Friday, March 20, 2009

2007 Brings Record Number of Babies

2007 was a fertile year for American women having babies.

Thursday's issue of the USA Today reported a baby boom!

In 2007, 4.3 million new babes were born to American women, reaching near historic levels. Opinions for this surge vary among pediatric experts. But one chilling aspect of this story is the huge increase of babies born to unwed mothers.

Childbearing by unwed mothers accounted for nearly 40 percent of total birth- about 1.7 million. Since 2002, birth rates have dramatically accelerated among unwed mothers, dispelling much of the taboos of having children out of wedlock.

The group having the most kids out of wedlock-young women aged 20-24.

These numbers are cause for great concern. One of the highest predictors of poverty are families headed by a single parent, more often than not by women. While many of these mom's may have the income stream to support their new child or a live-in boyfriend, there remains the glaring fact that many kids will slip into impoverished homes.

This story proves again the value of marriage. Children thrive in a married home with both of their biological parents. Married families have higher income, lower levels of mental health issues, more stabilit and less domestic violence.

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