Issue Position: Values

Issue Position

Our nation was built on the principle that we are all endowed by our Creator with a right to life and liberty. I believe that life begins with fertilization. I am adamantly opposed to abortion, except in extreme cases which action could prevent the death of the mother. As a Member of Congress and Republican Study Committee Values Action Team member, I support efforts to protect this right.

I have shown my commitment to this issue by cosponsoring the following pieces of legislation this year: 1) The Sanctity of Human Life Act, which defines life as beginning with fertilization; 2) The Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act, which would prohibit individuals from taking minors across State lines in circumvention of laws requiring the involvement of parents in abortion decisions; 3) The Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act, which would help eliminate the performance of sex-selection and race-targeted abortions and the solicitation or acceptance of funds for either; 4) The Schoolchildren's Health Protection Act of 2009, which prohibits schools that receive federal funds from distributing so-called "emergency contraception" pills, such as the "morning-after pill" to children; and 5) The Taxpayer Conscience Protection Act of 2009, which would call for greater accounting of federal funds spent at the state level on organizations that perform, promote, and refer for abortion services.

I will continue to work with my colleagues to promote compassionate alternatives to abortion, help women and families in crisis through pregnancy centers, encourage adoption, and support federal legislation requiring parental notification and waiting periods for minors. It's time that we stand up to defend our family values and protect the sanctity of marriage, family and the unborn.
I also support a Constitutional amendment to defend the sanctity of marriage by defining and protecting marriage as a union of man and woman as husband and wife. To further this effort, I am an original cosponsor of the Marriage Protection Amendment.

With activist judges and local officials throughout the country trying to redefine marriage, it's time for us to stop these few activists from imposing their agenda on our culture. We must protect our family values as they have come under attack from activist judges that choose to legislate from the bench. This amendment will protect marriage from a handful of unelected judges and put it back in the hands of the American people and the elected representatives of every state.

It's time that we stand up to defend our family values and protect the sanctity of marriage, family and the unborn.

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