Family Values

A strong America relies on strong families.  I am proud to be a voice for West Texas values in Congress. 
It is important that our laws respect the life.  Abortion is a very personal and emotional issue that requires considerable reflection. I believe the sanctity of human life must be honored and the rights of the unborn need to be protected from the point of conception. As a member of the Bipartisan Congressional Pro-Life Caucus, I will continue to work with my colleagues in Congress to protect the rights of the unborn.

This respect must also extend to new and emerging medical advances. I cannot support the use of federal dollars to fund research that millions of Americans believe destroys human life and am pleased President Bush vetoed legislation that sought to fund embryonic stem cell research.  However, I support ethical alternatives to embryonic stem cell research, especially the promise of adult stem cell research. For example, several advances have recently been made that show stem cells found in umbilical cord blood, amniotic fluid, and bone marrow tissue have the same flexibility as embryonic stem cells. Furthermore, the major advances of stem cell research have come from adult stem cells, not embryonic ones

In the past, I have voted in favor of legislation declaring that marriage in the United States shall only consist of the union of a man and a woman.  I will continue to support similar legislation in the future because it affirms what I strongly believe to be the traditional definition of marriage -- a legal state of union between a man and a woman for the purpose of living together as husband and wife. The institution of marriage as the social, legal, and spiritual union of a man and a woman has proven vital to the existence of society and the raising and protection of children.

I am also a member of the House Values Action Team (VAT), which is a coalition between the pro-life and pro-family organizations and similar-minded Members of Congress.  The goal of this group is to unite conservative Members with pro-family coalitions by establishing legislative goals and executing action items that would lead to conservative victories.   The VAT team meets once a week to strategize, educate, and assign action items for VAT Members and staff to complete.

I am also pleased to be a member of the Congressional Prayer Caucus, a bipartisan group of House Members who meet each week to seek God’s wisdom and guidance as we try to make wise decisions for the American people. I believe the United States Constitution was never intended to provide freedom from religion, but is intended to provide freedom of religion. It is my desire to use the opportunities provided to me to address attacks on our nation’s religious heritage and to protect our inalienable rights to practice our religious freedom. If you would like more information on the Prayer Caucus please click here.