How Oregon Republicans can further the cause of life in a pro-choice state

Being merely pro-life isn’t enough; conservatives must be pro-family in their approach to poverty, child care, health care, and paid leave

I recently listened to a podcast in which one of the hosts observed that “poverty is hurting a lot more kids than drag queen story hour.” This comment didn’t come from a liberal New York Times opinion commentator; it came from faith-based podcast host Phil Vischer, who is best known for creating the VeggieTales series. Indeed, recent Census Bureau reports illustrate that children are the most likely to live in poverty among all age demographics. In a post-Roe America, instead of finding ways to support families, the focus has too often been on shallow culture wars that do little to help those who need it most.

As a lifelong evangelical and conservative who believes that families are the foundation of a moral society, I know that the Republican Party must do better when it comes to promoting family values. While marriage and birth rates continue to decline in the US, a startling trend that portends major upheavals in health care, pensions, and the workforce currently being exemplified in Japan, Republicans have failed to rally behind substantive policies that incentivize marriage and childrearing.

This doesn’t mean that our government should engage in social engineering that makes people do things they don’t want to do. It means that those who want to get married or have children shouldn’t be punished economically for seeking to do so. This issue first came to my attention after a friend’s wedding, which would have been considered traditional if it weren’t for the fact that there was no signing of a marriage certificate after the ceremony. The legal union between the couple would have resulted in his partner’s inability to qualify for the Oregon Health Plan and receive necessary coverage because their joint income would have disqualified them from OHP while still being insufficient to afford other options. This conundrum is true of too many programs, both state and federal, and could help explain why marriage is more common among middle-class and affluent couples than poor couples.

A similar issue arises for young parents who want to have children but simply can’t afford it, or even the cost of childbirth alone. In study after study, women cite economic reasons as the number one factor for seeking an abortion and for having fewer children than they would like. For Republicans in Oregon, one of the best ways to further the cause of life in a pro-choice state is to create an environment where it’s economically feasible to start and raise a family. By partnering with Democrats to build upon recent policies like Paid Leave Oregon and the new Oregon Kids’ Credit, as well as advocating for a simplification of the web of existing programs that are often too complex and bureaucratic to navigate, Oregon Republicans can tackle one of the root causes of abortion and demonstrate a genuine commitment to children beyond the womb.

At the federal level, Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) is one of the few Republicans who have proposed meaningful legislation aimed at eliminating the choice between family and finances via his Family Security Act 2.0. While imperfect, it begins a long overdue conversation about what it would look like if conservatives took the term “pro-family” seriously.

The U.S. is one of only seven countries without a national paid family leave policy. The U.S. is also one of about a dozen countries allowing elective abortions after 15 weeks. The former should be just as startling for pro-family conservatives as the latter. For the sake of our nation’s moral and economic interests, Republicans must lead the way in advancing pro-family policies addressing paid leave, health care, and child care that no longer punishes people for wanting to get married and have children. In doing so, fewer women will feel the need to have an abortion in the first place and more young couples will begin to see marriage as a net positive rather than a net negative to their lives. Make no mistake, marriage and childrearing will never be easy. But Oregon Republicans, while not in the majority, have the power to work across the aisle and deliver reforms that live up to the family values so many of us on the right hold dear.

Oregon City Commissioner Adam Marl is one of the youngest elected officials in Oregon and has experience working in the Legislature and on local, state, and federal campaigns.