Senate Journal: Page 34: Tuesday, January 9, 1996

         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. Iowas success in the next century
    and a half depends on the vitality of our homes, churches,
    neighborhoods, and communities.

         Government cant 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, weve 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 reengage 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 Iowas 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.

Iowa General Assembly

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

© 1996 Cornell College and League of Women Voters of Iowa

Comments? sjourn@legis.iowa.gov.

Last update: Fri Jan 12 20:45:07 CST 1996
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