How To Talk About Marriage

How To Talk About…
MARRIAGE

BENEFITS OF MARRIAGE


  • Marriage and family are the building blocks of society that protect the most vulnerable in society—our children.
  • Growing up with a married mother and father is a leading predictor of children’s prosperity, reducing the likelihood of poverty by 80 percent.

ELIMINATE MARRIAGE PENALTIES


  • We should look for responsible ways to reduce disincentives to marry in today’s welfare programs.

THE NATURE OF MARRIAGE


  • Redefining marriage makes the issue more about the desires of adults than about the needs–or rights–of children. It teaches that mothers and fathers are interchangeable.
  • The Supreme Court’s mandate on same-sex marriage removes the understanding from policy that marriage unites a man and a woman to be father and mother to any children their union produces. Same-sex marriage guarantees a child’s separation from either mother or father.

POLICY PROPOSALS


  1. Eliminate marriage penalties in welfare programs, the tax code, and Obamacare.
  2. Pass laws which prevent discrimination against those who define marriage as between a man and a woman.

QUICK FACTS


  1. In 1964, only 7 percent of births in America were outside marriage. Today, this number has climbed to more than 40 percent.
  2. Over the past six decades, the percentage of married adults has declined steadily among all Americans.
  3. Adolescents who do not live in intact families are more likely to engage in substance abuse, exhibit behavioral problems, have poor academic performance, and engage in risky behavior.

Go back to the main list of “Pocket Solutions.“

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