Family issues

What if your husband one day decided he wanted to become your wife? Daytime TV host Anderson Cooper featured a couple in this situation on his show Wednesday, stirring debate on a controversial issue involving transgenderism and its impact on families.

"Some people ... worry that my children are not going to have a father in their life but I would beg to differ. I'm still a great dad as well as a great mother," Chloe Prince, formerly known as Ted, said on the show.

After being married for ten years, Ted told his wife Rene that he was going to have gender reassignment surgery, which he underwent in Thailand. Afterwards he returned home and continued to raise his two sons with Rene. more >>

In stark contrast to most mainstream Christian leaders, especially those of the Roman Catholic Church in the U.S., a coalition of 22 Christian, Jewish and Muslim institutions has emerged expressing support for President Barack Obama's controversial contraception mandate that affects many faith-based institutions.

Catholics for Choice, Episcopal Divinity School, Jewish Women International, Methodist Federation for Social Action, Muslims for Progressive Values, the Planned Parenthood Clergy Advisory Board, and several others said in a Wednesday statement that the Obama administration was correct in requiring institutions that do not have purely sectarian goals to offer comprehensive preventive health care.

National leaders have the responsibility to "help improve the health of women, their children, and families," the groups wrote in the joint statement. "Hospitals and universities across the religious spectrum have an obligation to assure that individuals' conscience and decisions are respected and that their students and employees have access to this basic health care service. more >>

After winning the GOP primary in three different states and rejuvenating his campaign, presidential candidate Rick Santorum confessed at a prayer meeting with 175 pastors at a Texas church Wednesday that the institution of marriage turned his whole life around. 

Despite his notable victories in Minnesota, Missouri, and Colorado the night before, the former Pennsylvania senator did not focus very much on his presidential campaign during the meeting at Bella Donna Chapel in McKinney, Texas. Instead, Santorum talked about what he credits as one of the main reasons behind his success – his faith, which he admitted had not always been very strong, The New York Times reported.

"Your prayers are the reason I am here and I encourage you and your congregations to continue to pray," Santorum revealed to the pastors, before admitting that religion was not always the most important thing in his life. more >>

The Washington House of Representatives voted in favor of a bill legalizing same-sex marriage on Wednesday and now supporters on both sides of the issue are preparing for a legal fight that will likely end in a referendum vote.

The House voted 55-43 in favor of the same-sex marriage bill a week after the state's Senate passed the measure. Gov. Christine Gregoire hailed the bill's passage and said she is eager to sign the bill into law.

"This is truly a historic day in Washington state, and one where I couldn't be more proud," Gregoire said in a statement. "With today's vote, we tell the nation that Washington state will no longer deny our citizens the opportunity to marry the person they love. more >>

The first homosexual couple to be married in Southern California announced their plans to divorce recently, with the news coming as the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has found the state's ban on gay marriage unconstitutional.

Robin Tyler filed for divorce from Diane Olson on Jan 25, after years of challenging California's same-sex marriage ban. The pair were lead plaintiffs in a lawsuit that resulted in the state Supreme Court reversing California's ban on same-sex marriage in 2007.

The former couple visited the Beverly Hills Courthouse every year for seven years to apply for a marriage license and oppose Proposition 8, which maintained the traditional definition of marriage as a union between one man and one woman. After years of being denied, Tyler and Olson became the first lesbian couple to be married in Southern California when they exchanged vows in 2008. more >>

The majority of New Jersey residents are in favor of Gov. Chris Christie's suggestion to send a bill that would legalize same-sex marriage currently on the Senate floor to a referendum on the November ballot, according to a new poll from Kean University.

The poll found that 57 percent of New Jersey residents are in favor of sending the bill to referendum while only 32 percent oppose the measure. The poll's directors say the overwhelming majority is caused by citizens on both sides of the issue believing they have a good chance of winning if it comes to a popular vote.

The Kean poll would suggest, however, that those in favor of legalizing same-sex marriage would stand to benefit most from a referendum. When asked if they "favor or oppose same sex marriage," 48 percent of those polled were in favor while 32 percent were opposed. more >>