Many children born out of wedlock: what is root cause?

[Ma.Eugenia]

I noticed that there seems to be an increase in the number of children born out of wedlock.

Do you think this is because of failure of society or the Church to teach morality and to value marriage?

 

[Bubble]

It’s not for the Church’s lack of trying. If it wasn’t for the ceaseless efforts of the Catholic Church, I think things would have declined even faster.

It’s a result of a combination of several things, including the media glorifying pre-marital sex, parents unwilling or unable to monitor their children’s viewing habits, the shift in public schools from teaching sexual morality to sexual relativism, and last but not least, the massive campaign of lies, which say that artificial contraception equals women’s liberation. Loss of the negative stigma associated with unwed mothers . . . All of these mixed with the fact the satan is roaming the world seeking the ruin of souls, leads to an epedemic of out of wedlock births.

 

[StratusRose]

Adding to the PP, I think unwed mothers feel “empowered” that they are doing something that doesn’t involve a man or being tied down to one. Pride.

 

[Mirror_Mirror]

Contraception.

The following is a summary of what Pope Paul VI said in Humanae Vitae would happen with the rise of contraception as explained by Janet Smith, professor of philosophy at the University of Dallas:

Pope Paul VI made four rather general “prophecies” about what would happen if the Church’s teaching on contraception were ignored.

1. Irresponsibility Rewarded
There is no question that contraception is behind much of this trouble. Contraception has made sexual activity a much more popular option that it was when the fear of pregnancy deterred a great number of young men and women from engaging in premarital sexual intercourse. The availability of contraception has led them to believe that they can engage in premarital sexual activity “responsibly.” But teenagers are about as responsible in their use of contraception as they are in all other phases of their lives—such as making their beds, cleaning their rooms and getting their homework done on time.

2. Loss of Respect for Women
Paul VI also argued that “the man” will lose respect for “the woman” and “no longer (care) for her physical and psychological equilibrium” and will come to “the point of considering her as a mere instrument of selfish enjoyment and no longer as his respected and beloved companion.” This concern reflects what has come to be known as a “personalist” understanding of morality. The personalist understanding of wrongdoing is based upon respect for the dignity of the human person. The Pope realized that the Church’s teaching on contraception is designed to protect the good of conjugal love. When spouses violate this good, they do not act in accord with their innate dignity and thus they endanger their own happiness. Treating their bodies as mechanical instruments to be manipulated for their own purposes, they risk treating each other as objects of pleasure.

3. Abuse of Power
Paul VI also observed that the widespread acceptance of contraception would place a “dangerous weapon . . . in the hands of those public authorities who take no heed of moral exigencies.” The history of the family-planning programs in the Third World is a sobering testimony to this reality. In Third World countries many people undergo sterilization unaware of what they are doing. The forced abortion program in China shows the stark extreme toward which governments will take population programs. Moreover, few people are willing to recognize the growing evidence that many parts of the world face not overpopulation, but underpopulation. It will take years to reverse the “anti-child” mentality now entrenched in many societies.

4. Misuse of the Body
Pope Paul’s final warning was that contraception would lead man to think that he had unlimited dominion over his own body. Sterilization is now the most widely used form of contraception in the U.S.; individuals are so convinced of their rights to control their own bodies that they do not hesitate to alter even their own physical make-up.
The desire for unlimited dominion over one’s own body extends beyond contraception. The production of “test-tube babies” is another indication of the refusal to accept the body’s limitations; so too are euthanasia and the use of organs transplanted from those who are “nearly” dead. We seek to adjust the body to our desires and timetables, rather than adjusting ourselves to its needs.

 

[1ke]

I noticed that there seems to be an increase in the number of children born out of wedlock.

Do you think this is because of failure of society or the Church to teach morality and to value marriage?

The root cause is Contraception.

 

[kage_ar]

Depends on the country - in the USA, many women choose to kill babies who are conceived outside of marriage. Thank God you see women in your country not compounding one grave sin with another.

 

[Aquinas74]

Contraception.

The following is a summary of what Pope Paul VI said in Humanae Vitae would happen with the rise of contraception as explained by Janet Smith, professor of philosophy at the University of Dallas:

Pope Paul VI made four rather general “prophecies” about what would happen if the Church’s teaching on contraception were ignored.

1. Irresponsibility Rewarded
There is no question that contraception is behind much of this trouble. Contraception has made sexual activity a much more popular option that it was when the fear of pregnancy deterred a great number of young men and women from engaging in premarital sexual intercourse. The availability of contraception has led them to believe that they can engage in premarital sexual activity “responsibly.” But teenagers are about as responsible in their use of contraception as they are in all other phases of their lives—such as making their beds, cleaning their rooms and getting their homework done on time.

2. Loss of Respect for Women
Paul VI also argued that “the man” will lose respect for “the woman” and “no longer (care) for her physical and psychological equilibrium” and will come to “the point of considering her as a mere instrument of selfish enjoyment and no longer as his respected and beloved companion.” This concern reflects what has come to be known as a “personalist” understanding of morality. The personalist understanding of wrongdoing is based upon respect for the dignity of the human person. The Pope realized that the Church’s teaching on contraception is designed to protect the good of conjugal love. When spouses violate this good, they do not act in accord with their innate dignity and thus they endanger their own happiness. Treating their bodies as mechanical instruments to be manipulated for their own purposes, they risk treating each other as objects of pleasure.

3. Abuse of Power
Paul VI also observed that the widespread acceptance of contraception would place a “dangerous weapon . . . in the hands of those public authorities who take no heed of moral exigencies.” The history of the family-planning programs in the Third World is a sobering testimony to this reality. In Third World countries many people undergo sterilization unaware of what they are doing. The forced abortion program in China shows the stark extreme toward which governments will take population programs. Moreover, few people are willing to recognize the growing evidence that many parts of the world face not overpopulation, but underpopulation. It will take years to reverse the “anti-child” mentality now entrenched in many societies.

4. Misuse of the Body
Pope Paul’s final warning was that contraception would lead man to think that he had unlimited dominion over his own body. Sterilization is now the most widely used form of contraception in the U.S.; individuals are so convinced of their rights to control their own bodies that they do not hesitate to alter even their own physical make-up.
The desire for unlimited dominion over one’s own body extends beyond contraception. The production of “test-tube babies” is another indication of the refusal to accept the body’s limitations; so too are euthanasia and the use of organs transplanted from those who are “nearly” dead. We seek to adjust the body to our desires and timetables, rather than adjusting ourselves to its needs.

And he was exactly right.

 

[bluerose]

There’s been a BIG change in attitude on the part of society. While I’m not advocating a return to the days when women who got pregnant out of wedlock were shunned by “polite” society, I can’t help but feel… I don’t know… I guess, disappointed (for lack of a better word) when I hear women gushing to their friends how their sixteen-year-old daughter is pregnant and how HAPPY they are for them and that they’re decorating the baby’s room and planning the shower and what names they’re considering.

I’m thinking, “Uh, hello, are you aware that your daughter committed a very serious sin when she conceived this child? Have you given any thought to helping her get her soul right with God, instead of trying to choose between wallpaper with bunnies or teddy bears???” One woman was very happy that their parish priest allowed her daughter to postpone her confirmation until AFTER the baby’s birth, so that they could celebrate the baby’s baptism and it’s mother’s confirmation at the same time, although I think the priest thought having a 7-month-pregnant unwed teenager being confirmed with the rest of the group might send a decidedly embarrassing mixed message.

I think part of the cause of the OP’s question is–no one is ashamed of it anymore.

 

[crazyage3]

I agree with everyone but I do have one other thing to add…sometimes women feel getting pregnant is a way to keep their boyfriend from leaving.

 

[vern_humphrey]

One fundamental reason was the implementation of sweeping social policies without incorporating a feedback mechanism. We were so sure the wonderful ideas of the '60s and '70s would work, it was unthinkable to incorporate into the law some way of measuring how well they worked (or did not work.) There was no provision for review and mid-course correction.

We paid women to have children out of wedlock. The more children they had, the more money they got – but only if there was no “man in the house.” Men became an economic disadvantage – they were useful only to impregnate women, and had no further function in the poorest sectors of society.

As time went on, welfare became an economic strategy for some people. Young girls in some sectors of society came to look on pregnancy as a rite of passage, marking their independence.

Exaccerbating the resulting welfare culture was the failure of the Public Education system – somewhere around 30% of those children who enter high school do not graduate. Many more graduate without the basic ability to read and write.

Drug abuse also became rampant – if you have no job, no hope of a job, what do you do with your time?

 

[KCT]

Adding to the PP, I think unwed mothers feel “empowered” that they are doing something that doesn’t involve a man or being tied down to one. Pride.

Of course, they forget that they needed a man to make the baby to begin with .

 

[seekerz]

Maybe a good way to answer this question would be to hear it from those women themselves, though that’s not likely to happen here…

In my experience, there are many reasons. From having scant regard for faith or morality, to the “I can do it all by myself” attitude, to getting on in age and being unable to find a man willing to commit to marriage. People have different reasons, I suppose; it wouldn’t do to generalize.

 

[blessedtoo]

We paid women to have children out of wedlock. The more children they had, the more money they got – but only if there was no “man in the house.” Men became an economic disadvantage – they were useful only to impregnate women, and had no further function in the poorest sectors of society.

Yes, and thanks to the radical feminist theology which equated marriage to a “concentration camp for women”, the state stepped in to take the place of the father and husband. Men became expendable and unnecessary. Who needs a husband when you can be married to the endless money spigot of the government?

 

[Ces280]

We paid women to have children out of wedlock. The more children they had, the more money they got – but only if there was no “man in the house.” Men became an economic disadvantage – they were useful only to impregnate women, and had no further function in the poorest sectors of society.

Men these days with $2000 dollar sound systems in their car; while living in their parent’s basement who view woman as just a piece of meat are just as guilty.

Exaccerbating the resulting welfare culture was the failure of the Public Education system – somewhere around 30% of those children who enter high school do not graduate. Many more graduate without the basic ability to read and write.

Yep, and our economic system is now to the point where you must earn a degree and spend four years in college just so you can get a job that takes an hour to learn to save some poor boss from the burden of training someone. So those who do dropout have absolutely almost no hope of standing on their own two feet ever. If they can’t afford school, and make too much for fianancial aid they are doomed to managing Taco Bell. They could get student loans and end up in debt like the rest of us, and spend the rest of their lives branded as financially irresponsible by the elite.

 

[ASimpleSinner]

I noticed that there seems to be an increase in the number of children born out of wedlock.

Do you think this is because of failure of society or the Church to teach morality and to value marriage?

I believe it has to do with the enthronement of the pansexualism that tells people “getting off” and “having a good time” is a right.

If a person remains sexually inactive until the age of 22/23 when many complete college (let alone remains chaste until marriage!!!) people from even some Catholic family backgrounds, having accepted that having sex is just “par for the course” are going to ask, “What’s wrong with him/her?”

 

[vern_humphrey]

Men these days with $2000 dollar sound systems in their car; while living in their parent’s basement who view woman as just a piece of meat are just as guilty.

Nobody denies it takes both a man and a woman to have a child. That doesn’t negate the fact that we paid women to have children out of wedlock.

Yep, and our economic system is now to the point where you must earn a degree and spend four years in college just so you can get a job that takes an hour to learn to save some poor boss from the burden of training someone. So those who do dropout have absolutely almost no hope of standing on their own two feet ever. If they can’t afford school, and make too much for fianancial aid they are doomed to managing Taco Bell. They could get student loans and end up in debt like the rest of us, and spend the rest of their lives branded as financially irresponsible by the elite.

I suppose actually educating the children is out of the question?

 

[Old_School_1]

I think the answer to the original question stems back to the 1st half of the 20th century. After the onslaught of 2 World Wars and a devastated Europe, families (especially in Europe - the leader of culture and new trends at that time) significantly lowered their moral guard. After so many families lost so many children in war, and after all the soldiers experienced the horror of those wars, they developed a new wrong (yet almost blameless) attitude. After the horrendous pain of losing so many of their own and of knowing so many others who lost loved ones, they clung to their children that did survive - giving them whatever made them happy because so much happiness was taken from them. These people saw the absolute worst of moral corruption in war, everything else morally must have seemed insignificant in comparrison. Children became more independant and allowed to do more of whatever they wanted. The sexual revolution was a result of the World War I & II generations. Those wars led culture down a path that continues to widen over the course of time. The loss of discipline in child raising and loss of the importance of moral instruction is now a way of life. Generation after generation continues to teach only the little they truly know and that moral instruction is not significant. This may help understand why our culture is the way it is. We need the Spirit of the Living God to restore us.

 

[deb1]

Men these days with $2000 dollar sound systems in their car; while living in their parent’s basement who view woman as just a piece of meat are just as guilty

There isn’t as much emphasis on men today to be responsible. Many young men have been raised solely by females. I am not saying that a single woman can’t raise a honorable man but it is more difficult for her. Our society downplays the importance of dad’s involment in children’s development.

 

[vern_humphrey]

There isn’t as much emphasis on men today to be responsible. Many young men have been raised solely by females. I am not saying that a single woman can’t raise a honorable man but it is more difficult for her. Our society downplays the importance of dad’s involment in children’s development.

It’s not so much being raised by a single parent (although statistics show that childern raised by single parents are more likely to have all the problems we are discussing), it’s that we are entering the 4th generation of single parents, riding the crest of the welfare system that rewarded women for having children and punished them for having a man in the house.

We have sown the wind and are reaping the whirlwind.

 

[KathleenElsie]

I noticed that there seems to be an increase in the number of children born out of wedlock.

Do you think this is because of failure of society or the Church to teach morality and to value marriage?

Lack of self control and society telling young people that self control is not possible.