Mansfield Speaks Rationally on Public Policy

Prof. Harvey C. Mansfield's recent testimony in support of the Colorado constitutional amendment which ensures that no Colorado citizen will have a special claim on the state by virtue of his preferred method of sexual gratification has, quite predictably, stirred up quite a bit of uproar among the usual parties. It seems that the idea that a Harvard professor might say something sensible about public policy (a rare enough occurrence, to be sure) is simply too much for Harvard's left wing to bear.

Contrary to the Bisexual, Gay, and Lesbian Student Association's disinformation, what is at stake in the Colorado trial are not the basic rights of homosexual Americans but the basic rights of the family--the prerogative of communities and of American society to give special encouragement, recognition and support to married couples and their children.

The Republican Party recognizes that the family is the foundation and primary institution of human society and that if government has any proper function it is to ensure the safety, integrity and stability of marriage and parenthood. Those who refuse the responsibilities of family life should not expect special recognition or favor from the society whose fundamental institution they reject.

American law and governmental institutions must favor the family--not because others should be denied basic political and civil rights, but because the family because of its basic and unique importance deserves that privilege. Where stable families are lacking, no society can long endure, and no government entitlement, no "educational" program of state indoctrination, no form of homosexual "marriage" can make up for that lack.

By testifying in favor of the Colorado amendment, Mansfield has done his moral duty as a scholar, and provided a model of real social responsibility which the over-whelmingly liberal academy might take to heart. So far from being ashamed or distancing itself from Mansfield, as the BGLSA has urged, Harvard should be proud. Thomas E. Woods, Jr. '94   Vice-President   Harvard Republican Club