Strong Families Make for a Strong Nation
We at the ACLJ have long argued that strong families are the foundational building blocks of strong communities and, in turn, a strong nation. This principle undergirds our work on everything from safeguarding constitutional liberties, to maximizing educational opportunity and minimizing the burden of taxation, to defending innocent life.
In short, while the law should protect the right to life and create a framework by which to maximize freedom and opportunity, it is ultimately the family that provides the necessary ingredients for producing healthy people and citizens. While families come in many shapes and sizes, and while there are a myriad of circumstances in which communities can and should support family units, it should be one of the highest priorities of the government at every level to promote strong families.
This is especially true in a day and age where numerous organizations and movements are actively working to undermine families and minimize self-determination.
Fortunately, there is movement in Congress to bolster family support in our law and public policy. Representative Jim Banks, Chairman of the House Republican Study Committee (RSC), along with 16 of his colleagues, has released a 10-point plan called Restoring the American Family Principles. This plan contains several points for which we have long advocated.
For example, the plan calls for school choice and for giving parents maximum control over where and by whom their children are educated. In furtherance of this goal, the plan calls for parents of schoolchildren to have more control over the federal dollars that are currently being spent on K-12 education.
Next, the plan calls for an end to abortion and a reform of the foster and adoption systems. Taken together, these efforts would save countless lives and radically transform and improve the future for millions of children. There is nothing more foundational or crucial.
Third, the plan calls for the elimination of policies that disincentivize the formation of families. Too often, policies like the marriage penalty in the tax code create artificial hurdles for Americans who want to build strong families. These disincentives should be aggressively eradicated.
The plan includes a number of other positive proposals, and we are encouraged by its release. We will continue advocating for enactment of policies that support strong families and that recognize the central role the family structure plays in a strong society. Congress would do well to take these proposals seriously and to invest in the future of the Republic by investing in our families.
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