Contact: Larry Jacobs, World Congress of Families, 815-964-5819, 513-515-3685 cell

MEDIA ADVISORY, May 7 /Standard Newswire/ -- In a May 3 article in The Washington Times ("Family Forums Delve Into Two Sides of Debate"), the World Congress of Families and the Council on Contemporary Families (CCF) are described as "bookends in the ongoing debate over marriage."

WCF IV convenes in Warsaw, May 11-13. CCF observed its 10th anniversary in Chicago recently.

Observed Allan Carlson, International Secretary of the World Congress of Families, "The Council on Contemporary Families wants to turn marriage into a free-form institution.  It seeks to -- in its own words -- 'deinstitutionalize marriage.' It believes in so-called 'egalitarian' marriage and is pleased that an increasing number of women are choosing not to marry and have children. The CCF also favors alternative families, including gay and lesbian couples raising children."

Carlson notes that the World Congress of Families, "is committed to the natural family." Says Carlson: "We believe marriage and procreation are social goods. We celebrate large families. We believe the natural family is the best environment for raising children. We also believe that men and women have complementary roles in family life."

CCF is composed mainly of liberal social scientists whose research seeks to validate the move away from the natural family, including feminist Stephanie Coontz, a history professor at Evergreen State College in Washington State.

"The failure of CCF's vision can be seen in the family crisis in Europe," Carlson observed. "Due to the Euro-elite's embrace of the CCF's anti-family ethic, fewer and fewer Europeans are marrying and having children. Those who do are choosing 'egalitarian unions,' where the emphasis is on self-fulfillment, rather than having and nurturing children. As a result, the European family is disappearing. Of the 10 nations with the lowest birthrates worldwide, nine are in Europe. With the exception of Muslim Albania, no European nation has a replacement-level birth rate. And CCF thinks this is good."

On Friday, May 11, World Congress of Families IV will convene in Warsaw at the Palace of Culture and Science.  WCF is the largest international gathering of pro-family leaders, activists, scholars and parliamentarians. More than 3,000 delegates from over 60 nations are expected to attend the Warsaw Congress, which also marks WCF's 10th anniversary.

For more information on World Congress of Families IV, go to www.worldcongress.org.  To schedule an interview with Allan Carlson, contact Larry Jacobs at 1-800-461-3113.

The World Congress of Families (WCF) is an international network of pro-family organizations, scholars, and leaders that seeks to restore the natural family as the fundamental social unit and the 'seedbed' of civil society.  The WCF was founded in 1997 by Allan Carlson, president of The Howard Center.  To date, there have been three World Congresses of Families – Prague (1997), Geneva (1999) and Mexico City (2004). WCF IV will be in Warsaw, Poland, May 11-13, 2007.

The Howard Center for Family, Religion and Society located in Rockford, Illinois is an independent, non-profit research and education center that strives to be the leading source of fresh ideas and new strategies for affirmation and defense of the natural family, both nationally and globally.  The Howard Center is also the organizer of the World Congress of Families project which unites people of goodwill who recognize that the family is the fundamental unit of society and coordinates the efforts of pro-family groups from more than 60 countries worldwide.