Ma'am;... You must pull aside the blackout curtains in your mind and get a look at reality some time... It is economic forces primarily, and secondarily the forces of law that are the most destructive of the family... People need love, and God bless them; they want to breed... That means they have not lost their morality completely, which you could say if they gave up on life completely... But look here, or look anywhere around the world and you see it takes a certain level of wealth to support a family, and that mothers are easily abandoned to become slaves of the necessity to support their children... Who then teaches their children to be parents??? Who teaches their children anything??? Raising children is a labor intensive occupation best accomplished in complete and supportive communities... The economic pressure of wages pushed to their lowest levels, along with law that takes every authority from communities and families means every man is for himself... You justify high profits??? You justify the destruction of your society one family at a time... Sure, the rich suffer divorce... But they can afford it, and their loss is nothing compared to the tragedy the poor suffer daily from their failed relationships... You think a good example will help.. I think you are out of your mind... Capital is detroying our society, and every vestige of our morality.... For capital we go to war... For capital we see our our daughters sold on the demi-virge... We are taught that virtue, intimacy, beauty, and even love can be bought with money; but we learn not enough money only buys misery...Where is economic injustice not turned to sexual injustice??? It is your world.. Are you not now happy with your work????Thanks...Sweeney

While I like the overall message of your article (I thought all election long the Obamas offered a wonderful example of a healthy marriage and positive parenting) I think some of your logic is off. Like all conservatives, you hold up marriage and family as the ultimate goal of society, while pointing to the poor as examples of "proof" that your theories are correct. What struck me the most in your article was the statistic that out of wedlock births occur at a rate of 4% among college-educated women. This seems to be presented as an argument that college-educated women wait until marriage to have sex, or that they are better at using contraception (certainly true.) I believe the true logic to that statistic is that college, or college-educated women are far more likely to abort an unwanted pregnancy than to choose single-parenthood. For a variety of cultural and economic reasons, poor women choose to have those babies. It is a truth quite opposite from what conservatives try to present. Social conservatives should celebrate all those poverty-stricken unwed mothers--they chose life! Your article seems to argue for elective abortion until one is in a stable personal and financial relationship! Having read a few of your other articles, I doubt this is was your intention. When I was a student at a top university, I knew many, many young women from well-to-do families with a lot to look forward to, and not much motivation to "choose life." I also knew many young women at my lower-middle class high school who choose to have babies before they could vote, or even drive. I agree, that yes, marriage/family is a much better place to raise children, but we need to face reality and deal with the societal problems we have. We cannot "wish" every child two loving married parents.

As a single mother to a 13 year old boy, Mona, your article was just too much to ignore. I had my son when I was 22 years old. I was raised in a very religious home and did not choose to have an abortion. Everyday my son comes home from his elite high school in Falls Church (where everyone comes from two parent households!) describing the teenage smokers on the corner near his school, the kid who just had a brother sent off to Utah to treat a nagging drug habit and the discussions on Facebook between 14 year olds planning to have sex before the end of the school year. Many of these two parent households ignore their children and let "facilities," nannies and others deal with actually raising their kids. The cracks in this false foundation is evidenced in the drug use, early premarital sex and low self esteem in their children. Nothing to envy. Mona, I am curious, what would you have done in my place? Should I have aborted my child, shed a tear for the "fetus" and then moved on? I don't understand... life is complicated and you make choices. I think many women have abortions not because they can't do it on their own, but more because they don't want to be judged by people like you! And trust me, women get pregnant, even educated, established women. I know because they tell me in an almost confessional way. I often wonder how judgemental individuals would respond if they did not have the security of wealth and family to stand behind and had to deal with the challenges life presents. Katie