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
- Eliminate marriage penalties in welfare programs, the tax code, and Obamacare.
- Pass laws which prevent discrimination against those who define marriage as between a man and a woman.
QUICK FACTS
- In 1964, only 7 percent of births in America were outside marriage. Today, this number has climbed to more than 40 percent.
- Over the past six decades, the percentage of married adults has declined steadily among all Americans.
- 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.
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