4/10 Children Born Out Of Wedlock In America

Out-of-wedlock births in the United States have climbed to an
all-time high, accounting for nearly four in 10 babies born last
year, government health officials said.

While out-of-wedlock births have long been associated with teen
mothers, the teen birth rate actually dropped last year to the
lowest level on record.

Experts said the overall rise reflects the burgeoning number of
people who are putting off marriage or living together without
getting married.
They said it also reflects the fact that having a child out of
wedlock is more acceptable nowadays and not necessarily the
source of shame it once was.


SOURCE:
Seattle Times

Since this is a social issue, I figured I'd bring it up here.

I'm honestly not surprised by this, and really have no
problem with it.

I was born out of wedlock, and I'm normal, though to be
fair normal is a relative term.

It's my belief that this will lead to more indivciduality in
general, and more generations of males that are in tune
with their emotions that are more caring and not afraid to
show said emotions.


What are your thoughts on this?


EDIT:
Added "In America" to thread-title.

[edit on 11/21/2006 by iori_komei]

Nothin wrong with it at all. A child is a child wether there is a little piece of paper between the two or not. It shouldn't take away from it. Years ago it was considered something bad but in this day and age its not uncommon.
I had a priest give me a hassle about baptising my kid since we weren't married and until a donation of 500 bucks was brought up he wasn't gonna baptize him. Kind of stupid if you ask me.

I'm also a bastard I'm not normal though...The figure is a bit alarming as I think it is best for the child if he/she is born in wedlock. This is because of the relationship between this issue and the issue of single parents. Dad won't split because mommy gets pregnant if the couple is married you see. It also has a bearing on the number of orphans and abortions. Having children out of wedlock causes many negative social side effects.

I see it as a matter of choice for the mother that is the one that choces to have the child with or without partner.

I am pro-choice and that included a women deciding what is best for her.

It that means raising a child by herself or choosing not to have it.

If a women has the means to provided for a child without help from a partner is nothing wrong with having a child.

Taking into consideration that teen pregnacy is down it seems to me that the women having these children out of wedluck knows what they want.

America is going to hell in a hand bag real fast for actions like this. No wonder kids act like they do, They have no married parents to teach them right from wrong. :shk:

What ever happened to planned parenthood??????

Originally posted by shots
No wonder kids act like they do,

And what way would that be praytell?

They have no married parents to teach them right from wrong.

You don't need two parents to tell you right from wrong,
and besides that right and wrong are objective

What ever happened to planned parenthood??????

These women are old enough to make responsible decisions,
it's not a bunch of teens who forgot to wear a condom.

Has anyone else ever noticed that when a couple live together, even for years, they seem to stay together but as soon as they get married........
Sharing bank accounts will do it everytime.....

Originally posted by Slaine01
Has anyone else ever noticed that when a couple live together, even for years, they seem to stay together but as soon as they get married....

The data back up this observation.

love.ivillage.com...

www.leaderu.com...

Google Search

Wow, thats surprising - I stand corrected, unless these are facts from pseudo "Family First" interests.
I am only speaking from the experience that I have had with people in my social group and I have seriously noticed this as trend.
Good call on the facts though GradyPhilpott

Originally posted by iori_komei

And what way would that be praytell?

Pullllese if you have to ask that you live in the land of OZ. Ask any teacher I am sure they can give you far more reasons then I could. No Manners, no discipline, arrogance and ignorance all come to mind for starters.

You don't need two parents to tell you right from wrong,
and besides that right and wrong are objective

No you don't but it sure helps. Ask any single parent and they will tell you how hard it is to watch them and keep track of them, let alone make sure they got their homework done right.

These women are old enough to make responsible decisions,
it's not a bunch of teens who forgot to wear a condom.

I disagree. I do not know the demographics but I am willing to bet many of them are on welfare and many of them probably do not even know who their fathers were.

There is one case going on in a local court where they are investigating an unwed mother. I do not have a link to the information on her (I will try and find it though). Here is the gaser, she does not even know how many kids she had. yet according to your logic she could make responsible decisions??? I do not think so, at least in her case that is.


Make sure you read the links Grady posted above they have some very valid reasons why marriage out of wedlock is riskey.

[edit on 11/22/2006 by shots]

You know in this time and age the living in sin rhetoric brings me back to when I was growing up and the church kept telling us teens how sinful was fornication.

Times has change, people wants to keep their independence and this means money wise and have the flexibility to pull out of a long term relationship without the paper work or court struggles like in a divorce.

The statistics show that adult women are having children and single but many of this women may be in long term relationships and they are not alone after all.

I will use my younger brother and his wife for example.

They relationship lasted 7 seven years, she had her own business he had his own full time job and a business also on the side.

But had their own bank accounts and own life.

They got married after she became pregnant with their first child, why they waited that long?

They said it was no needed at the time, they marry because of the baby and the pressure from my family and her family.

Both of them were in their late 20s when they marry.

Now they are successful, they have three children and have been marry for 10 years.

I do not blame the behavioral problems of children to divorce alone, I was a teacher and the children were gifted children or more simple above average IQ, many from very influential homes, professional parents even a senators daughter I had.

I will tell you that this children's compare to the regular children's were the ones that gave me the most trouble in the class room.

I never had a fight in my classroom from the regular curriculum and with this group. . . I have my first one, and it was not pretty.

After been in the school system I will say that it doesn't matter children are the same when it comes to behavioral problems be from marry church going families or divorce, still church going parents.

Originally posted by shots

And what way would that be praytell?

Pullllese if you have to ask that you live in the land of OZ. Ask any teacher I am sure they can give you far more reasons then I could. No Manners, no discipline, arrogance and ignorance all come to mind for starters.



Make sure you read the links Grady posted above they have some very valid reasons why marriage out of wedlock is riskey.

[edit on 11/22/2006 by shots]

Please look at you...you have both parents and look how you turned out. Ignorance or any of the above reasons you listed has nothing to do with married parents. My kids are fine and its insulting even to see you sit here with your idiotic statements making it as though you even knew what you were talking about. My boys know who their father is. I suggest you take some kind manners lessons yourself as it seems you take great pleasure in insulting not only the author of this message but some parents who may be on this site as well who have children out of wedlock.

curious how do you have a marriage out of wedlock?

Pieman you are way off base. I have not insulted anyone all have done is give my opinion on the matter which happens to differ from yours, so kindly do not twist my meaning.

No offense meant but it is mindsets like yours that are a major problem today. I am old school when we grew up we did what our parents and teachers told us too no ifs ands or buts about it. That is not the case today with a large portion of our children, don't believe me ask any teacher or do a Google of discipline problems in schools

Pullllese if you have to ask that you live in the land of OZ. Ask any teacher I am sure they can give you far more reasons then I could. No Manners, no discipline, arrogance and ignorance all come to mind for starters.

Manners are somewhat objective to, but in general they
have'nt degraded that much.

By discipline, what do you mean?
I'm honestly not sure what you would consider to be discipline,
so I'm asking.

Arrogance? I don't see alot of that in generation Y or X, in fact
the only place I see that is in the older generations.

I will admit though, alot of people are pretty unintelligent, s
omething that I think started in the end of generation X, but is
starting to go away at the end of generation Y.

No you don't but it sure helps. Ask any single parent and they will tell you how hard it is to watch them and keep track of them, let alone make sure they got their homework done right.

I live/d in a single parent household all my life, it's not that
difficult.

I disagree. I do not know the demographics but I am willing to bet many of them are on welfare and many of them probably do not even know who their fathers were.

There is one case going on in a local court where they are investigating an unwed mother. I do not have a link to the information on her (I will try and find it though). Here is the gaser, she does not even know how many kids she had. yet according to your logic she could make responsible decisions??? I do not think so, at least in her case that is.

I don't know the demographics either, but of the single parent
households I know of, very few are on welfare, and all of them
knew and lived with both of their parents.

I did'nt say that all single parent households were perfect,
just like every group, you have negative examples.

Originally posted by iori_komei
Manners are somewhat objective to, but in general they
have'nt degraded that much.

Of course not you are much younger then I am. When I grew up things were much different.

When kids addressed adults they said yes mam, no mam or yes sir no sir

Men tipped their hats at lady's even if they did not know them and said hello or if they saw a lady carrying packages they would stop and offer to carry them for her to her car.

Men also opened the doors for women and they also stood up when one arrived at a dinner table or left a table. They also held the chair for a lady when she was ready to sit down.

When an elderly person got on a bus children would get up and give their seat to them.

If you saw an elderly person trying to cross a busy intersection you stopped and helped them get safely across.

Those are just a few differences I have noted that no longer take place except on very rare occasions that is.

By discipline, what do you mean?

lack training for controlled behavior and lack of training in self control.

Arrogance? I don't see a lot of that in generation Y or X, in fact
the only place I see that is in the older generations.

I meant to say arrogant that was a bad choice of words on my part, sorry

I live/d in a single parent household all my life, it's not that
difficult.

I too was raised by one parent but not for my whole childhood and unlike you my mother had a very hard time simply because she was not skilled. That only was for a few years then things got better once she got a good paying job as compared to the wages of a waitress.

There was one big difference though comparing then to now. During those days both parents, teachers and even the beat cop would discipline you if and when you did something wrong, that as we well is no longer the case. Now a day parents are afraid to even give a kid a mild spanking for fear they might get arrested for child abuse.

Originally posted by shots
When kids addressed adults they said yes mam, no mam or yes sir no sir

I know four kids who do that, though I think that's more from
being in JROTC for three of them.

Men also opened the doors for women

I myself do that, though for both sexes.

[edit on 11/22/2006 by iori_komei]

Well I am lucky then living in the south because so far everybody has manners around here, and I am always addressed by younger kids as yes mam.

Even strangers will salute you.

I guess here people have time to do that compare to cities where everybody is always in a hurry.

And when I went to school I'm my days spanking in school was allowed.

I think that people are confusing cultural and sign of the times, with marriage.
How does opening and closing doors for ladies have anything AT ALL to do with marriage statistics?

Ask yourself this question. IF your son came home tonight and said that his girlfriend was pregnant would you......a) insist that the girl has a termination immediately...
b) say...fine son, I'll make the wedding arrangements immediately...or c) suggest
that they live together and see how it goes?......or d)...........your suggestion.

Most would go with option C. (If you have a daughter , you're views may be totally different.) The reason being, that it is the most SENSIBLE.
So that is why there are so many illegitimate children in the western world.
But thats not to say that they are all unloved or unwanted.
Kids born in marriage have no more guarantee of being loved and wanted, than children borne into other relationships. IMHO.