The Bible tells us several times to honor those to whom honor is due. See Romans 12:10, 13:7; 1 Peter 2:17. Dictionaries define honor as having high respect, great esteem, and recognition.

Arizonans have been governed by three leaders to whom I give honor this day: Governor Doug Ducey, Attorney General Mark Brnovich, and State Senator Nancy Barto. Without these three leaders, Arizona would be a very different state. All three shared a common goal: to make and keep Arizona the best state in the union in which to raise a family. And all three will be leaving office in early January; a significant loss in those positions to our families and our state.

Governor Doug Ducey

In my personal capacity, I served on former U.S. Senator Jon Kyl’s Advisory Committee in support of Governor Ducey in his 2014 campaign. The Governor has been true to his word from when he first ran for elective office. He has not wavered on pro-life measures. He made educational freedom – school choice – one of his top priorities so that every family can choose the school that best meets their children’s needs.

Gov. Ducey signed 67 CAP-supported bills into law these last eight years. Those bills included:

• 32 bills in support of life, including bills to protect pro-life laws; hold the abortion industry accountable and serve pregnant women.
• 21 bills supporting families, including measures to prohibit males from competing on female school sports teams; strengthening parental rights; not allowing sex education classes for school children in grades K-4, and expanding school choice.
• 12 bills securing religious freedom, including declaring religion an essential service; protecting foster care and adoption agencies from discrimination, and securing free speech on college campuses.

Sure, we had a disagreement or two. Every family has disagreements from time to time. For eight years, however, Arizona has been well-served by Gov. Ducey who didn’t shrink from standing for life, family, and religious freedom.

Attorney General Mark Brnovich

During his eight-year tenure, General Brnovich has led his office to file numerous briefs in support of life, educational freedom, parents’ rights, and religious freedom.

General Brnovich has defended Arizona’s pro-life laws against several attacks by the abortion industry. Most significantly, he has led the effort to reinstate Arizona’s law prohibiting abortion except to save the life of the mother in the aftermath of the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade. In addition, his office has argued for, or filed briefs in support of:

• Upholding laws that protect the unborn from painful dismemberment abortion.
• Upholding laws prohibiting abortions that discriminate against unborn babies with disabilities.
• Overturning of Roe.

In supporting religious freedom rights, General Brnovich argued for the rights of creative businessmen and women to work according to their religious beliefs. He also argued:

• In support of religious schools receiving tax credits.
• For the right of a coach to pray after football games.
• For religious nonprofits to hire only those who agree with their mission.
• For churches and other places of worship to be deemed “essential services” during the COVID-19 pandemic.

General Brnovich also stood up for parental rights against the Biden Administration’s attack on parents who resisted the teaching of critical race theory. Arizona was well-served by his strong defense of these foundational freedoms. We’re all better off as a result.

Senator Nancy Barto

Senator Barto and I first met as stay-at-home moms through church and Concerned Women for America. Nancy has served as a state legislator as long as I’ve been CAP President – 17 years. Prior to her legislative service and knowing that she often prayed outside abortion clinics, I helped recruit her to be a plaintiff in a lawsuit challenging the City of Phoenix’s attempt to restrict prayer outside those clinics. That successful lawsuit went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Over these 17 years, Senator Barto has played a leadership role in virtually every bill to promote the values of life, marriage, parental rights, religious freedom, and school choice. To work to have state government meet the mental health needs of its citizen. And so much more.

The pro-life measures, now law, include:

• Requiring informed consent before a woman has an abortion.
• Strengthening parental consent and rights of conscience laws.
• Protecting babies after 15 weeks gestational age and babies with genetic conditions.

I could go on and on with the list.

Faithful Jesus follower. Courageous. Unwavering. Grace-filled. Hard-working. Committed. All these words describe Sen. Barto. The Capitol just won’t be the same without her. But I have no doubt, she’s far from done advocating for the causes she believes in and we share.

Notes of Gratitude: Please take a moment and send a note of gratitude to Governor Ducey  engage@az.gov, Senator Nancy Barto nbarto@azleg.gov, and Attorney General Mark Brnovich AGInfo@azag.gov

Update: Marriage “redefined,” Religious Freedom Jeopardized With a Stroke of a Pen

President Biden signed the poorly titled “Respect for Marriage Act” Tuesday, forcing all states to acknowledge almost anything a single state deems “marriage.” Hailed as respect for same-sex marriage, the act goes far beyond the forced acknowledgment of same-sex marriages; the presence of a drag queen at the White House signing ceremony may be a hint at where this all leads. Once the definition of a sacred union is changed in this way, there will really be no reason to stop here.

Read or listen here and here to Al Mohler’s explanation of why it is so important to draw a line on marriage, and how to understand what was said at the signing ceremony.

Also, if you missed it, read here what I wrote about the “Dangers of Redefining Marriage.” The Daily Signal has more here on what the new law will mean for Americans who hold to a historical and biblical view of marriage.

ICYMI

• Read here how a middle school teacher was forced out because she refused to “socially transition” students who want to be the opposite sex.
• Read here how another federal court blocked the Biden Administration’s effort to force religious healthcare workers and hospitals to do transgender surgeries and “treatments.”
• Read here how Mattel targets children for transgender indoctrination with a new trans Barbie.
• Read here how a nurse in Texas is suing the Biden Administration over his mandate to force her and others to assist abortions.

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