Lawmakers To Study Fatherlessness
by Christine Stuart | June 26, 2008 4:46 PM
Posted to State Capitol
For the past two years, Sen. Gary LeBeau, D-East Hartford, has been trying to get bill through the legislature that would create a task force to study the impact of children growing up without fathers. The bill passed the state Senate, but never came up for a vote in the House.
Speaker of the House James Amann, D-Milford, said Thursday that he formed a 12-member task force to look at the issue without legislation or funding to support it. He said the task force will give the legislature a clear picture of how to address this “serious problem.”
Rep. Bruce Morris, D-Norwalk, said the task force will be looking at if there are state policies contributing to the problem of fatherlessness and, if are there policies the legislature can implement to solve this problem.
“Virtually every social problem that we face is exacerbated, if not caused, by this epidemic of fatherlessness,” LeBeau said.
Rep. Faith McMahon, D-Windsor, said over 70 percent of all males incarcerated in Connecticut did not have a relationship with their father. Sen. Ed Meyer, D-Guilford, said there’s also a statistic that says children with fathers in prison have a 70 percent greater chance of committing a crime themselves.
The task force will meet between now and December to solicit comments and information from the public, experts, agencies, and others on the causes of a fathers absence.
Rep. Ken Green, D-Hartford, said the task force will even look to see if the financial burden of the state’s attempt to collect child support from fathers is limiting the involvement of the father in a child’s life.
Comments (4)
Posted by: pueblonative![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.ctnewsjunkie.com/nav-commenters.gif)
| June 26, 2008 7:13 PM
It's nice to see that some lawmakers are examining the possibility that it is just not father's hitting the road that may be contributing to fatherlessness. It may also be actions of the state that have treated the father as less of an equal partner and more of a walking wallet.
Posted by: Incredulous | June 27, 2008 12:29 PM
This is a joke, right? Another waste of taxpayers' money studying things that every person with an intact brain knows, based on common sense logic and observation.
The only ways the state has contributed to fatherlessness are in making sure resources are available to take care of the basic needs of fatherless children,so the men don't have to (a.k.a. "enabling") and in promoting universal societal acceptance of broken and unwed families by relentlessly touting "diversity" and teaching about the equal worth of ALL types of families in schools. We teach that all families are "okay" on the one hand, but wring our hands about abdication of responsibility on the other. You can't have it both ways!!!
We have been letting men get away with murder for decades and are only NOW figuring out it's a problem? I must be dreaming, because this can't be real.
I grew up fatherless in the 50s and 60s and if I had had the benefit of child support, I could have had a few luxuries in life like health check-ups or dental visits.
The answer is very simple---make them pay up and if they don't, put their good-for-nothing behinds in a work camp. They've had it easy for FAR too long.
Posted by: Rocco Frank | June 27, 2008 10:31 PM
The answers are here:
www.ancpr.org
Posted by: ABOUT TIME | July 6, 2008 1:34 PM
This is long overdue but there have been studies and conclusions on how harmful fatherlessness is to our children. Focus on the family court and the incredible bias against men. Even if every dime of children support was paid, children would still have the same issues. It is more a scam for federal funding that help for children. I pay support, the state witholds it from my children and I am cut out of their lives and the mother poisons them against me. There is no childs best interest there. Why does the court drive away fathers?
Incredulous has a great deal of anger directed at men. It is typical of a fatherless child.