Why Do Hispanic Families Seem More Accepting Of Teenage Out Of Wedlock Pregnancies ?
ROGERS — Nearly half of the babies delivered by Hispanic mothers in Benton County last year were born out of wedlock.
That was double the rate for white, non-Hispanic mothers in the county.
The statistics mirror national trends that have the attention of advocates of all persuasions.
Immigration critics warn of looming consequences, from persistent poverty to welfare dependency. The Bush administration also makes the connection: Preventing out-ofwedlock pregnancies is a key to its $ 100 million “healthy marriage” strategy for curbing welfare.
But in Benton County, the state’s No. 1 home for Hispanic immigrants, health and welfare officials report no signs of a strained safety net. And Hispanic leaders say their famed family networks are strong in spite of the rising numbers of out-of-wedlock births.
Of the 845 babies delivered by Hispanic mothers in Benton County last year, 412 — 49 percent — were born to unwed mothers, according to the Arkansas Department of Health. The percentage mirrors the U. S. rate of 48 percent for Hispanics.
In America overall, out-ofwedlock births hit a record 37 percent of all births in 2005, according to the National Center for Health Statistics.
Amid such a broad-based shift, and an emotionally charged debate over immigration, some religious and community leaders were reluctant to discuss out-of-wedlock His- panic births in Benton County, where an estimated 27, 000 Hispanics make up 13 percent of the population. For instance, a spokesman for St. Raphael Catholic Church, home to one of Northwest Arkansas’ largest Hispanic congregations, said the Springdale church ministers to people regardless of marital status and had nothing to say about births outside of marriage. “I have an uncle who has like five kids with different girls,” she said. “So it doesn’t surprise me at all.” No marriage doesn’t mean no care, said Nancy Rodriguez, 17, a senior at Crossroads Alternative School.http://www.nwanews.com/adg/News/208693/
welfare needs to be elimated period. Maybe then any women thinking of having a baby at tax payers expense will think twice.
You have to be careful with statistics like this. High out-of-wedlock birthrates are correlated to the type of low socio-economic standings endemic to large sections of the Hispanic community. Statistics like these are therefore a logical outcome, and not necessarily a direct cause-effect relationship per-se. With all due respect, I think you’re missing the point the researchers were trying to make.