Our culture is great at disseminating information about the things that are risky and/or bad for us — from certain foods, to excessive alcohol, to not wearing a seatbelt. But how many people have the first clue about this topic addressed by Joseph Turner over at The Federalist?:
Broken Homes Are Overloading Social Services
To protect American kids from harm on a large scale, we need to recognize a basic truth: children are better off living with their married biological parents.
I’ll tell you who does know: social conservatives. Those who defend natural marriage and oppose abortion don’t close their eyes to the abundance of social science data. Libertarian types and their strange cultural bedfellows, the radical transform-America political lefties, prefer to pretend that society can free itself from common sense and still remain civilized.
Here is the opening of Joseph Turner’s article:
In summer 2015, the nation celebrated as same-sex marriage reached all 50 states. The last strongholds of bigotry and hatred were finally overcome. The laws preventing gay couples from pursuing the full manifestation of love and family were no more. Together, we raised our rainbow flags and marched toward a new era of justice and prosperity for all.
Meanwhile, down here on the ground, things are as bad as ever. The time-tested link between marriage and children continues to decay, with dire consequences for our culture. In my home state of Indiana, an employee of Child Protective Services (CPS) recently sued the state over the fact that CPS workers’ caseloads are in overwhelming excess of the legal requirements. State law mandates that employees should serve no more than 17 families at one time. In some counties, the average is closer to 50.
This stems from a massive increase in reports of abuse and neglect in recent years, up 81 percent from 2009. Caseload limits seem reasonable enough, except you can’t legislate supply and demand. The state can’t keep up with its child-abuse problem, so caseworkers are dangerously overloaded. Morale is low, turnover is high, and kids are suffering.
Here is his close:
The social-science consensus on marriage and family has been around for decades. If it wasn’t compelling back then, it certainly won’t be in vogue now. Pro-marriage efforts would quickly be dismissed as moralizing (and who could be so foolish as to think the safety and well-being of children is a moral issue?). In any case, we’re far too busy redefining marriage at the moment to undertake any effort to strengthen it. So for now I’ll pray for U.S. kids, enjoy my job security, and keep the CPS hotline on speed dial.
I encourage you to read Turner’s entire article. It’s devastating.
Image credit: www.shtfplan.com.
