ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, April 18, 1997 TAG: 9704180037
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-16 EDITION: METRO
Nearly 30 percent of Virginia babies are born to unwed mothers, and the consequences are daunting. State government, though, can't solve the problem without communities' help.
YOU WON'T hear this often - state officials' conceding they haven't a clue how to go about solving a problem; and asking local communities and citizens to please help.
But the profound consequences of out-of-wedlock births, and the enormous drain put by them on Virginia's resources, can't be corrected by passing a law or new regulations in Richmond. If a way is to be found to reverse this devastating social trend, it likely will be found closer to home.
The homes, that is, where young people are growing up blithely ignorant of or unconcerned about the bleak odds against a good life for them and the children they may bring, out of wedlock, into the world.
In Roanoke on Monday to seek this community's help in reducing such births, state officials cited jolting statistics. Nearly 30 percent of the babies born in Virginia today are born to unwed mothers. In some localities, the rate exceeds 60 percent.
Teen mothers account for about three out of every 10 of Virginia's out-of-wedlock births. Women age 20 and older account for 70 percent. Murphy Brown image to the contrary, most are not well-educated, financially well-off single women who purposefully choose to have children. Most of these births are to economically disadvantaged women and are the result of unintentional pregnancies. Fewer than half are the woman's first such pregnancy.
Enough about the moms. What about the babies?
Likely they are premature, low-birth-weight babies - the result of the mother's failure or inability to obtain prenatal care. Often they require intensive neonatal treatment, at a cost to Virginia's Medicaid program of as much as $663,000 per baby.
Moreover, these babies are more likely than other children to have chronic health problems. And childhood accidents and injuries. Also, emotional and behavioral problems. Low achievement scores in school, too, and poor school attendance.
Babies born out of wedlock are more likely to drop out of school. To become unmarried teen parents. To divorce if they ever marry. To become involved with drugs. To be unemployed. To go on welfare. To break laws. To end up in prison.
The state, competing for a $20 million federal bonus if it can reduce out-of-wedlock births without increasing the abortion rate, is wise to tap into creative thinking and experience in localities. As for the communities, the incentive for involvement is more than just a potential share of the federal booty. It's to get a grip on a problem that lays waste to children's lives, at tremendous cost not just to the children but to all of society.
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