From the time I entered Congress in 2001, I have been proud to stand for our shared central and western Pennsylvania values. In that time I have fought to uphold the sanctity of marriage and the sanctity of life.

The Right to Life

I believe that life begins at conception and should be protected at all stages. To this end, I have been proactive in supporting legislation which protects the most vulnerable in our society. I have supported multiple bills protecting the right to life, including:

• The Partial Birth Abortion Ban, signed into law by President Bush in 2003.
• The Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act, which would prohibit the transport of minors across state lines for the purpose of obtaining an abortion.
• Title X Abortion Provider Prohibition Act, which would prohibit the Government from providing any federal family planning assistance to any organization that performs abortions.

Marriage

It is increasingly important that elected officials stand up for the traditions of American society. The institution of husband and wife, of mother and father, has served our society well and is at the foundation of what makes our families and our communities strong. Today, a handful of judges are poised to destroy traditional marriage, which is one of the cornerstones of civilization itself.

I am a cosponsor of the Marriage Protection Amendment, a constitutional amendment that would define a federally recognized marriage solely as the union between a man and a woman in order to protect our legislative responsibility from activist judges too willing to legislate from the bench.