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Hart, Lohr Debate Shows Sharp Differences on "Values" Issues
October 19, 2009

Summary: In a Forum-sponsored debate before some 100 guests at the Cornerstone Church on Lake Shenandoah Saturday evening, Republican Delegate Matt Lohr and Democratic Challenger Gene Hart expressed very clear differences on some core “Values” issues that will come before the General Assembly next year, especially about the sanctity of life and of marriage. The full debate will air on WAZT-TV this weekend. Details follow.

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The Debate on Values: Most campaigns today are about jobs and the economy. However, this debate was on “values” because America is in a moral meltdown that affects every aspect of our culture – including the economy. For example, “family fragmentation” is estimated to cost Virginia taxpayers $776 million per year, according to the Institute for American Values.

This meltdown includes the fact that some 50 million unborn babies have been destroyed by abortion since 1973, with about 100 of those abortions taking place in Virginia every day. Forty percent of all babies are born out-of-wedlock (up from only 5% in 1960), and 33% of American children are being raised in single-parent homes (up from only 9% in 1960). Finally, 50% of all marriages now end in divorce (up from under 10% in 1960).

The Role of Law: The law has contributed to this decline. Courts and legislatures that used to protect life, marriage, and decency are today doing just the opposite, protecting no-fault divorces, legalized abortions, and rampant pornography. We must do better, and this debate is aimed at helping us decide which of these two candidates, Hart or Lohr, will fight hardest for laws that protect our faith, our families, and our freedoms in Richmond, if elected on Nov. 3.

Sharp Differences on General Principles …: Lohr believes that life begins at conception, but Hart said he did not know when it begins. Both men agreed that marriage means only one man and one woman. However, Lohr voted for the marriage amendment in 2006, while Hart voted against it. Hart also said he believes in “Civil Unions” between two people of the same gender.

… and Stark Contrasts on Specific Bills: Putting principle to practice, Hart said he would oppose and Lohr said he would support the following specific bills regarding the sanctity of life and of marriage, religious liberty, and school choice. These bills would:

1) Define an unborn child from the moment of conception as a “person” under Virginia law;
2) Require abortion clinics to provide information about fetal pain to pregnant women who are considering an abortion;
3) Prohibit taxpayer funding of organizations like Planned Parenthood that perform abortions;
4) Ban taxpayer funding of research that requires the destruction of a human embryo;
5) Require “mutual consent” for divorce when minor-age children are involved;
6) Prohibit government offices from offering benefits to unmarried partners (even of the same gender) similar to those that married couples currently receive;
7) Overturn a policy that prohibits “sectarian” prayers by Police Chaplains at public events; and
8) Provide tax relief for parents who place their children in private or home-school classes.

… but also Some Agreement: In the likelihood that the following bills will come before the General Assembly in January, both men agreed they would vote to:

1) Require abortion clinics to comply with the same health, safety, and reporting standards as other ambulatory surgical centers;
2) Require abortion clinics to inform a pregnant woman of her right to review an ultrasound of her unborn child before proceeding with an abortion;
3) Oppose efforts to repeal the marriage amendment that defines marriage as between only one man and one woman;
4) Oppose efforts to add “sexual orientation” to the list of characteristics that are already protected under Virginia’s “hate crimes” statute;
5) Approve a new specialty license plate that carries our national motto: “In God We Trust”; and
6) Oppose a bill to increase the gas tax.

The Question of Party Affiliation: After moderator Kay Norred noted the wide gap between the two parties’ voting records on these issues in the General Assembly, where the Democrats averaged only 28% and the Republicans scored 88% on The Family Foundation’s most recent Report Card, she asked how that would affect their votes in the Assembly – if elected.

Hart responded that he would make his own independent decisions on these issues rather than as a representative of the Democratic Party. In contrast, Lohr stated that he was proud of the Republican positions on these issues and that they reflected his own personal beliefs.

The Question of Private Faith and Public Policy: Both men acknowledged the importance of a “moral compass” to guide them in making legislative decisions. Lohr said his personal faith and relationship with God was the most important thing in his life and guided every decision he made. Hart agreed that moral values should guide policy decisions but was unclear about the connection between his faith and those moral values.

Voter Guides: The Family Foundation’s new Voter Guides also made their Valley debut at the debate. They show the positions of the six state-level candidates as well as of the Valley candidates, where that information is available. Regrettably, many of the Democratic candidates – including Mr. Hart -- failed to respond to the questionnaire.

If you would like to obtain copies of the Voter Guides for distribution to your church, civic club, or other organization, contact brad.huddleston@tff.action.org or call him at (540) 820-0810.

Watch the Debate on TV: The debate will air this weekend on the Forum’s “Valley Faith in Action” program at 8:00 p.m. Friday and at 8:30 p.m. Sunday on WAZT-TV, which is Comcast Cable Channel 14 in the Harrisonburg area (the channel may be different in your area). It will air again on Monday at 8:30 a.m., and Wednesday midnight.

Stay Strong.
Dean