The proposed amendment interferes with the rights of states, rights that have been consistently recognized since the founding of our Nation. Under our federal system of government, family law has long been the province of the states. A basic principle of American democracy and federalism is that government actions that control a citizen�s personal life and liberty -- such as government actions that control people�s decisions about whom to marry -- should be made at the level of government closest to the citizen, rather than by the U.S. Congress or by the legislatures of other states. States already actively regulate marriage; for example, 37 states specifically prohibit marriage between same-sex couples. That is a choice that they are now free to make. The Amendment will wrongly deny those states -- which is to say, the states� citizens and their representatives -- this choice. Of course, the Constitution does impose certain limitations on States, but only when this is needed to protect the national government, the national economy, or individual rights -- for instance, where article I, section 10 prohibits states from creating separate currencies, or where the Fourteenth Amendment requires states to treat people equally. But there is no need to federalize the definition of marriage. If Oregonians, for instance, choose to define marriage more broadly than citizens of other states do, there�s no reason for the federal government to step in. (Nor is such a sweeping amendment necessary to satisfy the narrow goal of letting each state choose whether to recognize out-of-state homosexual marraiges. There�s no need to impose a one-size-fits-all solution on the whole nation, either by banning all homosexual marriages, or requiring them to be recognized throughout the country.)

When Congress remade national welfare policy, out-of-wedlock births were a major concern to a young Missouri House member involved in the 1996 overhaul. The lawmaker, Republican Jim Talent, went on to become a U.S. senator and is now helping to shape the next welfare reform bill. Today, Talent regards out-of-wedlock births as a symptom, and he's targeting what he sees as the cause: not enough healthy marriages.

NEW MEADOWS, ID�In spite of predictions to the contrary, Larry Naering, a 45-year-old research scientist, has failed to make someone very happy one day, his mother Nancy reported Monday. "He's always been such a handsome, responsible boy," said Nancy, who used to look forward to having grandchildren. "I always told him that some girl was going to discover a real hidden treasure if she took the time to look at him. I guess I was wrong." Nancy said her son's chances of finding that one-in-a-million love have dwindled to one in 50 billion.

Blurring the boundaries between life and art, the couple will take the stage and tie the knot Friday before invited family and friends, fellow artists and paying ticket holders in what they're calling a "collaborative multimedia performance ritual." "For most people, the closest thing they do in their lives to what we do as performers is getting married," Price said. "That became a major idea for us."

Bob Geldof made an impassioned plea last night for fathers to be given equal access to their children when a marriage breaks down ... Geldof fought a bitter custody battle with Yates after she left him in 1995 for the Australian rock singer Michael Hutchence ... The musician's comments came during an address to academics and family groups at the Nuffield Institute in central London during the launch of Children and Their Families; Contact, Rights & Welfare, a collection of academic articles to which he has contributed a chapter.

Powered by federal grant and local dollars worth $1.4 million, the Hampton Roads Healthy Marriage Coalition is out to prove that marriage is an institution worth promoting and saving ... The local coalition - one of just three federally funded nationwide - is focusing on just four communities during this four-year program: Hampton, Newport News, York County and Poquoson. Its dollars originate from the Bush Administration's efforts to promote marriage through an unlikely door: child support enforcement. Todd Areson, who wrote the grant application as the research manager for the state's department of child support enforcement, calls the coalition's goals a "grand experiment." The local effort, Areson says, will take its place among the sorts of federal programs that put theories on how to improve American life to the test ... Babineaux says the hard work of the next four years won't be to push single moms and dads back into relationships that have already failed. The purpose, he says, is to identify ways to strengthen families already created, along with those in development. "This is not like the DMV where you have to get the license to drive the car," says Babineaux. "This is more like you want to go fishing so you go to Target and look around for the right fishing gear so you can be ready when you go." Babineaux sees the coalition offering two phases of marriage preparation courses. The first would be to assess compatibility, the other to share what it takes to create a healthy, lasting union. The coalition won't be the place offering services, though. Its purpose is to be a clearinghouse that links organizations and services to the people who need them. He expects faith-based groups and secular nonprofits to be the coalition's backbone.

The number of obese Australian adults has climbed dramatically over the past decade and will continue to soar in coming years, a report released yesterday says. While 2.4 million adults already fall into the obese category, this figure will rise 12.5 per cent by 2010, say researchers at the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Their report, A growing problem: Trends and patterns in overweight and obesity 1980 to 2001, collated data from all relevant national surveys since 1980. It found that the proportion of obese Australians had increased by almost 80 per cent over the past 13 years.

The [Jackson County] Fatherhood Initiative program has attracted dozens of fathers to the agency's seminars, classes and field trips ... "We try to create fun things to do so dads have the opportunity to get involved with their children in ways they normally wouldn't," Harris said. The program also focuses heavily on educational aspects of fathering, which help dads better handle their responsibilities in child-rearing. Local churches also help with the program, Harris said. Herman Barnum of Moss Point is raising his three grandchildren ages 4, 16 and 18. He said the Fatherhood Initiative program is a great tool. "I get quite a bit out of it. It looks like the state of Mississippi is trying to bring the family together but I think they still need more participation by the parents," Barnum said.

The two of us disagree on the policy issues at stake here. But we agree that the Braver study is a weak one that provides no credible evidence on the effects on children of moving away after divorce.

For marriage nuts, the big question lately has been: Are things getting a little bit better, or are they still getting worse and worse?� At a fascinating Health and Human Services-funded conference last week in Washington, D.C., sponsored by the National Poverty Center, we finally got the answer. And the news is good. The analysis of the National Survey of America's Families (a survey of 40,000 nationally representative families) was done by Urban Institute scholars Gregory Acs and Sandi Nelson:

Between 1997 and 2002, the proportion of children under 6 living in intact married families actually increased. So did the proportion of all children in low-income households (the bottom quarter) by close to 4 percent.

It's encouraging evidence that the apostles of despair are wrong: The decline of marriage is not inevitable. Social recovery is possible. In fact, it is under way.

Consider, for instance, the endless regulations and interdictions that provide the texture of domestic coupledom. Is there any area of married life that is not crisscrossed by rules and strictures about everything from how you load the dishwasher, to what you can say at dinner parties, to what you do on your day off, to how you drive - along with what you eat, drink, wear, make jokes about, spend your discretionary income on?

An advisory group to the South African government is proposing the legalization of same-sex marriage. In a report to the government the South African Law Reform Commission has made seven proposals, addressing both same-sex and heterosexual relationships, and invited public comment. The proposals address legal problems faced by a growing number of people who are not married but are in dependent or committed relationships.

Prime Minister Jean Chr�tien is seriously considering bringing the controversial bill legalizing same-sex marriage before Parliament this fall, before he retires. �A fall vote would be a dramatic change of course for Mr. Chr�tien, who has until now rejected calls from his own caucus to allow a full debate in the House of Commons as soon as possible so MPs can voice their opinions on the divisive issue.

Marriage in Chile is regulated by the Civil Matrimony Law of 1884. The measure allows boys as young as 14 and girls as young as 12 to marry. Under no circumstances can they, or anyone else in Chile, get divorced�.Lacking the option of divorce, Chileans who can afford the legal costs of $600 or more typically pursue annulments, available through Chilean courts, which decree that the marriage never existed. Other people simply separate and form new partnerships. Reflecting this trend, the number of children born out of wedlock in Chile rose from 23 percent in 1990 to 39 percent in 2001.

Having at least a civil cooperative relationship with your former spouse, especially about matters concerning your kids, is important for your kids' well-being. So is making sure that they don't become the rope in your tug-of-war with each other or the battlefield upon which you wage your marital war. And be sure that it is clear to them that the divorce was not their fault; kids tend to irrationally blame themselves, and that is much more responsibility than any kid needs. It may also be a good idea to get professional help for your kids if they seem to be suffering from the divorce. In St. Louis, where I live, there is a group called "Kids in the Middle." It is a not-for-profit organization that provides subsidized counseling for such children. One of its big supporters is Ozzie Smith, the Hall of Fame former shortstop for the St. Louis Cardinals. It offers some wonderful tips for both adults and kids about how to help kids deal with divorce in its literature and on its Web site (www.kidsinthemiddle.org). And much of it sounds like advice for any parent and kid, not just for kids of divorce. Things like "allow children to have and openly express their own feelings," "be honest," "spend quality time with each child" and "be consistent with rules and expectations." Just plain sound parenting.