Marco Rubio Calls for Laws to Strengthen Families

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., on Thursday told legislators "to protect and expand our laws that promote strong families" and called for a "deeper cultural revival" to help families.

"There are many factors that contribute to children's well-being, but none is more important than strong families," Rubio wrote in an opinion piece for The Daily Caller. "We know this because it's in our DNA, of course; stable, two-parent families have been the bedrock of all successful civilizations throughout all of history."

He goes on to note that studies show children "in households with stable, married parents" tend to have "better health and behavioral outcomes" than those who aren't.

"It's our imperative as policymakers to protect and expand our laws that promote strong families," Rubio adds. "For this reason, I've worked to expand the federal per-child tax credit and proposed that we create an option for parents to use their Social Security benefits for paid parental leave."

The senator admits that although "those proposals are important, they only serve to treat the symptoms, not the cause. They may make it more affordable to raise a family, but they do not tell young adults why they should take on the sacrifice that starting a family and raising children requires. We need deeper cultural revival to do that."

Rubio notes, "no law can force someone to be a better parent or spouse," but says that government officials should be "explicit" in saying that "Marriage should be a lifelong commitment between two people. Married couples should have and raise children," and that "abortion at any stage of pregnancy ends a human life that has been created by God."

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