Current Status
The WCTU remains an internationally active organization. In American culture, although "temperance norms have lost a great deal of their power" and there are far fewer dry communities today than before Prohibition in the USA, there is a WCTU in almost every state in that country and in 36 other countries around the world.
Requirements for joining the WCTU include paying membership dues and signing a pledge of abstinence from alcohol. The pledge of the Southern Californian WCTU for example, is "I hereby solemnly promise, God helping me, to abstain from all distilled, fermented, and malt liquors, including beer, wine, and hard cider, and to employ all proper means to discourage the use of and traffic in the same." Current issues for the WCTU include alcohol, which the organization considers to be North America's number one drug problem, illegal drugs, abortion and gay marriage. The WCTU has warned against the dangers of tobacco since 1875. They continue to this day in their fight against those substances they see as harmful to society. The WCTU strongly supports banning same-sex marriage, which it sees as a negative influence on families.
The WCTU continues to publish a quarterly journal entitled The Union Signal whose main focus is current research and information on drugs. Other national organizations also continue to publish.
The WCTU also attempts to encourage young people to avoid substance abuse through participation in three age-divided suborganizations: White Ribbon Recruits for pre-schoolers, the Loyal Temperance Legion (LTL) for elementary school children, and the Youth Temperance Council (YTC) for teenagers.
The White Ribbon Recruits are mothers who will publicly declare their dedication to keeping their babies drug free. To do this, they participate in the White Ribbon Ceremony, but their children must be under six years of age. The mother pledges "I promise to teach my child the principles of total abstinence and purity", and the child gets a white ribbon tied to its wrist.
The LTL, Loyal Temperance Legion, is another temperance group aimed at children. It is for children aged six to twelve who are willing to pay dues annually to the LTL. Its motto is "That I may give my best service to home and country, I promise, God helping me, Not to buy, drink, sell, or give Alcoholic liquors while I live. From other drugs and tobacco I'll abstain, And never take God's name in vain."
The Youth Temperance Council is the final type of group meant for youths and is aimed at teenagers. Its pledge is "I promise, by the help of God, never to use alcoholic beverages, other narcotics, or tobacco, and to encourage everyone else to do the same, fulfilling the command, 'keep thyself pure'."
Read more about this topic: Woman's Christian Temperance Union
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