Senator Believes Welfare Reform Bill Will Create, Bolster Two-Parent Families
by Bill Fancher
April 8, 2004
(AgapePress) - The Welfare Reform Re-Authorization Act could be a lifesaver for many of America's young people that are stuck in low-income, single-parent families.Part of the Re-Authorization Act is President Bush's "Healthy Marriage Initiative," which would encourage and help strengthen two-parent families by providing marriage and counseling services that may have been too expensive for them in the past.
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Senator Sam Brownback |
Kansas Senator Sam Brownback contends that once the Senate passes the legislation, children will be the biggest beneficiaries because the Healthy Marriage Initiative will help create more two-parent families among the poor.Brownback says research shows that kids in single-parent homes have a very tough time. "Children who grow up without their fathers are five times more likely to be in poverty, two to three times more likely to fail at school, and two to three times more likely to suffer from an emotional or behavioral problem," he says.
And the Kansas Republican notes that children without fathers, who are especially prevalent in low-income America, often become trapped in cycles of poverty, failure, and at-risk behavior. On the other hand, he says, "Children of intact, traditional marriage are healthier, less prone to emotional and psychological problems, more successful academically and professionally, and much less likely to use illegal drugs, abuse alcohol, or engage in crime."
Brownback believes the establishment of families through the Re-Authorization Act will be a great blessing to those children and parents it is meant to benefit, and to the rest of the nation. However, this legislation that would encourage more two-parent families and provide them with valuable services is being opposed by Senate Democrats.
That opposition is no surprise to Senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania, who, along with Brownback, wants to see the president's Healthy Marriage Initiative enacted as soon as possible. Santorum says government liberals began in the 1960s to "enable" single parenthood, thereby siding against marriage and bringing about devastating consequences for children and families.
