As a high school kid, about the worst thing that could happen to a girl was to get pregnant. I'm not sure that any of us ever really knew someone to whom this happened. Surely no one ever freely disclosed it. Yet, we'd hear rumors, and once in a while, a girl would be missing for a bit. But single motherhood? Honestly; I can't think of anyone for whom that was a reality in the late 60's.
"Fast forward" four decades - and life has changed. Now, single motherhood isn't something to be hidden and a scarlet "A" for the mother without a husband. It's common and frequent - and supported from the start by our government.
Joe Soucheray has the guts to tell the truth about it.
It was reported the other day on an inside page of the Pioneer Press, and
without nearly enough fanfare, that more than six out of 10 women who give birth
in their early 20s are unmarried. That is census data, from census demographers,
from the very government that then becomes responsible for many, if not most, of
those unmarried women and children.
If that isn't an astonishing statistic, it should be. Why, to any logical
person's way of thinking, it explains everything in terms of government at all
levels bloating out of control.
Supposing that even angels might fear to tread here, it being liberal dogma
that I shouldn't be telling women what to do, or men, either, for that matter, I
would submit that marriage would solve virtually every economic issue facing
this country.
Statistically, you can avoid poverty in America by getting a high-school degree
and waiting to get married before having a child. It's really that simple.
Please don't misunderstand me. I have no desire to return to a time when a 16 year old might seriously consider suicide rather than have anyone know that she's pregnant. I have enough challenges in my own life about my own activities to be pointing fingers at others.
Nevertheless, I must agree with Soucheray about personal responsibility versus public. If you take on the awesome role of becoming a parent, then - barring something extraordinary - you should be prepared to be a decent parent to that child - and do it on your own steam. If you can handle it all as a single parent - fine. But, if not, then, as recommended above, stay in school and simply do not become a parent until you have the education and skills and support - preferably a husband - to help you with one of the biggest roles a woman can ever face.