Jerry Cox – Page 821 – Family Council

Ten Commandments Unveiled on Capitol Grounds

Jun 27, 2017Jerry CoxReligious FreedomTen Commandments

Arkansas’ monument of the Ten Commandments was placed on the Capitol Grounds this morning.

Senator Jason Rapert (R-Bigelow) who sponsored the legislation authorizing the monument in 2015 was present for its unveiling.

Earlier this spring the State Capitol Arts and Ground Commission authorized the monument as a formality before construction could officially begin.

It is similar to a monument ruled constitutional in Texas, and is being privately funded. It celebrates the influence and legacy of the Ten Commandments in western law.

Below are a few pictures of the new monument.

U.S. Supreme Court Upends Arkansas Supreme Court’s Good Birth Certificate Ruling

Jun 26, 2017Jerry CoxFamily, MarriageFamily, LGBTQ, Marriage, Same-Sex Marriage

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, June 26, 2017

LITTLE ROCK, AR – On Tuesday the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the State of Arkansas must list two “mothers” on a child’s birth certificate if the child’s birth mother is legally married to another woman. The ruling overturned a good decision the Arkansas Supreme Court handed down last December.

Family Council President Jerry Cox issued a statement saying, “The U.S. Supreme Court is asking Arkansas to ignore basic facts about biology. Birth certificates exist to record that a child was born and who the child’s biological parents are presumed to be. As the Arkansas Supreme Court correctly noted last year, no child can have two biological mothers, but the Arkansas Department of Health will now be forced to operate as if that is possible because of this court ruling.”

Cox said the ruling sets a dangerous precedent. “The U.S. Supreme Court is treating the names that appear on birth certificates like some sort of marriage benefit. Birth certificates are issued for the sake of children—not for the sake of adults. They are not simply pieces of paper. They are vital records that need to be accurate and deserve respect. We should not let them become mere political ploys in the ongoing debates about marriage.”

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Photo Credit: By Brian Turner (Flickr: My Trusty Gavel) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.

Study Finds Link Between Recreational Marijuana and Car Crashes

Jun 23, 2017Jerry CoxMarijuanaMarijuana

A study conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) has found car crashes increase in states where recreational marijuana is legal.

HLDI writes,

Legalizing recreational marijuana use in Colorado, Oregon and Washington has resulted in collision claim frequencies that are about 3 percent higher overall than would have been expected without legalization . . . .

After comparing collision reports from various states, HLDI concluded collisions claims were 14% higher in Colorado than in neighboring states following the legalization of recreational marijuana in 2012; Washington came in 6% above its neighbors, and Oregon’s collision reports were 4% higher than its neighbors.

IIHS concludes,

“Worry that legalized marijuana is increasing crash rates isn’t misplaced,” says David Zuby, executive vice president and chief research officer of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. “HLDI’s findings on the early experience of Colorado, Oregon and Washington should give other states eyeing legalization pause.”

All of this underscores what we continue to say: Marijuana may be many things, but “harmless” simply is not one of them.