Assembly Time in North Carolina

Family North Carolina Magazine—March/April 2009

By R. Matthew Lytle

March is upon us already, and the North Carolina General Assembly has begun another session. While much of the lawmakers’ attention will undoubtedly be on the economy and the estimated $2 billion budget deficit, we can be sure they will also have their minds on other issues.

Bills have already been introduced that would, if passed, officially legalize homosexual acts in North Carolina. Other bills seek to replace the expected standard of abstinence until marriage in public schools with comprehensive (condom-based) sex education. Not all of the news is negative, however. Lawmakers have introduced bills that would raise or remove the arbitrary cap on charter schools. Unborn Victims of Violence bills would increase the penalties against those who assault a pregnant mother and kill her unborn baby in the process.

Lawmakers have also introduced a bill that would give the citizens of North Carolina the opportunity to vote on an amendment to the State Constitution that would add the definition of marriage as the union between one man and one woman. Similar bills have been filed for the last five years, but House and Senate leadership have never let the measure come up for vote. Passing this bill may not be quick or easy, but if the passage of Proposition 8 in California has taught us anything, it is that such a measure can succeed, even in the face of strong opposition.

With this in mind, several articles in this issue of Family North Carolina discuss same-sex “marriage” (SSM) and related issues. In the feature article, ethicist Daniel Heimbach brings his expertise to bear on the issue by analyzing and answering ten of the most-heard oppositions to SSM used in the public square. These objections are often framed so that they seem almost irrefutable. Dr. Heimbach, looks past the emotional and ad hominem arguments to expose the weaknesses in each of the oppositions. He demonstrates that these arguments are not as airtight as their proponents would have us believe.

The issue of same-sex attraction also receives attention from Dale O’Leary in an article focusing on homosexuality among adolescents. Specifically, Dale shows the tremendous risk to adolescents when they are encouraged by parents and teachers to self-identify as lesbian or gay. Her analysis demonstrates that promoting homosexuality to adolescents is not merely ideological, but can be life-threatening.

The Courts Page follows a developing movement by the UNC system to draft a system-wide policy that would regulate hate speech in the wake of racist comments found in the Free Expression tunnel of North Carolina State University directed toward President Obama. The analysis shows that any proposed regulation of hate speech must address the First Amendment and the right to free speech or risk being unconstitutional. As this magazine goes to press, the study commission has not made a recommendation.

While researching other topics, we became aware of how widespread emergency contraception (EC) usage had become and were alarmed to discover how easily women (and even girls) could obtain it. Alysse ElHage investigates EC, commonly referred to as “Plan B” or the “Morning After Pill.” EC’s makers claim that the pill does not cause abortions, but Alysse shows how this claim can be misleading. Moreover, Alysse draws our attention to ways EC can be harmful to women’s health.

Moving on to other matters, we look into one of the most innovative and controversial movements in public education: charter schools. Currently, North Carolina statutes include a 100-charter cap, meaning that there can be no more than 100 charter schools in the state at one time. By looking at charter school successes in Katrina-ravaged New Orleans, we demonstrate that charter schools can benefit North Carolina both academically and economically.

Finally, John Rustin and Brittany Farrell explain lobbying, not as an activity reserved for a handful of professionals, but something that each citizen can do to be involved in the public debate. By educating themselves about public policy issues and the legislative process, citizens can make their voices heard so that their wishes are faithfully represented by their elected officials.

It is my hope that you will find this issue informative, and that you will be equipped to be active and informed in the public square.

R. Matthew Lytle is director of research for the North Carolina Family Policy Council.