syoungman@herald-leader.comJanuary 24, 2014
During a Lexington luncheon Thursday, (click here) U.S. Sen. Rand Paul discussed the possibility of cutting government benefits for unwed mothers who have multiple children, though the potential Republican candidate for president in 2016 didn't directly endorse such a policy.
During a question-and-answer period following his remarks at a Commerce Lexington luncheon, Paul responded to a question about workforce development by including a warning about unwed young mothers doomed to poverty.
Although he said the job of preventing unplanned or unwanted pregnancies should be left to communities and families, Paul left open the possibility of a role for government.
"Maybe we have to say 'enough's enough, you shouldn't be having kids after a certain amount,'" Paul told the business group at one point...
...Speaking about high school students, Paul warned that "if you have children before you are married, the poverty rate is just astronomical."
"We need to be telling kids 'don't have kids until you're married,'" Paul said. "It's your best chance to get in the middle class is not to have kids. There's all kinds of ways, and we can debate ... but there are all kinds of ways to stop having kids."...
A real step forward, but, he is a Libertarian more than a Republican. Now, if we can call this "Planned Parenthood" it might actually discern responsibility by government to support the organization that has been on the forefront of preventing poverty as well.
Senator Paul should continue his message to young people and to the country. He should also call out the extremists that cause a problem of impoverishment through control of contraception.
Births to Unmarried Women (click here)
Increases in births to unmarried women are among the many changes in American society that have affected family structure and the economic security of children.4 Children of unmarried mothers are at higher risk of adverse birth outcomes such as low birthweight and infant mortality than are children of married mothers. They are also more likely to live in poverty than children of married mothers....
The nation needs to get on the same page regarding contraception. The rightwing had their chance to improve these statistics with extremist views for over a decade now. That stats have only gotten worse. The incidence of poverty has exploded since 2008. Children in the USA are living in poverty in large numbers. That directly effects their success in life and their ability for upward movement. I would encourage all political leaders to make the step forward Senator Paul has found.
Planned Parenthood is not evil and is very necessary to prevent poverty, especially among young women.
A surge in unwed mothers (cick here) reported this week by the US Census causes a surge in snap judgements. But deep in the stats, the connection between marriage and parenting, it turns out, is a lot more complicated than the shocked pundits might have you believe.
