Lynn Wardle

Lynn D. Wardle is a professor at the J. Reuben Clark Law School of Brigham Young University (BYU). He is a leading expert on family laws and one of the most vocal proponents of continuing the traditional definition of marriage.

Biography

Wardle has testified before congressional committees in favor of both the Federal Constitutional Amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman and also the Defense of Marriage Act. [http://judiciary.senate.gov/testimony.cfm?id=1454&wit_id=4136] Wardle also opposes allowing homosexual coples to adopt children. His main argument against this is that their break-up rate is so high that this is tantamount to putting children into an unstable household and will be detrimental to them in the long run. [http://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/97366.html]

Wardle has often been maligned and slandered for his position. [ [http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,700253111,00.html "Deseret News", August 23rd, 2008] Wardle favors a balanced and generally moderate approach to abortion, allowing exemptions for rape and incest and deformity but banning most forms of abortion on demand. [https://www.law.duke.edu/magazine/2006spring/profiles/lynnwardle.html]

Wardle spoke at the 1997 World Council of Families held in Prague. At this meeting he addressed the reasons same gender marriage should not be legalized. [ [http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=553b57b60090c010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&hideNav=1 "Ensign", June 1997, p. 75] ]

For a time Wardle served as the president of the International Society for Family Law. [http://islandia.law.yale.edu/samesexmarriage/bios/lynn_wardle.html]

Wardle has co-edited many scholarly works on marriage and legal issues. One is entitled "Marriage and Same Sex Unions: A Debate", published in 2003 by Greenwood Publishing Group.

Wardle received his Bachelor's degree from BYU in 1971. [http://www.law.byu.edu/Law_School/Faculty_Profile?140] Wardle is a 1974 graduate of Duke University Law School. He was a clerk for John Sirica. [https://www.law.duke.edu/magazine/2006spring/profiles/lynnwardle.html] His time as a clerk for Sirica overlapped with that of fellow Duke alumnus D. Todd Christofferson.

Wardle's wife, Marion, is a curator at the BYU Museum of Art. They have two sons.

Wardle is a Latter-day Saint. Among other callings, Wardle has served as a member of a young men's presidency. He also served for a time in the presidency of the BYU 9th Stake, where he was a counselor to Thomas B. Griffith along with Gary L. Browning.

Sources

* http://law.slu.edu/journals/plr_vol24_1.htmlProfessor Wardle spoke at Lewis and Clark Law School on October 6, 2008 where he continued his argument that marriage is under attack by homosexuals. He clearly stated that allowing same sex marriage will directly lead to bigamy, incest, and underage marriage. He compared those seeking to protect same sex marriage as modern day eugenicist, bent on co opting the definition of marriage to be gender neutral. The professor also clearly implied that those seeking to prohibit same sex marriage are in the same position as the Jews during the holocaust.

Professor Wardle opined that a felon convicted of a heinous crime, say rape or murder, has sufficient moral character to be married and raise children while a law abiding homosexual has less moral character and is a less fit parent. Again Professor Wardle believes that a rapist and murder have more right to marry and have families than a law abiding committed couple who just happen to be of the same sex.

External Links

* [http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=324627cd3f37b010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&hideNav=1 "Ensign", September 1989, p. 7, article on the Constitution]