THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, February 11, 1997 TAG: 9702110011
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A14 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
LENGTH: 62 lines
Lowering the percentage of out-of-wedlock births is one of the simplest solutions to child poverty, yet one of the hardest to achieve.
By virtually every statistical measure, children born to single mothers, especially ``young'' single mothers, start life with a strike against them. Reducing the number of such births probably would, over time, help remedy a variety of social ills.
But trying to legislate change in sexual behavior usually is about as effective as baying at the moon or sticking a finger in a leaking dike. Once a source of shame and the prelude to a hasty trip to the altar, teen pregnancy has become an accepted part of life in many communities. In 1995 there were 26,961 out-of-wedlock births in Virginia. Eighty-four percent of the mothers were teen-agers.
Today state officials kick off what promises to be Virginia's most focused effort ever to reverse that trend. They deserve the encouragement of all Virginians.
In acting, Health and Human Resources officials are tapping into two cherished notions: Money is a catalyst for change, and the best solutions to community problems are community-based.
The federal government has allocated $100 million in each of the fiscal years 1999 through 2002 to be divided among the five states that show the largest reduction in out-of-wedlock births, without a corresponding increase in the abortion rate.
Hoping to win that prize, state officials are pledging to pass any winnings directly to communities that launch drives and succeed in reducing their out-of-wedlock-birth rates.
Groups seeking to become such ``Partners in Prevention'' will have to follow a prescribed blueprint for getting started. The first step will be a town-hall meeting in which citizens, groups and key community leaders begin developing a plan of action. Local governing boards will be required to sign off on the ensuing organizations before they are officially designated ``partners'' by the state.
But beyond that general framework, communities will be on their own to develop ways of reducing out-of-wedlock births. State officials hope the various ``partner'' organizations will become incubators of innovation.
Hampton Roads communities that agree to take the challenge face major obstacles. In 1995, the percentage of babies born to unwed mothers was 44 percent in Norfolk, 50 percent in Portsmouth, 22 percent in Virginia Beach, 28 percent in Chesapeake and 46 percent in Suffolk.
No one suggests that a parent's wedding ring is the sole prognosticator of a healthy child. Nor are out-of-wedlock births the only social ill associated with single parenthood that is worth evaluating. Social scientists increasingly are noting that divorce, no matter what its psychological benefit for adults, often takes a huge toll on children, economic and otherwise.
Still, few married couples conceive a child while expecting to divorce. Unmarried women know from the start that much - and, far too often, all - of the burden of parenthood will fall to them.
The state must do all in its power to encourage or force fathers to shoulder their share of the load. But it is also correct to actively discourage parenthood by single women who are not financially or emotionally mature.
To do so would benefit all of society, and especially its children.