Issue Position: Family

Issue Position

We must protect marriage and children.

At the heart of many of the problems facing our country stands an institution under siege. That institution is the American family. The best way to ensure a strong nation is to have strong families. To make this happen, I will join other like-minded men and women in Congress next year to create policies that encourage--not tear-down--our families. Any part of our government structure that has a penalty for marriage must be eliminated.

Forty years ago, if I asked you, "What is a marriage?" you would say, "It is a husband and wife committed to each other for life, of course." But now every part of the family structure is under attack. Marriage should be defended as an institution between one man and one woman. Words like marriage, family, life and work ethic all have meaning and great significance in our culture.

In 1996, the Defense of Marriage Act legally defined marriage and affirmed each state's right to protect marriage. Families must continue to be honored and protected.

The most basic principle in our country is the right to life. We must have a culture that promotes life from conception to natural death. Every child should be protected, especially in the womb. Abortion causes the death of a human being and must be stopped as unjust and inhumane. Life begins when a cell is dividing and self-replicating. The difference between a baby in the womb and an adult is time.

States should have freedom from the federal mandates in education. Public schools should be accountable to parents and community for results. No parent should be trapped in a school that chooses not to make the hard choices necessary to educate his or her child. Private and homeschool families should be honored and protected.

We must have tougher laws, stiffer penalties, and aggressive prosecution of child pornographers and child predators.

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