Are out-of-wedlock births and single-parent families public health issues?
By Craig J. Cantoni Published in Spring 2008 edition of AZMedicine Arizona ranks near the top of the 50 states in out-of-wedlock births, with an illegitimacy rate of about 37 percent. It also ranks near the top in single-parent families, with 33 percent of Arizona children living with only one of their parents or with a grandparent. Are these public health issues that physicians and the rest of the medical profession should address? Or are they behavioral and social issues that should be left to religious and social organizations? Before answering, consider the following statistics from The Heritage Foundation: • Compared to families headed by married biological parents, the risk of child abuse is 14 times higher in single-mother families, 20 times higher in single-father families, and 33 times higher when a mother cohabitates with a boyfriend • Children of parents who have always been single have a 54 percent higher incidence of emotional disorders and twice the incidence of conduct d
