On May 21 the Minnesota House of Representatives passed a proposed state constitutional amendment that would define marriage as only between a man and a woman. The House vote followed similar approval of the measure in the Senate on May 11, which means that the proposed amendment will be placed on the state ballot for Minnesota voters to decide in November 2012. If passed it will make Minnesota one of more than 30 states that have actively protected traditional marriage via their state constitutions.

Marriages in America are lasting longer and divorce is declining slightly, according to a recent Census Bureau report. The research, taken from a sampling of 55,497 individuals surveyed in 2009, found that more than half of couples currently married have been married for at least 15 years, 35 percent have been married for more than 25 years, and six percent have been married for more than 50 years. The latest numbers are all one to two percentage points higher than Census statistics in 1996.

A new study conducted by a college in Ohio has found that up to a third of pre-teen girls' clothing available online in the U.S. is designed to be sexualizing. “Researchers led by Sarah Murnen, a professor of psychology at Kenyon College in Ohio, looked at 15 websites of popular clothing stores, ranging from bargain to high-end sectors of the junior US market,” reported AFP News. The researchers found that clothing marketed for girls as young as six is being designed to draw attention to their breasts, buttocks, and slimness, sending out signals that are sensuous and inappropriate. The researchers say it is a trend that is reinforcing destructive stereotypes for female attractiveness.

Peter Vidmar (left), the two-time Olympic gold medal gymnast who had been chosen as the Chief of Mission for the 2012 United States Olympic team, has resigned his position after his pro-family views and support for traditional marriage raised the ire of homosexual activists and Olympians.

The Minnesota legislature appears to be closer than ever to passing a state constitutional amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman. On April 29, barely a week after a bill was introduced in the Republican-controlled State Senate, the bill passed out of committee, moving the proposed amendment a step closer to being placed on the 2012 ballot in the state, where a survey by the conservative Minnesota Family Council shows that 56 percent of voters think marriage should be defined as only between a man and a woman.

The legislatures of two more states, Oklahoma and Idaho, have voted overwhelmingly to protect the most vulnerable individuals in society: the unborn.

On April 13 the Oklahoma legislature gave its final approval to a pair of pro-life measures and sent them on to Republican Governor Mary Fallin for her expected signature.

Delaware will become the eighth state to legalize civil unions for homosexual partners when Governor Jack Markell signs the bill approved on April 14 by the state’s House of Representatives, following passage in the Senate earlier in the week. The Governor said he looked forward to affixing his signature to the law. “I think it’s time for this bill to be passed, and it’s going to be good for so many Delawareans for years to come,” he told the Associated Press. “I’m really pleased with it.”

The city of Philadelphia has an important message for its 11-year-old residents: sex can be loads of fun, but it’s better “when you’re not worried about getting pregnant or getting an STD.”

That’s right! Through its health department, the “City of Brotherly Love” is reaching out to kids ages 11 to 19 through a new website, takecontrolphilly.org, that appears to exist for one reason: to convince the city’s youth to wear condoms, and to offer to mail them to kids for free.

Kansas Governor Sam Brownback (left), who for nearly 16 years was one of the most consistently pro-life lawmakers in the U.S. Senate, continued his track record by signing two new state laws April 13 aimed at protecting pre-born babies.

The Arkansas Supreme Court has struck down a law passed by voters in 2008 that prohibited cohabiting couples from adopting children or serving as foster parents, limiting the process to single individuals or married couples.