Issue Position: Family, Life and Adoption

Issue Position

I strongly believe in the sanctity of life and that unborn children at any stage of development are granted the right to life. I served as my church's representative to Michigan Right to Life for 10 years, and my family has worked with various crisis pregnancy centers throughout the 2nd District.

My commitment to life has not wavered. I will continue to be a tireless voice for unborn children and work to ensure that these precious lives are protected.

Since becoming a Member of Congress, I have been an active member of both the Bipartisan Congressional Pro-Life Caucus and the Congressional Prayer Caucus.

I have also voted for legislation to strip federal funding from Planned Parenthood and voted in support of the The Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act. Additionally, I am currently a co-sponsor of many pro-life bills, including the No Taxpayer funding for Abortion Act, the Life at Conception Act, and the Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act.

Recently, I reintroduced H.R. 493, the Homeland Security Respect for Life Act because we must continue to close loopholes to prevent hard-working taxpayer dollars from being used to fund abortions. This commonsense bill simply prevents any funds appropriated to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from being used to pay for abortions and provides important conscience protections that prevent DHS funds from being used to compel any person to participate in the performance of an abortion. The language from H.R. 493 was added to the Homeland Security Appropriations Bill and passed the House of Representatives.

Protecting the unborn is the first step. Caring for that child is the next. If a woman decides for whatever reason she cannot raise her child, we have a responsibility to help her find a loving family willing to adopt. That is one reason why in June of 2013, I authored a letter with 34 of my colleagues to the IRS Commissioner on the adoption tax credit. According to the Taxpayer Advocate Service, 90% of families that applied for this important credit were flagged for further review, and 69% were actually audited by the IRS. Despite this extensive scrutiny, only 1.5% of claims were disallowed. Each and every child deserves a permanent, loving home. The federal government should be creating an environment that makes that goal possible by encouraging adoption, not subjecting families who participate in adoption to unwarranted and unjustified scrutiny.

We have a moral obligation to protect the voiceless and defenseless unborn.

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