Lawmakers should protect family values

Editor's note: This column is part of an extended series of guest essays written for The Times-Dispatch by some of the state's leading advocacy groups. The series provides an advance look at top issues that state legislators will face in the session that starts Jan. 11. Previous items appeared on Dec. 26, 27, 28 and 30 and on Jan. 1.

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When the General Assembly returns to town all eyes focus on the state budget. Despite media-driven perceptions that the legislature obsesses over "controversial" social issues, economic issues dominate every legislative session, and 2012 will be no exception. Given the new Senate configuration, however, members will be expected to multitask and address other issues that were on the minds of many Virginians when they voted in November. Representing tens of thousands of those voters, The Family Foundation will have several legislative priorities we hope will find success.

The first indicator of whether change has come to the state Senate will occur on opening day, when committees are formed and rules adopted. For many years the Senate, under both Republican and Democrat control, protected moderates from having to vote on many bills by blocking them in the Education and Health Committee. To further ensure that all pro-life bills would die, a rule was created that any bill related to "pregnancy" must be heard by the Education and Health Committee, even if it was more appropriate for the bill to be heard in Courts of Justice or another committee.

New leadership must send a clear message that these legislative shell games are over through (a) the committee assignments for the Senate Education and Health Committee and (b) rule changes that include striking the arbitrary "pregnancy" rule. Before any legislation is voted on, pro-family Virginians want to see a fair environment created for bills they view as important.

Paramount to The Family Foundation — and thousands of Virginia families — is improved educational opportunities. For too long, kids have been trapped in failing, government-run schools by economic constraints and their ZIP code. Legislation backed by Del. Jimmie Massie and state Sen. Mark Obenshain would grant tax credits for donations to scholarship programs.

Modeled after successful programs in other states, this approach not only would provide hope for low-income families but also would save Virginia taxpayers' money. For example, Florida's program provided new pathways to success for more than 33,000 kids while saving Florida nearly $40 million annually — money that can be reinvested in public education or other core services. Additionally, test scores at nearby public schools have improved, indicating that increased competition benefits all children.

Another priority of The Family Foundation is legislation ensuring conscience protections for faith-based child-placement organizations. Although recent regulatory attempts to coerce these organizations into violating their faith principles on matters of the family by threatening the loss of state licensing were unsuccessful, the General Assembly must act to ensure the valuable work of these agencies is not jeopardized in the future. Private, faith-based ministries facilitate the majority of Virginia adoptions, providing hope and security to hundreds of children.

Furthermore, no adult has the right to adopt — and to suggest otherwise is to misunderstand the purpose of adoption. It is not the mission of the state to provide adults with children; it is the obligation of the state to provide orphaned children with the best opportunity for success, to do what is in the best interest of the child. Preferably and whenever possible, that is a home with both a mother and father.

The Family Foundation's primary pro-life initiative this session is legislation requiring an ultrasound prior to abortion, and ensuring the woman be offered an opportunity to view the ultrasound before making her decision regarding her unborn child. Approximately 20 states have passed similar laws.

The primary intent is to protect the woman's health. Instead of guessing at the gestational age and size of the unborn child, thereby risking the woman's health, a doctor uses the ultrasound to be precise. Unfortunately, serious incidents have occurred in Virginia in which abortion doctors incorrectly underestimated the unborn child's age and size, and began an abortion — only to find out the child was much larger. Medical errors of that proportion put the mother at great risk and can cause the person performing the abortion to unwittingly violate state laws requiring that only hospitals perform second- and third-trimester abortions.

As with any medical procedure, one would hope the most advanced technology is used and the patient is offered all information possible.

The 2012 General Assembly will be focused on jobs, the economy and the budget — and rightly so. But our elected officials are capable of handling both economic and social issues. Many pro-family Virginians went to the polls in November with the hope that the new General Assembly will be friendlier toward their cause. We share their hope. For Republicans, the future of their majority depends on it.