Ben Sasse on Civil Rights

Kids are best raised in a world with one mother & one father

Domina disagreed with Sasse's overall assessment of same-sex marriage. "I am aware of no data to suggest that on a consistent basis that children have a better outcome with a single mother and father living together than children with two fathers or two mothers," he said. He said that the government should address these issues only insofar as they affect taxes. It should stay out of private matters, Domina said.

Children are best raised by a father and mother

Domina disagreed, saying it's the responsibility of government to define marriage. He said he's not aware of any studies showing children fare better with a mother and father than with two fathers or single parents.

Don't redefine one-man-one-woman marriage

• Marriage, the union of one man and one woman, is the fundamental building block of society and should be respected and strengthened, not redefined.
• At a time of rising out-of-wedlock births, resulting in the physical and spiritual impoverishment of the young, government should not create incentives against marriage.

Respect faith-based opposition to same-sex marriage.

Congressional Summary: The First Amendment Defense Act (FADA) prohibits the federal government from taking discriminatory action against a person on the basis that such person believes or acts in accordance with a religious belief or moral conviction that:

1. marriage is or should be recognized as the union of one man and one woman, or
2. sexual relations are properly reserved to such a marriage.

Political Argument Opposed: [ACLU, July 20, 2015]: The House of Representatives & leading anti-LGBT organizations are pushing a bill--disingenuously titled the First Amendment Defense Act--that would open the door to unprecedented taxpayer-funded discrimination against LGBT people, single mothers, and unmarried couples. This bill would

• allow federal contractors, including those that provide homeless shelters or drug treatment programs, to turn away LGBT people
• permit a university to fire an unmarried teacher simply for becoming pregnant
• permit federal employees to refuse to process tax returns, visa applications, or Social Security checks for all married same-sex couples