Birth Rate Out of Control
Alright, time for me to become even more unpopular than I already am (which is saying something).
There are a few topics that we do not discuss in this country. Sex and race are two of them, and those are topics I don't touch (at least not publicly). But I want to talk about the birth rate in this country.
For 14 years the number of teenagers having kids went down. You didn't hear much about it either way, so I guess that it something. But now it has gone up again for two years in a row. That is bad. What is also bad is that even at the best of time we have had the highest percentage of teen mothers than any civilized country.
This is a topic that is a huge issue and needs to be solved because so many of the issues facing this country are intertwined. We have taken the challenge of attacking and trying to end poverty. I know one great way to get out of poverty is to avoid having children until you are financially ready. Obviously that alone isn't going to solve the problem, hence me saying they are intertwined.
We need to discuss this and get control over a few areas.
First, we need people to have children when they want to have kids. Half of all kids born now in the United States are born out of wedlock. I won't get into a religious rant (although maybe I should). That statistics jumps out at me and screams 'unwanted pregnancy.' I know that isn't the case for them all, but more and more I bet.
Second, regardless of your marital status, we need more parents to have financial security before having kids. People in the lower economic statuses have, on average, more children than those in the higher statuses. I am not saying that you should need to be rich to have children, but at least plan better.
Third, we need less children having children. Too many teen mothers. That puts you in a tough situation moving forward. Sure, there are people who have had children early in life and gone onto wonderful things, but lets not bank on being the exception.
My call to action is to educate and challenge people to plan better. Not having kids isn't difficult. There are drugs, accessories, and lifestyle choices you can make to basically eliminate that risk.
I know this is a conversation we cannot have, but maybe we should.
There are a few topics that we do not discuss in this country. Sex and race are two of them, and those are topics I don't touch (at least not publicly). But I want to talk about the birth rate in this country.
For 14 years the number of teenagers having kids went down. You didn't hear much about it either way, so I guess that it something. But now it has gone up again for two years in a row. That is bad. What is also bad is that even at the best of time we have had the highest percentage of teen mothers than any civilized country.
This is a topic that is a huge issue and needs to be solved because so many of the issues facing this country are intertwined. We have taken the challenge of attacking and trying to end poverty. I know one great way to get out of poverty is to avoid having children until you are financially ready. Obviously that alone isn't going to solve the problem, hence me saying they are intertwined.
We need to discuss this and get control over a few areas.
First, we need people to have children when they want to have kids. Half of all kids born now in the United States are born out of wedlock. I won't get into a religious rant (although maybe I should). That statistics jumps out at me and screams 'unwanted pregnancy.' I know that isn't the case for them all, but more and more I bet.
Second, regardless of your marital status, we need more parents to have financial security before having kids. People in the lower economic statuses have, on average, more children than those in the higher statuses. I am not saying that you should need to be rich to have children, but at least plan better.
Third, we need less children having children. Too many teen mothers. That puts you in a tough situation moving forward. Sure, there are people who have had children early in life and gone onto wonderful things, but lets not bank on being the exception.
My call to action is to educate and challenge people to plan better. Not having kids isn't difficult. There are drugs, accessories, and lifestyle choices you can make to basically eliminate that risk.
I know this is a conversation we cannot have, but maybe we should.
posted by Phillip @ Sunday, March 22, 2009
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