Stuttgart, Germany—A UPF online interview focused on strengthening and stabilizing the nuclear family. In honor of the International Day of Families, UPF-Germany invited Hedwig von Beverfoerde, the chairwoman of the association Marriage-Family-Life and spokeswoman for Action for Marriage and Family—Demo for All.
UPF-Germany Chairman Karl-Christian Hausmann conducted the hour-long interview, which took place on May 20, 2023. In his introduction, he explained why UPF considers the family to be a God-given institution, the first “school of love,” and the best foundation for the development of human life.
The subsequent interview was very informative and lively because the speakers already were acquainted with each other as a result of many joint ventures. Mr. Hausmann paid tribute to Mrs. Beverfoerde as one of Germany’s driving forces to save the family.
When asked about her career, she explained that her commitment had been triggered by the introduction of a compulsory care plan for primary school children in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt; she successfully launched a state-wide parents’ initiative against this plan. This experience motivated her to defend the rights of parents.
“Parental rights are rights of protection,” she explained. “The obligation and responsibility to care for children cannot be done better than by their parents.” Nowadays the state attempts to patronize and curtail parental rights. We need to resist this and protect our children, she said.
“But there are some who rightly see the family as the breeding ground of neuroses,” Mr. Hausmann pointed out. “Is that not a reason to abolish the family and replace it with a better institution?”
“It has become quite clear that nothing can replace the family—not kibbutzim, orphanages or even the best kind of child care,” Mrs. Beverfoerde replied. “Of course, not every family is ideal, and injuries and hurt can be inflicted. However, it is a fallacy to see the family itself as the problem or as a false construct, because it is people who make mistakes. The art of building good relationships in marriage and the family must be practiced.”
When asked why there are so many forces today that are out to abolish the family, she suggested two reasons: Firstly, people who have been hurt attain a position in which they try to reshape the world so that they themselves no longer can be hurt. (She gave as an example the American gender theorist Judith Butler.)
Secondly, the intact family is a bulwark, a strong small unit that is resistant to external influences and control. “All groups seeking to exercise power, whether Marxist or globalist, attempt to isolate and thus manipulate people,” she said.
“The weakening of family ties can be seen as an instrument of domination. To this end, people with real problems are often used. It is no coincidence that things develop in a way that people themselves would not take, but behind this are forces that do not seek a better society but rather wish to weaken people in order to manipulate them for their own ends.”
Mr. Hausmann drew attention to the fact that all political parties claim to be in favor of the family. To this Mrs. Beverfoerde commented: “Anti-family politics are often hidden behind expressions that sound good but are misleading, such as ‘good nursery law’ (which deprives mothers of freedom of choice) or the demand for ‘constitutional rights for children’ (which is unnecessary and dangerous, since children already have all fundamental rights). Children’s rights would have to be interpreted by the state, and under this guise parental rights would be undermined.”
In a short overview of laws passed over the preceding decades, she pointed out the anti-family trend: “With the [birth control] pill, women can decide when to become pregnant—but it prevents the conception of children. Abortion is carried out in the name of sexual self-determination. Pornography, the simplification of divorce law, ‘marriage for all,’ and state-propagated diversity sex education are further milestones.
“The latter turned out to be sexualizing and abusive of children, and its pedophilic background was recently exposed by ‘Kentler Gate’ [a reference to a program in Germany, from the late 1960s to the early 1990s, in which neglected boys were placed in the care of pedophile men, with the support of the Berlin Senate].”
Mrs. Beverfoerde explained the dangers of a new legislative initiative being prepared by the coalition government that would enable anyone over the age of 14 to change gender without psychological report or parental consent. She warned that the “trans-hype,” which is being spread by social media and other vehicles of youth culture, misleads young people to think that their mental health problems can be solved by changing gender. There is a whole medical industry that has no compunction about helping young people to change their sex by means of puberty blockers and surgery.
Unlike the women’s movement, the gender movement is not concerned with equal rights and opportunities, but with abolishing the category of gender itself, Mrs. Beverfoerde said. If it is no longer clear what a man is, and what a woman is, the family can no longer be properly lived and expressed. There is even a planned reform of the family law which would expand parenthood to up to four people.
In view of this situation, what can be done to warn people about damaging trends and attempts at manipulation? Through books, brochures, videos, documentaries and symposia, family organizations are drawing attention to the dangers. Contacting one’s parliamentary representative is considered to be especially effective.
A recording of the webinar (in German) can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4FTk0zmc4M
