September 21, 2022
Responding to the new realities of a post-Roe America, declining marriage rates, and record-low fertility, a collection of leading legal scholars and policy experts released a statement of principles for a pro-family approach to public policy.
“Envisioning a Pro-Family Policy Agenda: A Statement of Principles” was signed by EPPC’s Ryan T. Anderson, Erika Bachiochi, and Patrick T. Brown, as well as other leading intellectuals. The document suggests eleven tenets that should guide a pro-life, pro-family approach to policymaking.
“Strong families are the foundation of a healthy society,” the statement reads. “One of the primary aims of public policy should be empowering mothers and fathers to better live out their obligations to each other, to their children, and to their communities.”
Signers included influential family policy scholars, including the American Enterprise Institute’s Yuval Levin, Prof. Robert P. George of Princeton University, and W. Brad Wilcox, senior fellow at the Institute for Family Studies. Other signatories include experienced writers on family policy, such as Ramesh Ponnuru, editor of National Review, Abby McCloskey, former policy director on multiple presidential campaigns, and Wells King, research director at American Compass.
The statement points out ways that the conventional wisdom on the political left and right both fall short of meaningfully supporting families. “These principles…can help guide policymakers towards a future in which more families are better able to fulfill their essential responsibilities, better insulated against potential governmental overreach and inordinate demands in a market economy.”
