[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 5]
[House]
[Page 6281]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    CHILDREN ARE A PRECIOUS RESOURCE

  (Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Madam Speaker, as the co-chair of the 
Congressional Children's Caucus, I have worked on issues dealing with 
child abuse and mentoring, questions of health care for children.
  Today in Texas, a court will undertake one of the most challenging 
legal cases of child custody ever to have been witnessed in the United 
States. As a strong opponent of child abuse and misuse of our children 
and affirmation of how precious they are, I ask the Court to make the 
right and determined decisions based on individual cases. We should not 
judge the parental rights based upon our opposition to the views of the 
Fundamental Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
  Just as I supported the return of Elian Gonzalez to his parents, I 
now support the concept that these parents and children should not be 
divided and separated because of our opposition to some of the legal 
practices of their parents.
  We must respect the first amendment, but also the precious right of 
children and parents being together. There must not be a biased 
determination.
  The children are still our precious resource, and if no harm has been 
done by their parents then the courts must act in the best interests of 
the children.

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