In the debate over allowing same-sex marriage in New York and other states, opponents claimed that such an act would endanger the “sanctity” of the vows.
But an article which appeared in the New York Daily News on Sunday, Jan. 15, indicated that the institution of marriage- regardless of who’s tying the knot-is going by the wayside through economic distress and the social welfare system of our country.
Written by Ralph Richard Banks, a professor of law at Stanford Law School and a published author, the op-ed piece pointed out distressing reports which claim “during the past half century, African-Americans have become the most unmarried people in our nation, with more than seven in 10 black children now born to unmarried parents.”
He went on to note that “unwed child-bearing among whites has increased roughly tenfold during the past half century, with nearly 30 percent of white children now born to unmarried parents. And among white women who have their first child in their early 20s, an even higher percentage is unmarried: 60 percent.”
Banks observed that both African-Americans and whites “confront many of the same challenges and share many of the same struggles” economically and educationally in this country. It has been described by many that the lack of jobs for both black and white men leave them unable to support families, but somehow it doesn’t seem to slow down the birth rate.
But the one thing Banks failed to mention in his piece is the economic support single mothers get in today’s world.
In New York City and elsewhere, single mothers can get financial help by applying for cash assistance, food assistance, housing help, grants and other assistance programs.
Single moms can get TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) plus a EBT (Electronic Benefits Transfer Card) which can be used just like a debit card for everyday expenses.
A single mother can also receive assistance in securing cheap and safe rental apartments in New York and qualify for Section 8 housing choice voucher program. They can get food stamps, and if the children do not have private health insurance Child Health Plus and Children’s Medicaid will be available at no cost or a small but very affordable premium. Childcare assistance is also available.
Bit by bit, the traditions that made this country strong are being chipped away. More marriages are failing now than ever before. Staying together “for richer or poorer, in sickness or in health” is difficult to say the least.
But to totally bypass marriage and expect the government and the taxpayers to bear the financial burden of raising children is the ultimate in not accepting the responsibility of having a child.
Marriage is, first and foremost, an adult institution-and it is something that can’t be treated lightly. The government offers plenty of benefits to help single mothers get by, but all the benefits in the world cannot make up for the loss left in the life of a child by a father unwilling or unable to meet his parental obligations.
