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For
Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
October 3, 2003
Marriage
Protection Week, 2003
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
Marriage
is a sacred institution, and its protection is essential
to the
continued strength of our society. Marriage Protection
Week provides an opportunity to focus our efforts on
preserving the sanctity of marriage and on building
strong and healthy marriages in America.
Marriage
is a union between a man and a woman, and my Administration
is working to support the institution of marriage by
helping couples build successful marriages and be good
parents.
To
encourage marriage and promote the well-being of children,
I have proposed a healthy marriage initiative to help
couples develop the skills and knowledge to form and
sustain healthy marriages. Research has shown that,
on average, children raised in households headed by
married parents fare better than children who grow up
in other family structures. Through education and counseling
programs, faith-based, community, and government organizations
promote healthy marriages and a better quality of life
for children. By supporting responsible child-rearing
and strong families, my
Administration is seeking to ensure that every child
can grow up in a safe and loving home.
We
are also working to make sure that the Federal Government
does not penalize marriage. My tax relief package eliminated
the marriage penalty. And as part of the welfare reform
package I have proposed, we will do away with the rules
that have made it more difficult for married couples
to move out of poverty.
We
must support the institution of marriage and help parents
build stronger families. And we must continue our work
to create a compassionate, welcoming society, where
all people are treated with dignity and respect.
During
Marriage Protection Week, I call on all Americans to
join me in expressing support for the institution of
marriage with all its benefits to our people, our culture,
and our society.
NOW,
THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United
States of America, by virtue of the authority vested
in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States,
do hereby proclaim the week of October 12 through October
18, 2003, as Marriage Protection Week. I call upon the
people of the United States to observe this week with
appropriate programs, activities, and ceremonies.
IN
WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this third
day of October, in the year of our Lord two thousand
three, and of the Independence of the United States
of America the two hundred and twenty-eighth.
GEORGE
W. BUSH
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