The first presentation was given by Ms. Lynn Walsh, Office for Marriage & Family of UPF and co-chair of UN NGO Committee on the Family in New York. She mentioned the consistent failure to include the family in policy at the UN. We are relational beings and we need stable secure attachments to fulfil our potential as productive, responsible, fulfilled citizens. Even international wars can be traced back to a lack of empathy and a properly developed conscience in individuals.
Marriage and family are the very cells for nurturing individual character and building trusting relationships in society. The greatest human achievement is our spiritual development. In debating these issues, our first question should be, “what is best for children?” In America the statistics point to declining emotional health of children, but the resources are consistent about the protective influence of an intact family on child development. They receive gender specific support from father and mother. We need to address the lack of human attachment