Republican State Senator Wants Single Parenthood Labeled as Child Abuse

Glenn Grothmann, a GOP state senator in Wisconsin, is proposing a bill that that would label being a single parent as a contributing factor to child abuse. Grothmann, who has been vocal about his opinion that welfare encourages women to have children out of wedlock, calls “the breakdown of the family” America’s biggest problem. The bill reads:

48.982 (2) (g) 2. Promote statewide educational and public awareness campaigns and materials for the purpose of developing public awareness of the problems of child abuse and neglect. In promoting those campaigns and materials, the board shall emphasize nonmarital parenthood as a contributing factor to child abuse and neglect.

Single parents comprise about a third of the state’s parents. Since gays cannot legally marry in Wisconsin, this bill would also apply to all families headed by same-sex parents, even if it’s a two-parent household. If passed, the law would require the Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Board of Wisconsin to emphasize this risk factor in its awareness campaigns and materials.
Plus: Read our single mom blog, Mama’s Boy

While studies have shown that the rate of child abuse is statistically higher in single-parent families, the bill makes no distinctions between families affected by divorce, domestic abuse, or death of a parent, and makes no mention of choice moms. Also, the bill also fails to acknowledge other contributing factors like substance abuse, mental illness, domestic violence, teen parenthood, family history of abuse, poverty and unemployment. We’d also like to take this moment to point out that the president of the United States was raised by a single parent.

What do you think of this bill and the attitudes behind it?