As an attorney with family law experience and a father myself, I know how important strong families are to our society.
Child Protection and Family Law Reform:
We must have zero tolerance for child abuse in Virginia. I have sponsored several pieces of legislation designed to protect innocent children caught in the middle of family crises. My bills also strengthen penalties for criminals who threaten children.
Valuing Traditional Marriage and Respecting All Individuals:
I support Virginia’s legal recognition of marriage as being between one man and one woman. This legislation has not reduced contract rights for other groups of persons.
Support For Families With Special Needs:
I believe that helping those who, through no fault of their own, are unable to help themselves is a critical part of good government. Families who care for a mentally retarded child or one who lives with intellectual or developmental disabilities need our support. In 2007, after many years of work, I helped pass a 15% cost of living “differential,” just for Northern Virginia, to increase Medicaid funds available to those with mental retardation and developmental disabilities.
Protecting Life:
My consistent life-affirming philosophy of government motivates me to see that human life receives protection at every stage of development. I have supported initiatives to:
Protect women’s health by ensuring Virginia’s abortion providers are subject to the same health and safety standards as other outpatient surgical facilities;
Ensure women are fully informed about alternatives to abortion;
Make sure parents are as involved as possible in the reproductive decisions of their minor daughters;
Prohibit the partial-birth abortion procedure from being performed in Virginia.
Parental Rights:
I am a strong supporter of the fundamental right of parents to direct the education and upbringing of their children. These rights should only be abridged when necessary to protect a child in an abusive situation.
Community Decency Standards:
I support local zoning authority to keep sex-oriented businesses away from schools, houses of worship, day care centers and playgrounds.
