Overview
Marriage and the family are the foundation of civilization and are fundamental to a healthy society. Law and public policy should have the highest respect for marriage and family, but unfortunately that is not always the case. From advocates of homosexual marriage waging war on marriage to public policy that implicitly encourages divorce, the family is under attack on all fronts. Examples of recent efforts, both in Texas and throughout the United States, to denigrate the value of traditional marriage and family include:
Attacks on Traditional Marriage – Our Texas Constitution, supported by 76% of Texas voters, defines marriage as between one man and one woman. Despite this overwhelming support, efforts to radically change the definition of marriage continue to grow. Activists judges, out of touch elected officials, and unaccountable bureaucrats seek to undermine the clear will of the people and subvert the Texas Constitution.
No-fault divorce in Texas – Despite the fact that two people are legally required to agree for marriage to begin, Texas law allows for only one spouse to legally end a marriage with no fault grounds, even when minor children are involved, and with a mere 60-day waiting period.
Promoting Drug-Based Sex Education – Radical groups in Texas are working to drastically undermine the value of marriage and the family by banning public schools from teaching true abstinence education and promoting drug-based sex education that effectively encourages dangerous sexual activity outside of marriage.
Government threats against private businesses – Officials in major U.S. cities have declared that Chick-fil-A, the Atlanta-based fast food chain, would be denied the necessary permits to establish operations in those cities after company president Dan Cathy publicly declared his religious viewpoint regarding the biblical definition of marriage.
Texas Values Marriage and the Family
Texas Values is committed to standing for family values in our state, by defending traditional marriage, the traditional family structure and parental rights in Texas. We support the following efforts to strengthen marriage and the family:
- Marriage education and enrichment, both before and during marriage
- Highlighting the negative impacts of no-fault divorce, increasing education efforts on the destructive impact of divorce on children, and proposing policy solutions
- Abstinence education, wherein marriage between one man and one woman is promoted as the expected context for sexual activity
- Public policy, including tax policy, that promotes, respects and is fair to the family
- Gestational agreements that require the children involved to be raised in homes with a married mother and father
- Adoption as a loving alterative to abortion
- Parental authority and consent rights, superior to any government or private authority, including education and medical institutions
- Public policy that respects the roles of parents and recognizes the inherent rights of parents to chose the form of education they desire for their children, including public schools, private schools, or home schooling
- Protecting teaching of our religious heritage, U.S. Constitution and Founding Fathers in public schools
Standing for Texas Families with Your Support
You have the opportunity to stand for the future of marriage in Texas and for Texas families. Your gift will enable Texas Values to continue to defend traditional marriage and work toward policy that gives the highest respect for the family. Please prayerfully consider a generous gift, believing that we can – and will – protect marriage and families in Texas.