Family and Marriage News
Coverage of family life, marriage, parenting, and cultural issues shaping households across America, with clear reporting and thoughtful analysis.
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opinion
Why a Connected Life Via Marriage, Family Is a Happier Life
My colleague Jim Daly, president of Focus on the Family, wrote the following in his book “Marriage Done Right: One Man, One Woman”: “[Marriage] is a sacred union of a man and a woman that confers myriad benefits on the spouses, their children, and society at large—benefits that cannot be replicated by any other relationship.”… -
news
EXCLUSIVE: Vermont Family Accuses School District of Retaliating Against Them for Pushing Back Against Biological Male in Girls’ Locker Room
A Vermont school district punished both 14-year-old Blake Allen and her father for stating that a biologically male student who identifies as a transgender girl is male. Now the Allens are suing the school district—and accusing it of retaliating against their family for speaking out. Represented by the Alliance Defending Freedom, Travis and Jessica Allen… -
news
Mark Houck Attorney: Garland Must Explain to Family Why Their Father Was Arrested by Men With Guns
When Republicans question Attorney General Merrick Garland on the shocking arrest of a Catholic father, Mark Houck’s lawyer wants the Houck family to be in the front row. Peter Breen, an attorney with the Thomas More Society representing Houck, told The Daily Signal in a phone interview that the Justice Department sent “20-plus heavily armed… -
news
California Governor Awards Himself Custody of Children With Gender Dysphoria, Pro-Family Group Says
Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, has signed into law a bill making California a sanctuary for children seeking gender transition treatment across state lines. State Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, introduced the “trans refuge bill” (Senate Bill 107) last year, and it cleared the California State Legislature a month ago. “California’s dangerous and extreme new… -
news
House Democrats Block Probe of Biden Family Business Deals, Ask: What About Trump?
House Democrats on Tuesday blocked an inquiry into 150 reports of suspicious financial activity surrounding the international business dealings of Hunter Biden and other Biden family members, which Republicans said could compromise President Joe Biden. Democrats on the House Oversight and Reform Committee generally had a disciplined message in opposing oversight of potential conflicts of… -
news
House Oversight Panel to Consider Demanding Financial Details of Biden Family Business Deals
House members will go on record Tuesday about requiring President Joe Biden’s administration to provide documents related to overseas business dealings by his son Hunter Biden and other family members. The House Oversight and Reform Committee will consider a resolution proposed by ranking member Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., to push the president to hand over… -
opinion
Senators Should Stop Playing Games With Religious Liberty and Marriage
Fig leaf, smoke and mirrors, lip service, bait and switch. It’s hard to pick exactly the right way to describe the attempt by Sens. Mitt Romney, R-Utah; Susan Collins, R-Maine; and Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., to whitewash (there’s another!) the attacks on people of faith presented by the same-sex marriage bill being considered by the Senate…. -
news
Senate Pushes Vote on Same-Sex Marriage Bill Until After Midterms in Hopes of Gaining GOP Votes
Lawmakers have decided to push a vote on same-sex marriage legislation until after the midterm elections, senators announced Thursday. Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, one of the top Republican supporters of the so-called Respect for Marriage Act, said Thursday that the Senate will wait until after the midterms before it attempts to codify the legislation, Fox… -
news
Senator on Democrats’ Same-Sex Marriage Bill: ‘We Have to Fight Back on This’
Passing a bill enshrining same-sex marriage in national law would put the existence of religious nonprofit ministries at risk and send “a pretty strong message that religious beliefs don’t matter,” a Republican senator has said. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., vowed Wednesday to bring a bill decreeing that all 50 states must recognize same-sex marriages to… -
news
Lawmaker Faults 4 Big Companies for Focus on Abortion Travel Rather Than Family Leave
A Texas congressman has asked four entertainment and social media companies to explain why they emphasize paying travel and other expenses for out-of-state abortions rather than their existing policies of paid family leave for employees. Women “should not feel coerced into seeking an abortion instead of taking time off to have their child, especially since… -
opinion
When Clinton, Biden, and Schumer Defended Marriage Against Ted Kennedy
When Democratic Sen. Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts led the fight in 1996 to stop a federal law that would define marriage as the union of one man and one woman, he faced some prominent opponents in his own party. They included then-Rep. Chuck Schumer of New York, then-Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware, and then-President Bill… -
news
Conservative Leaders Urge GOP Senators to Reject House-Passed Same-Sex Marriage Bill
Conservative leaders are calling on senators to reject the House-passed Respect for Marriage Act, which aims to codify into federal law the Supreme Court’s 2015 legalization of same-sex marriage in Obergefell v. Hodges. “The Act, which was suddenly rushed through the House without any public hearings or input, is an attack on millions of Americans, particularly… -
opinion
4 Compelling Reasons for the Senate to Oppose Redefining Marriage
The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed the Respect for Marriage Act, legislation that would repeal the overwhelmingly bipartisan Defense of Marriage Act of 1996 and codify the U.S. Supreme Court’s redefinition of marriage in Obergefell v. Hodges into federal law. Forty-seven House Republicans joined a unanimous Democratic caucus in voting for the bill, leading to speculation… -
news
31 States Where Voters Defined Marriage as Union of 1 Man, 1 Woman
The Supreme Court’s decision legalizing same-sex marriage across the nation is in the news again with the House’s passage last week of legislation codifying that 2015 ruling as part of U.S. law. In the years before the high court ruled in the case known as Obergefell v. Hodges, 38 states defined marriage by law as an exclusive union between… -
opinion
Polygamy Seen as Possibility Under House-Passed Marriage Bill
House Democrats, with the assistance of 47 Republicans, last week passed legislation under which the federal government would recognize any marriage if it is legally performed in any of the 50 states. The bill also would allow the nation’s attorney general to file civil action lawsuits against states that refuse to recognize marriages in other… -
opinion
Defending Marriage Is ‘Social Justice for Children’
As the U.S. Senate debates the “Respect for Marriage” Act, a social scientist said politicians must understand that preserving the time-honored definition of marriage is necessary to establish “social justice for children.” The House of Representatives passed the misnamed bill, which would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and define marriage as any union “valid in the… -
opinion
Republicans Used to Defend Traditional Marriage. What’s Changed?
When the Supreme Court delivered its blow to marriage in 2015, burning down three dozen state laws and tearing up 50 million ballots, the GOP’s reaction was straightforward. Outrage. With a handful of exceptions, the response that echoed across the two coasts was a collective “How dare they?” As far as Republicans were concerned, what the five… -
opinion
House-Passed ‘Respect for Marriage Act’ Isn’t About Marriage. It’s About Complying With Woke Ideology.
In an alarmist overreaction to the overturning of Roe v. Wade, congressional liberals this week passed radical legislation mislabeled as the Respect for Marriage Act. Although the bill’s final passage would threaten civil society and fundamental American freedoms, conservatives should see this development for what it really is: a publicity stunt. Its goal? Take the… -
news
Here Are the 47 House Republicans Who Voted to Legalize Same-Sex Marriage
Forty-seven House Republicans voted Tuesday in support of a Democrat-backed bill to codify same-sex marriage into federal law. The bill, dubbed the Respect for Marriage Act, passed the House of Representatives 267 to 157. All 220 Democrats voted in favor. Seven Republicans abstained. The Respect for Marriage Act would formally repeal the 1996 Defense of… -
opinion
The Truth Hasn’t Changed. The GOP Must Defend Marriage.
If you asked the talking heads, they’d say Americans are flocking to the Republican Party because of Joe Biden. It’s a reasonable explanation, considering the dumpster fire he’s made of our economy, energy, and inflation. But there’s another reason that voters are turning to the GOP—and it has nothing to do with the price of…