[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 39, Number 41 (Monday, October 13, 2003)]
[Pages 1327-1328]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Proclamation 7714--Marriage Protection Week, 2003

October 3, 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

[[Page 1328]]

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

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 8:45 a.m., October 7, 
2003]

Note: This proclamation was published in the Federal Register on October 
8. This item was not received in time for publication in the appropriate 
issue.