I was brought up by a single mom in a poor town in Arkansas and while some aspects of small-town life were really positive - like the fact that everyone there is really sweet and hospitable - there is also this close-minded mentality and that naturally made me want to rebel.

We have a lot to gain through furthering stem cell research but medical breakthroughs should be fundamentally about saving not destroying human life. Therefore I support stem cell research that does not destroy the embryo.

Another cause of change one less noticeable but fundamental is the modern growth of population closely connected with scientific and medical discoveries. It is interesting that the United Nations has set up a special Commission to study this question.

When I talked to my medical friends about the strange silence on this subject in American medical magazines and textbooks I gained the impression that here was a subject tainted with Socialism or with feminine sentimentality for the poor.

Marriage has been defined by every legislature that has ever sat in the United States from every State now 50 States the same way but now we have unelected judges altering and changing that fundamental institution.

I got married at 22 and remained in an abusive marriage for 10 years. I made up my mind that that was never going to happen to me again. I made a brave step to walk out in a society when you didn't walk out of an abusive marriage. It was mental and physical abuse.

The United States Supreme Court has repeatedly held that marriage is one of the most fundamental rights that we have as Americans under our Constitution.

I think you may see again a rise at the federal government level for a - a call for the federal constitutional amendment because people want to make sure that this definition of marriage remains secure because after all the family is the fundamental unit of government.

We need uniform protection of traditional marriage. You can't have different definitions on something as fundamental as marriage. The Marriage Protection Amendment is the only solution to this problem.

Redefining marriage will have huge implications for what is taught in our schools and for wider society. It will redefine society since the institution of marriage is one of the fundamental building blocks of society. The repercussions of enacting same-sex marriage into law will be immense.