House Journal: Page 43: Tuesday, January 9, 1996

As we continue to grow and prosper, we must never neglect the
quality of life we have in this state. Our state is only as good
as its families and communities.
So many of the problems we face today, as a nation and as a
state, can be traced back to the decay of the family.
Unfortunately, government policies have inadvertently
perpetuated illegitimacy, torn families apart, and robbed
children of opportunity.
This year, we are launching a Campaign for the Family. It is
designed to strengthen and reconnect families by focusing on
stability, health, safety, and self-sufficiency. Iowa's success
in the next century and a half depends on the quality and
vitality of our homes, churches, neighborhoods, and communities.
Government can't rebuild a family. That is the responsibility of
individuals. We can encourage the exercise of individual
responsibility.
So at the risk of being dubbed old-fashioned, I believe that we
can, as a state, reinforce the two-parent family for the good of
children. Each year, more than a million children go through
divorce in this country. And while there are many single parents
who are doing a great job, we've seen that children who grow up
without the benefit of having both parents at home are five
times more likely to live in poverty and two and a half times
more likely to be dropouts, commit serious crimes, abuse drugs,
or get pregnant.
I believe we should reform our divorce laws to require mutual
consent or specific grounds for divorce. Our present no-fault
divorce laws have transformed marriage into an arrangement of
convenience rather than an act of commitment. Parents need to
understand that a divorce can severely hurt children and impact
the opportunities their kids have. Please join me in our effort
to find a better way.
As part of our Campaign for the Family, we want to reduce
out-of-wedlock births and reenage fathers, holding them to their
parental responsibilities and assuring them of their parental
rights.
I believe parents deserve the right to know when their child is
undergoing a significant medical procedure. We should require
parental notification before an abortion can be performed on a
minor.
Strong families provide the fertile soil from which strong
people and solid communities  grow. The key to addressing these
problems lies in reconnecting and reinforcing Iowa's families.
This is even more critical as power shifts away from the federal
government. The devolution of power from Washington to states,
local communities, and inevitably to families and individuals,
gives us both an opportunity and a challenge.
It is an opportunity to take charge of our own destiny, find
solutions that best fit our own problems, and empower
individuals and communities to fashion their own futures.
But it is also a challenge. We must be prepared to bear the
burden of authority and accept responsibility for our own
actions.
Iowans are better prepared than most to meet that challenge. The
spirit of neighbor helping neighbor is as Iowan as the tall corn
we grow.
State government, too, must be prepared to meet the challenge.
We must not become a bottleneck in the historic flow of power
from Washington to the family.

Iowa General Assembly

Index: House Journal (76th General Assembly: Session 2)

© 1996 Cornell College and League of Women Voters of Iowa

Comments? hjourn@legis.iowa.gov.

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