“Defending marriage also means strengthening marriage, and giving couples an option to further solidify their vows in law will help accomplish this goal. Covenant marriage legislation is a common-sense, conservative way to strengthen the family and I applaud my former colleagues who voted to support it,” Lightner said.

State Rep. Anthony Brown (R-Eudora), who authored the amendment creating covenant marriages, praised Lightner for her support of strong marriages in Kansas .

“Patricia’s support of this bill demonstrates that she is willing to take a stand in the fight to strengthen marriage. She’s always been a strong defender of the family, and her stance today reflects her passion on this critical issue,” Brown said.

Lightner said she chose to speak out in favor of the bill because, as a Kansas citizen and supporter of traditional marriage, she feels voices in support of strengthening traditional marriage must have the courage to speak up, particularly as opponents ramp up their own attempts to undermine marriage.

“Rep. Brown’s amendment only passed with a slim majority. The federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is under attack from the left and there are those who want to invalidate actions by the states to defend and strengthen marriage. We must have the courage to stand firm on what we know is right,” she said.

Lightner concluded by pledging to fight attempts to undermine marriage as a Member of Congress.

“As State Representative, I supported the Kansas Marriage Amendment and other measures to uphold our values. As a member of Congress, I will resist any effort to repeal DOMA or reverse the will of the people who have made their stance crystal clear – and that is in favor of strong marriages and strong families.”