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Abstract

“Protecting children is a top priority” was a headline in an American newspaper recently.  The headline and accompanying commentary—written by a member of the Minnesota state legislature—expressed a sentiment that is widely supported in the United States of America and in most nations around the world.  Similarly, the director of a British child services agency recently declared: “We need to think about the child’s physical safety, social safety, emotional safety—their whole wellbeing both at home and in the school environment.  Again, the sentiment is nearly universal.  In principle, nearly everyone agrees that the well-being of children should be given top priority not only in our personal and family lives, but even more so in matters of public policy such as government services and programs.  However, in reality, do we (as societies, families, and individuals) actually give top priority to providing for and protecting children?”

This article reviews evidence of changing (mostly deteriorating) marital families in the United States in Part II.  Next, in Part III, the contemporary “marriage crisis” is examined, and why it matters.  Part IV discusses the risks that non-marital cohabitation poses to the institution of marriage.  Children’s need and hunger to live in marital families with their mothers and fathers are reviewed in Part V.  The conclusion, in Part VI, emphasizes the urgent need to revitalize marriage in the United States for the sake of children and future generations.

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