It's sad enough in Europe to see fewer and fewer people distancing themselves from organized religion. For example, just ask any vicar in Britain about the sad state of his or her dwindling flock.
Now family values are taking a hit across the Atlantic, and it's the British government that's delivering the blow.
In Britain, if a woman wanted to conceive through in vitro fertilization, fertility doctors were required by law to consider the child's need for a male role model in determining whether to render IVF treatment.
Not any more. The House of Commons voted recently to do away with that requirement.
How sad. And how misguided.
The requirement, argued former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith, is simply "common sense. "All we are saying is, 'Take consideration of the need of a child for a father,' not 'If you don't have a father you will never get treatment.' "
Single mothers have a difficult enough time raising children. The circumstances under which a woman ends up raising a child alone can be complex, and physically and emotionally draining.
But to have single motherhood essentially offered up by a government as a lifestyle choice? That's unconscionable. That's the British government's implication here -- that if you're starting a family in Britain, you don't need a father figure.
London's Daily Mail put it best: Fathers under this new ruling have been "effectively declared an irrelevance in modern Britain."
All this certainly is not to say single women should never be mothers. But we owe it to children, for the sake of their success and well-being, to provide them with a grounded, more traditional family structure in which to thrive.
Single moms can scrape by and make decent parents. But do you know why? Because they have to exhaustedly wield the strength of two parents. The beneficial effects of two-parent child-rearing have been documented in accumulated studies that are as common as rocks.
Yes, there are dysfunctional two-parent households, but the dysfunction doesn't lie in the fact that there are two parents -- merely in that one or both parents are unfit.
And yes, there have been many single moms who have raised well-adjusted children successfully. But technically, you also can successfully land a jet airliner using only two engines. Wouldn't the plane's precious cargo be safer and better off if both pairs of engines were powered up?
Single moms shouldn't be lumped together in general terms only to have scorn heaped on them by a misinformed public that doesn't understand each of their circumstances. So many mothers deserve better than that.
But without two positive parental role models, single motherhood is a circumstance to rise above, and it shouldn't be a goal to aspire to. Britain is enabling the latter, and its government is wrong for doing so.
Comments
It's nice to see the bloggers have finally made a real contribution to the ACES. Sounds like a summary of our blogs from the past week, or for that matter any given week, with the exception the ACES found a relevant story to put our thoughts into that perspective.
If I understand this rambling article, the ACES has come down firmly on both sides of this issue. Interesting.
The family unit with God in charge of said unit is and always will be the backbone of any nation no matter where they are located. Take that away and see a nation falter and fail...We are faltering and just might be entering the death throes unless this nation repents turns back to God upon which turning back see a return to family unity along with a renewal of moral right behaviors...I, personally, would like to see a reversal of the people in this country to a time when right and wrong meant something, when families were top priority, when God ruled the land-He still does no matter what the laws of man rule- when eventually all people's seek to live in harmony with each other and worship a living fearsome and Almighty God....All this to say children need a mom and dad influenced by God unless that unit is split by death or some unfortunate circumstance which we, as a nation, will seek to help.
I thought human beings were supposed to be like wolves in having family units of mother and father. Dang I guess biology and evolution are wrong after all. My Gad.
If you think Britain is bad, you should see China. You are only allowed ONE child per family and when the earthquake hit, a lot of families are now too old to have another kid! Their ONLY heir died at that school.
Why are people leaving organized religion?
Why? I am going for it this fine morning shivas...Why?
I was looking for the answer from you. I go to church, and have a church gathering at my home tommorrow night. My house will be blessed at that time. If you want my answer, it's because the church has become a political machine. I will also say the Catholic Church has lost credibility from scandal after scandal. In this countyr, just turn to the christian channel and hear the barkers of religion demanding you send a prayer request; the larger the bill the larger the prayer.
I don't think it's sad that Europeans are rejecting myth and superstition. I would be wonderful if more Americans would grow up and quit believing in angels, holy ghosts and human beings flying into "heaven." Once again, The Chronicle is sticking its head into a private matter that is none of their business.
I remember going to the Vatican and was just overwhelmed by the wealth of art and gold enlays. With all the poverty in the world it offended me to see such lavish and wealth in the Vatican. I think too many people have accept the religion christianity and it is easy to walk away form it, but many have a relationship with the living Christ and it is difficult to walk away from a friend. I agree with one thing Shivas and that is the body of Christ should not be a political machine. I believe Christ would be upset with Pat Robertson for using his church as a platform for Pat's beliefs. I think Christ would be upset with the wealth of the Vatican too, but I just surmise and it is my opinion. Seems to me people are looking to get High-high on music,art, drugs, religion, excercise. Religion must not be feeding their habit.
I think Islam and the Mormon church are still growing rapidly in the U.S.
the family is the enemy of the state. the state desires all ultimate authority and dependance from its surfs. we subsidize
illigitimacy and pay to keep the father from the home. go figure.
shivas..The media portrays organized religion as an embarrassment. McCain has let himself be directed by the anti-religion crowd and has now separated himself from the people who need him. He cannot let this keep happening.
shivas the problem is an ongoing problem with some of the most outstanding worst of the worst in society hiding behind the doors of the church...Church people are not to be worshiped just God and Jesus Christ...I sought out a church with a preacher that actually preaches the Word..Even then I search the scriptures myself to make sure it is not that person's thoughts and feelings...For myself, I don't trust anyone who claims they are Christian just because they say it...People are people and many times they are self-serving individuals who feed off the congregations of the church's just to make a living...A few years ago I left such a church and have never looked back...Remember a religion is not a ticket to eternal life on God, Jesus Christ and the Word...But you must have faith....:-)
The first graph of this story is so bad that the writer needs to be called on the carpet "It's sad enough in Europe to see fewer and fewer people distancing themselves from organized religion." The meaning of this sentence, as WRITTEN, is that it's too bad that more people are not leaving the church. That is completely at odds with the rest of the op/ed. It should read, "It's sad enough in Europe to see MORE and MORE people distancing themselves from organized religion." The next sentence directly contradicts the first, and is also poorly written. 'For example' is a poor way to begin a sentence, and pairing it with the cliche' 'just ask any...' makes for a complete yawn. "For example, just ask any vicar in Britain about the sad state of his or her dwindling flock." How about this: In stark contrast to the US, most European countries are seeing a lamentable decrease in the number of people who identify themselves as religious. Most English vicars could attest to this fact, after a quick glance at their dwindling congregations. Britain's Parliament is a willing participant in this moral downturn, as is evidenced by its most recent attack on family values.
Whew! Got that out of my system...that said, I never can manage to feel as though my "traditional family" is somehow endangered by these sorts of laws, rulings, regulations, what have you. While I understand the values that underlie this op/ed (to the extent that it comprehensible...very poorly done), I just can't find it in me to worry about what other people do sexually, reproductively, relationship-wise... If I were British, I would have serious objections based on the fact that National Health (my tax dollars) pay for almost every medical procedure in the system. I object to things like this in the US, when it's my tax $ at work (transexual operations for prison inmates...I mean, you gotta be kidding!), but the operation/insemination/therapy/activity itself somehow does not "threaten" our "family values." Guess we're too busy trying to worry about the beam in our own eyes, to focus on the mote in the other's...
Shivas, I must admit I wouldn't attend church if God didn't command us to corporate worship. Some of the people at my church really scare me, and you really get to know them in Sunday school. Maybe the class I attend just attracts the oddballs (after all I'm there)but it sure seems about third of the class have had some life experiences that just leaves a glaze over their eyes (always off the wall and unrelated comments). Then there are the church wolves who seem to love feeding off the ladies (always a comforting arm around a woman's shoulder) and men-I attend church so I'm not going to rip you off-no I'm going to screw you and your wife (hee,hee). Then the behind the scenes church matters of poor decisions or other faux pas. It is distracting from worship and you wonder is this some game to everyone. The service seems like entertainment and a show at times. In the last twenty years I have had more christians rip me off than secularist. But we have a great pastor and the music is fantastic, and I have many friends who I respect and admire as they are mature christians (their life attests to the presence of God)-I am but a babe on the tit. (Cont)
(Cont) Like I struggled with the concept of the Trinity a good five years as it is paradoxical. Finally I conceded that otherwise would be paradoxial. I am sure many of my convictions are probably wrong but I continue to believe I will grow in truth. Besides Richard Dawkins believes religions are evolved memes, so logically we evolved them for a reason and they serve a purpose in the success of humans. Perhaps the death of religions is an indicator of the death of a species. Although homosexuality is not new as non-exclusive same sex behaviors are evolutionarily ancient, the idea of "Gay marriage" and exclusive same sex behavior is new and perhaps another indicator of the death of a species. Biologically-till we can clone ourselves into existence-we are dependent on man and woman and family. This took millions of years to evolve and I doubt we humans can outwit it. Sure you can have a sex change operation and change from looking like a man to looking like a woman, but biologically you is XY baby! Just now a eunuch. Given the condition of earth and the people on it, I think people better be praying there is a God and he can help us outta this fine mess we find ourselves. I hope you don't believe science will help-it is best at identifying the problem not solving it.
Why don't we hear of these issues in Islamic cultures? What are they doing right that we are doing wrong?
Well said, johnsmith - grammar correction and all!
I'm not sure paul, but I think if your criticize Islam you get your head cut off.
Why take the option of a father figure away from a child to begin with. Aren't we choosing for this child to not have a father. When we intentionally decide to have a child as a single parent then we are chosing no father for the child and the child had no sayso in any of this. How sad that we don't love that child enough before it is born to provide it with a father figure. Afterall it does take the sperm of a man (father) to make this child. The sad part is we are going to have children who don't know who their father is and end up marrying each other half brothers/sisters/aunts/uncles before this is said and done. As the bible says, there will be consequences to our actions.
Paul, the reason you don't hear of these problems, (not that they don't exist), in Islamic cultures is because they kill those people that don't conform to their standards.
Islam is growing in Europe as a religion and as the converts reproduce like rabbits. Europe will statistically become predominately muslim in ten-twenty years. Already their govt is recognizing Islamic law. I think pound notes will soon say "In Allah We Trust" hee,hee,hee.
Well corrected, johnsmith. If this is the work of the ACES, assuming someone is legitimately an editor on that staff, how did that grammatical 'boo-boo' get into print? PT, I see from your comment what you mean by 'succinct'. And to Christian, "you must have faith." While it is a true statement, one must also know that God gives each one a measure of faith, having been pre-selected as we all were, to be in his kingdom...according to His riches and mercy, not willing that any should perish, long-suffering in His patience toward us, calling us as does wisdom to heed the call to come in to her house where it is safe, but each measure of faith we receive is proportional to the faith we give, for with the measure you use to 'weigh' others, it shall become the 'balance' by which others will 'weigh' you. Our faith in one another must balance with our gift of faith, otherwise nothing really happens, no work by faith is accomplished. Just a lot of speculation, no certainties, and hope is lost. Without faith, no hope is realized, and love goes unachieved.
Johnsmith has to do the editing job for the ACES. I think with the internet and the rush to get stories and opinion peices out faster and faster that editing has gone out the window. I am not justifiying it, but that seems to be the case. It is sad. It will probably get worse in time. Soon we will see articles with "LOL" in them. As for the topic...who cares about Britian. Let them worry about them. We have enough of our own problems.
What Britain has done is made it 'inconvenient' for opposing factions to 'accept' the ruling class opinion forced upon the citizenry by law. Once established it becomes like oue own 'Roe v Wade' eventually widely accepted practice though morally in most cases just wrong. In cases where the mother is independently wealthy she could be a fit parent and provide good care, but she still lacks the father role model the child needs to complete their self. Some kind of restraint needs to be used in administering this legal permit.
d-stuf, I'm glad some one is editing it, even if it's after the fact. Spelling and grammar police are a necessary 'evil' when the local paper can't get it right before press time. I think perhaps the deadlines are slipping later and later, leaving no time for proper editing to be applied. Someone go look up 'dead-line' and refresh the editorial staff on it's origins. I bet if heads rolled for not meeting deadlines and getting the edits done before they embarrass the AC, perhaps we'd see less of these kinds of language errors. SPJ wouldn't like what they'd see today.
Western Europe has been poisioned with the pro-gay one world crowd. People in Europe have left the church because it's not sexy to be a Christain. Europe is lost and it will be overrun by a tide of refuges from Africa and the middle east. It's a shame that the part of the world that through the rest of the world into
civilization and progress will become a slum.
We need a hero. The last one died 63 years ago.
I thank God I had both Mom and Dad 24/7 365 while growing up. Don't you wish everyone did?
Gee folks get with it! We don't need no Grammar and don't need no Families! Like the Pink Floyd song says 'We Dont Need No Education!!!And to think I have wasted decades in such a useless effort. I feel cheated. I want my time back so I go out and seed about twenty or thirty kids I would never know or care about. It is all about the poon. I could have saved myself a bundle on those ingrate kids. The article should be re-titled "Traditional Families Blow-Who Needs Them-Who Cares".
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