Dear Mr. President:
 
As you take over the reins to steer America in a new direction, our best hope is that you continue setting a strong example by being a good father and a loving husband and encourage others to follow in your footsteps by setting solid family public policies. There are many challenging issues confronting this nation, both economically and culturally.

But failing to see that the stability of the country is tied to the stability of the family, will only continue our drift in an even more precarious direction. A determination to preserve and strengthen the institution of marriage will serve to benefit our children, our families and our future. Consider the following:
 
Compared to all other family forms, families headed by a married father and mother are the best for children.[1]

Having a spouse who is committed for better or for worse, in sickness and in health, makes people happier and healthier.[2]

Studies suggest that men and women bring different strengths to the parenting enterprise, and that the biological relatedness of parents to their children has important consequences for the young, especially daughters.[3]

64% of adults who said they were unhappy in their marriage, but remained in it, reported five years later that they were happy.[4]

Family fragmentation costs U.S. taxpayers at least $112 billion each and every year and more than $1 trillion each decade. These costs arise from increased taxpayer expenditures for antipoverty, criminal justice, and education programs, and through lower levels of taxes paid by individuals who earn less because of reduced opportunities as a result of having been more likely to grow up in poverty.[5]
 
Finally, Mr. President, please preserve and maintain the Federal Defense of Marriage Act and encourage states to set policies that strengthen and encourage men and women to marry and stay married. Support the efforts of Pennsylvania For Marriage, (www.pa4marriage.org) and other states, to further protect the institution of marriage through state marriage amendments.

——-

[1] “The Scholarly Consensus on Marriage,” Center for Marriage and Families Fact Sheet no. 2 (New York: Institute for American Values, 2006)
[2] Maggie Gallagher and Linda Waite, The Case for Marriage: Why Married People are Happier, Healthier and Better Off Financially (New York, Broadway Books, 2000) p.77.
[3] The Witherspoon Institute, Marriage and the Public Good: Ten Principles (Princeton: The Witherspoon Institute, 2006) p. 20.
[4] Linda Waite, et al, Does Divorce Make People Happy? Findings from a Study of Unhappy Marriages (New York: Institute for American Values, 2002).
[5] Benjamin Scafidi, et al, The Tax Payer Costs of Divorce and Unwed Childbearing: First Ever Estimates for the Nation and All Fifty States, (New York: Institute for American Values, 2008.