When it comes to children, Focus on the Family's Jim Daly believes they should be regarded as "blessings" rather than a "burden on the environment." The statement was made in response to a group that commended Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on their pledge to have no more than two children.
Focus on the Family CEO John Daly advised parents not to see their children through a secular perspective that does not value human life, in an e-mail to the Christian Post on Friday.
"Family formation is a very personal decision between husbands and wives. We believe strongly that children are not a burden on the environment, but a blessing on so many levels," he said.
"My wife and I also had only two children - should we get an award too? But my greatest regret is that we didn't have more - a truth which makes our two boys smile," he said in reaction to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex being named "Change Champions" by the London-based Population Matters.
For those who don't know, the royal couple received the award for "choosing and publicly announcing their intention to limit their family to two" and "... for taking this enlightened decision, and for reaffirming that a smaller family is also a happy family," noted CP.
Prince Harry talked with primatologist and anthropologist Jane Goodall for Vogue magazine on being environmentally conscious. During the conversation, he freely stated his intent to have just two children. This was in the context of his professing his love for nature.
"Two, maximum," he said. "But I've always thought: this place is borrowed. And, surely, being as intelligent as we all are, or as evolved as we all are supposed to be, we should be able to leave something better behind for the next generation."
Prince Harry and his wife Megan have two children: a boy, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, born on May 6, 2019, and a daughter, Lilibet "Lili" Diana Mountbatten-Windsor, born on June 4.
Aside from the Sussexes, Population Matters, which reportedly advocates for abortion and population management, awarded five more individuals and three organizations. The reason cited for their special recognition is for "promoting reproductive rights, defending the environment and enlightening the public."
CP noted that each of the nine Population Matters awardees received a "uniquely designed" award and a sum of approximately $690 to contribute to a charity of their choosing.
As for the Sussexes, Population Matters said that "when probably the most famous couple in the world say they choose to stop at two, they help to popularize and normalize that choice."
Back to Jim Daly, who values families and children; he understands what it's like to be abandoned as a kid. He and his siblings were left to fend for themselves when his mother died, and his stepfather left.
After overcoming hardship and finding God, Daly became the head of Focus on the Family. The ministry focuses on helping families develop good relationships and raising resilient children. According to Wait No More, Focus on the Family helped 610,000 couples strengthen their marriages and 697,000 parents strengthen their families.
