Issue Position: Family Values

Issue Position

I am a firm believer in upholding the Judeo-Christian values that helped found this country. It is a gift to know that God has blessed us with the right to pray, teach and practice our religious beliefs throughout this nation. As a proud member of the Congressional Prayer Caucus, I am privileged to defend every American's right to pray. In December 2010, when the President incorrectly declared our country's motto to be "E Pluribus Unum," I joined my fellow caucus members to remind him that our national motto is "In God We Trust." I also worked to have that same motto inscribed in the Capitol Visitors Center when it opened in 2008.

Every May, I am honored to join thousands of my fellow Americans in observing the National Day of Prayer as has been done since 1952 when Congress passed a resolution declaring the annual observance. In the 111th Congress, I co-sponsored H. Res. 397, to recognize America's spiritual heritage. Our nation was established on the principle of religious freedom and I will do everything in my power to protect that freedom.

As a mother of five and foster mother of 23, strengthening the American family has been a priority of mine since first stepping into the public service arena. Defending the family empowers American society, and because attacks on human life and the family take place daily, it is imperative we work even harder to protect them.

I believe marriage is a sacred union between one man and one woman, and that the traditional family setting of a husband and wife, along with their children, is the preeminent foundation on which a healthy, productive society is built. This legal union has been the cornerstone of our American heritage for more than 200 years.

I also am an original co-sponsor H. J. Res. 45, which affirms my support for an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to define marriage in the United States as the union of a man and a woman. I firmly support the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which was signed into law by President Clinton in 1996. It asserts no state shall be required to recognize a same-sex marriage from another state. It also defines marriage, for purposes of all federal laws, as a legal union between one man and one woman. Additionally, I am an original co-sponsor of H. Con. Res. 25, which condemns the Obama administration's recent directive for the Department of Justice to stop defending the DOMA, and demands that it continue to uphold the DOMA in all instances.

The traditional family is unquestionably the building block institution of our country. You can rest assured; I will do all that I can to preserve it.

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