Latest News on Marriage, Orphan Care, and More

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July 11, 2013 Why Marriage Matters Most by Ryan T. Anderson, William E. Simon Fellow at The Heritage Foundation  Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy can't seem to understand why every political community on earth until the year 2000 recognized marriage as the union of a man and a woman. In his mind, this can be explained only by anti-gay "animus." Justice Kennedy is wrong. The state isn't in the marriage business because it cares about love or romance, but because the sexual union of a man and a woman can produce new life and this new life deserves a mother and a father. When a newborn isn't raised by the man and the woman -- the mother and the father -- who gave him or her life, social costs run high. Marriage exists to bring a man and a woman together as husband and wife to be father and mother to any children their union produces. Marriage is based on the anthropological truth that men and women are different and complementary, the biological fact that reproduction depends on a man and a woman, and the social reality that children need both a mother and a father. There is no such thing as "parenting." There is mothering and there is fathering. Although men and women are each capable of providing their children with a good upbringing, typically there are differences in how mothers and fathers interact with their children and the functional roles that they play. Dads play particularly important roles in the formation of both sons and daughters. "The burden of social science evidence supports the idea that gender-differentiated parenting is important for human development and that the contribution of fathers to childrearing is unique and irreplaceable," Rutgers University sociologist David Popenoe explains. "We should disavow the notion that 'mommies can make good daddies,' just as we should disavow the popular notion ... that 'daddies can make good mommies,' " Popenoe concludes. "The two sexes are different to the core, and each is necessary -- culturally and biologically -- for the optimal development of a human being." Government recognizes marriage because it is an institution that benefits society in a way no other relationship does. Marriage is society's least restrictive means of ensuring the well-being of children. State recognition protects children by encouraging men and women to commit to each other and take responsibility for their children. Read our e-book for more insights >>  Social science confirms this. The best available research evidence shows that children fare best on virtually every examined indicator when reared by their wedded biological parents. While respecting everyone's liberty, government rightly recognizes, protects and promotes marriage as the ideal institution for childbearing and childrearing. Read the rest and share this commentary online with your friends >> Without Dads, Poverty Spreads Poverty rates are higher among single-mother families, regardless of race. Among whites, single-mother families are more than six times more likely to be poor than married-couple families. The ratio is also high among African-Americans, Asian-Americans (four times more likely), and Hispanics (more than twice as likely). Click here for the full chart Orphans Should Wait No More Blog Post by Leslie Grimard Concerned About the Country’s Direction? Join Us at Values Voter Summit 2013 Blog Post by Josh Shepherd & Haley Bookout Seven Reasons to Reform Food Stamps Blog Post by T. Eliot Gaiser // JOIN US THIS OCTOBER // SIGN UP NOW DeVos Center for Religion and Civil Society at The Heritage Foundation Founded in 1973, The Heritage Foundation is the nation's most broadly supported public policy organization. Heritage established the DeVos Center for Religion and Civil Society in 2004 to educate government officials, the media and the public about the role religion, family, and civil society play in sustaining freedom and the common good. The Heritage Foundation | 214 Massachusetts Ave NE, Washington, DC 20002 | 202.546.4400 | heritage.org

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