(28) Other goods for the whole of
society, which are derived from the conjugal communion as the essence of
marriage and the origin of the family, can also be considered, such as: the
principle of a citizen’s identification; the principle of the unitary character
of kinship—which constitutes the origin of relations in society as well as
their stability; the principle of the transmission of cultural goods and
values; the principle of subsidiarity, because the disappearance of the family
would oblige the State to substitute it in tasks which are its own by nature;
the principle of economy also in legal matters, because when the family breaks
down, the State must increase its interventions in order to solve problems
directly which ought to remain and be solved in the private sphere, with great
traumatic effects and high economic costs as well. To summarize, in addition to
what has been mentioned, it must be remembered that “the family constitutes, much
more than a mere juridical, social and economic unit, a community of love and
solidarity, which is uniquely suited to teach and transmit cultural, ethical,
social, spiritual and religious values, essential for the development and
well-being of its own members and of society”.[59][59] Moreover,
far from contributing to a greater sphere of freedom, the breakdown of the
family would leave the individual more and more vulnerable and defenseless
before the power of the State and impoverish him by requiring a progressive
juridical complexity.
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