As a Missouri Senator, I review a number of bills on numerous subjects. Last week, as I waited to present a bill to help foster children, a fellow senator presented Senate Bill 645 for consideration before the Seniors, Families and Children Committee. I knew the effects of single parent households on children, but I didn’t realize how devastating these effects were when both parents (divorced or not) were not involved in a child’s life.
I want to share a couple of the statistics the senator presented during his presentation to the committee. As many as 71 percent of all high school students who are drop outs, come from a home where the father was not present in their life. The statistics of the effects of not having a father in the home are startling, and include:
- 85 percent of all youth in prison come from fatherless homes;
- 63 percent of youth suicides are from fatherless homes;
- 71 percent of pregnant teenagers lack a father in the home; and
- 90 percent of runaways or homeless teens are from fatherless homes.
Senate Bill 645 aims to give parents equal time when it comes to raising their children. As this bill is in the early stages, I cannot support the bill in its present form, but I believe it is an important issue and I look forward to following this proposal as it moves through the legislative process.
On the bright side, my bill, Senate Bill 819, which will add additional protection for foster children, was well received and I hope to get it on the floor for debate in the near future.
As always, I appreciate it when groups from around Missouri and from our community back home come to visit me at the Capitol. If you would like to arrange a time to come and visit me in Jefferson City, or if you ever have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact my Capitol office at (573) 751-1882.