Portrait of a Jackass Edition 3

Wisconsin State Senator Glenn Grothman has sponsored a bill that essentially cites single parenthood, specifically single mothers as a contributing factor to child abuse.  He wants to force the child protections services in the state to list single parenthood as contributing factor when investigating claims of abuse and neglect.  


There is evidence that factors relating to child abuse do include single parenthood, there is also evidence that having large families and multiple children under the age of 5 is a contributing factor.  This coming from the Mayo Clinic:

• A history of mistreatment as a child
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Marital conflict or single parenting
• Domestic violence
• Financial stress
• Social isolation
• Lower parental education
• Alcoholism or other forms of substance abuse
• A child in the family who was born prematurely or who is developmentally or physically disabled
• Young children in the family, especially multiple children under age 5

Notice how they also say martial conflict.  The factors for child abuse vary greatly and to pass legislation that puts single parenthood above the rest of the other factors, including a history of being abused as a child is wrongheaded and greatly unfair.  They also list multiple children under the age of 5.  In many cases those are people who are married, not single.  Substance abuse is not exclusive to single parents, many married people have substance abuse issues.  


Sadly, this story gets worse.  State Representative Don Pridemore, a co-sponsor of the bill had to add his two cents about staying married, even if that relationship is abusive:

"If they can refind those reasons and get back to why they got married in the first place it might help, 

Look, I believe in marriage.  I think it is the ideal to raise a child in.  I think that family is the bedrock of our society.  But no one in their right mind should be saying that while a woman is getting the stuffing beat out of her she should lie there quietly and remember why she married the man.  Or even better, while she is helplessly watching a man beat her child she should think back to how wonderful their first date was instead of taking her child and running as fast as she can in the other direction.    


There are man factors as to why child abuse happens in our society.  In a perfect world we would get married, have babies, and live happily every after just like the Cleavers.  But we are not all the Cleavers.  Telling a person that they should stay married to a person who is abusing them or their child(ren) is one of the most reprehensible things I have heard.  


How do these people get elected?  If you know who will be running against either of these men in the future let me know.  I would like to make a contribution to their campaign.