in their disciplines speaking out
strongly in defense of marriage. The document already is making its mark
felt, as Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas cited the principles during the
Senate debate on the Marriage Protection Amendment.
Marriage and the Public Good: Ten Principles can be read in its
entirety on the Internet at http://www.princetonprinciples.org. The
Witherspoon Institute is an educational organization that works to enhance
public understanding of the political and moral principles inherent in free
and democratic societies. Witherspoon sponsors a variety of scholarly
activities, including research, publications, conferences, internships,
lectures and colloquia. For more information about the Witherspoon
Institute, go to http://www.winst.org
SOURCE Witherspoon Institute
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Related links:
http://www.princetonprinciples.org
http://www.winst.org
CONTACT:
Ryan Anderson of Witherspoon Institute,
+1-609-688-8779
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