In our society we elect government officials to interpret the sentiment of the electorate, and pass laws which are consistent with the ethics of the time.  These social issues are often at the heart of what makes our country unique among nations in the world.

We live at a time when we are constantly tested by circumstances that require us to evaluate what we believe in – what do our basic ethics teach us?  All too often, Government finds itself in the middle of an ethical dilemma where it must balance an individual’s rights versus the state’s rights and responsibilities.  It must evaluate the economic and social impact of its actions in the spirit of the federal and state constitution and our cultural heritage. 

Abortion.  While I would never personally advise a person to have an abortion, I do support the current law.  Current Maryland law is a balanced approach which protects a woman’s right to choose with a recognition that individual conscience plays an enormous part in the decision to terminate a pregnancy.  The law protects the lives of viable fetuses as well as mothers whose lives are in danger.  The law also limits the use of public funds for abortions to only those situations when a mother’s health would be adversely affected by continuing the pregnancy, or if the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest. The law also requires that schools provide sex education to students with appropriate parental consent.

Gun Control.  I support the current law.  Current Maryland and federal law which includes the banning of “Saturday Night Special” handguns and automatic assault weapons, use of the NICS (National Instant Criminal Background Check System), handgun identification for law enforcement, safety locks, as well as mandatory training for handgun owners.  I do not support any expansion of “concealed carry” privileges for handgun owners, and I believe that crimes committed with firearms should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.  Judges should consider the aggravated nature of these crimes when they are performing sentencing.  Additionally, I do not believe that students in our public schools should be taught firearm “safety” courses which are thinly veiled introductions to gun use.

Capital Punishment.  I would like to see some changes to our current treatment of capital punishment.  Maryland’s death by lethal injection law is arguably a more humane implementation of capital punishment than many other means, however it is still a sentence with ultimate finality.  Our law exempts juveniles and the mentally retarded from this sentence, however, recent National events may lead a person to conclude that a mentally ill person could be guilty of murder, but might not deserve the death penalty.  Additionally, advances in DNA testing have also resulted in the surfacing of new evidence exonerating  individuals convicted of murder.  As a result, I would support legislation to limit the application of the death penalty to only those individuals who were judged to be mentally fit, and where available DNA evidence is consistent with a presumption of guilt.

Human Cloning.  At present there is not any federal or state law on this issue.  Certain federal research funding guidelines prevent the funding of research into the cloning of human embryos.  These regulations were not put into place to prevent many sorts of stem cell research, but were in fact intended to discourage the use of fetal tissues.  Given the extent of biological research which takes place in Maryland, this is potentially an important social issue to consider.  I would support state legislation which would criminalize the cloning of human embryos for the purpose of producing children identical to a donor.

Privacy.  Unlike the federal government and many other states, Maryland does not have a comprehensive privacy law.  While I was involved in the drafting and the ultimate passage of a Maryland law which protects citizens private data collected by the state, it does not cover a range of additional information which can be collected by private companies.  I would support the passage of a comprehensive privacy law which would include treatment of privacy information by companies operating within the state.  This law would include emergency provisions which would enable law enforcement to circumvent these provisions in the event of a terrorist attack.

Tobacco Settlement Funds Usage.  I support the current law.  Having been involved in the drafting of this law, I saw the merit of spending this money to stop people from smoking, stop farmers from growing, and stop people from dying (through treatment and research).  Spending of this money in other ways before tobacco ceases to be a threat to our nation’s population is irresponsible. 

Unions.  I support the perpetuation of labor unions to help protect the rights of workers.  This is particularly true in the areas of work conditions, wages, and benefits.  It should also be noted that labor unions must work in concert with corporate management to ensure that employee and shareholder needs are balanced.

School Prayer. I am a person who personally believes in God, and I vigorously support active roles for religious institutions in the community.  However, I do not believe that public schools are the appropriate places for indoctrination of religion.  While I believe that our public schools should spend more time concentrating on teaching ethics, organized prayer in the public school class crosses the line between church and state.

Pain Relief for the Chronically or Terminally Ill.  I believe that people in constant pain should have the right to be as comfortable as possible.  I further believe that physicians should be able to help these people, without fear of reprisal.  Health insurance carriers should be supportive of these aims. 

Slots Machines for Education.  I do not support the legalization of slot machines for education revenue or any other purpose.

Private School Books and Vouchers.  I do not support the expenditure of public funds for school vouchers or materials of instruction for private schools.  I do believe, however, that private schools should be eligible to buy goods and services using the same state discounts that public schools can use.