Babette Francis reports: At the World Congress of Families IX it was a pleasure to meet with representatives of the Australian organisation, Marriage Alliance,which is a broad coalition of individuals who care about the future of Australian society.Their mission statement says:
"In recent decades, we have seen the principles upon which our society has depended for millennia are being questioned, ridiculed and uprooted. One of those principles is that the family is the foundation of society itself. Today this is under threat from well-funded and organised lobby groups that have influenced people in the push for same sex marriage. Marriage Alliance seeks to address this problem by providing the alternative view, and informing the public of the dangers and pitfalls of redefining marriage at law. Essentially, we do this by discussing issues that many within the mainstream press fail to discuss themselves.
"We live in an era where interest in one's personal history seems to be booming, evidenced in the proliferation of websites used to trace family histories. People have a legitimate interest in knowing where they came from because this could inform them about who they are today and what they could become tomorrow. But since the push to redefine what a family is, there is a risk that such reforms may increase the very real confusion that a future generation of young Australians may experience when they realise that their very existence suffers a lack of generational continuity. Essentially, we ask: should children have the right to know their biological ancestry?
"Today's news cycles are all too often peppered with disaster stories and horrific accounts of the failures associated with family dysfunction. The reasons are explained with cliched appeals to whatever the pet social theory of the day may have the public believe is the "real problem." What people fail to see is that many of these problems have arisen just as social engineers have interfered with the "tried and true" patterns of family formation. What we're witnessing is a delicate equilibrium being disrupted by agendas from people who wish to remodel society according to abstract notions of equality and fairness. The fruits of this are a less free, more risk prone future for our young.
"Here, we ask: Do we know and understand the impacts and consequence of raising children in an ever changing society? There are many appeals to democracy and egalitarianism among those advocating for the legalisation of same sex marriage and adoption. However, many of these reforms have found their way into our law and political culture in a way that cannot be described as democratic. How many people have actually been asked what they believe or what they would prefer? Do individuals realise that the proposed reforms may have a profound impact on their own lives?
Changing the definition of a family will change the very culture of what family means. Claiming that it doesn't affect you won't help when your child is taught ideas at school that you may personally find disagreeable or uncomfortable. Thus, we question: are you happy to have your family redefined as a social unit?
"Our Marriage Alliance campaign aims to address the above questions, issues and concerns while also allowing people who dissent from the prevailing political wind to have a voice in the debate. Democracies can only exist as long as people contribute to their lifeblood, participating in ideas and championing values that are at the heart of our society.
"No other civilisation in history has achieved such feats of cultural and technological advancement, and these things have only been achieved because of the social fabric upon which our wealth and progress depend. It is not "quaint" to advocate for the preservation of things such as the traditional family unit: it is essential.
"This is why we need your help. Individuals and groups
can assist in the campaign organised by Marriage Alliance
either by registering as a volunteer or by donating money to
our common cause. We assure you, this will be an investment
of time or money that you will not regret: decisions
are made by those who turn up, and those with the courage
of their convictions to stand up for what they believe is right.
We cannot succeed without the help of people like you.
"Marriage Alliance has been formed by people who want to ensure that solution, and who are willing to give the voiceless a voice in the debate over the future of the family.
"Marriage Alliance aims to build support across the community
to defend traditional marriage in the lead-up to the
plebiscite on same-sex marriage." 
info@marriagealliance.com.au
1300 801 362
P.O. Box RI866, Royal Exchange, NSW 1225