Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 110 Part 3.djvu/381

 PUBLIC LAW 104-193—AUG. 22, 1996 110 STAT. 2111 if the current trend continues, 50 percent of all births by the year 2015 will be out-of-wedlock. (7) An effective strategy to combat teenage pregnancy must address the issue of male responsibility, including statutory rape culpability and prevention. The increase of teenage pregnancies among the youngest girls is particularly severe and is linked to predatory sexual practices by men who are significantly older. (A) It is estimated that in the late 1980's, the rate for girls age 14 and under giving birth increased 26 percent. (B) Data indicates that at least half of the children born to teenage mothers are fathered by adult men. Available data suggests that almost 70 percent of births to teenage girls are fathered by men over age 20. (C) Surveys of teen mothers have revealed that a majority of such mothers have histories of sexual and physical abuse, primarily with older adult men. (8) The negative consequences of an out-of-wedlock birth on the mother, the child, the family, and society are well documented as follows: (A) Young women 17 and under who give birth outside of marriage are more likely to go on public assistance and to spend more years on welfare once enrolled. These combined effects of "younger and longer" increase total AFDC costs per household by 25 percent to 30 percent for 17-year-olds. (B) Children born out-of-wedlock have a substantially higher risk of being born at a very low or moderately low birth weight. (C) Children born out-of-wedlock are more likely to experience low verbal cognitive attainment, as well as more child abuse, and neglect. (D) Children born out-of-wedlock were more likely to have lower cognitive scores, lower educational aspirations, and a greater likelihood of becoming teenage parents themselves. (E) Being born out-of-wedlock significantly reduces the chances of the child growing up to have an intact marriage. (F) Children born out-of-wedlock are 3 times more likely to be on welfare when they grow up. (9) Currently 35 percent of children in single-parent homes were born out-of-wedlock, nearly the same percentage as that of children in single-psirent homes whose parents are divorced (37 percent). While many parents find themselves, through divorce or tragic circumstances beyond their control, facing the difficult task of raising children alone, nevertheless, the negative consequences of raising children in single-parent homes are well documented as follows: (A) Only 9 percent of married-couple families with children under 18 years of age have income below the national poverty level. In contrast, 46 percent of femaleheaded households with children under 18 years of age are below the national poverty level. (B) Among single-parent families, nearly V2 of the mothers who never married received AFDC while only Vfe of divorced mothers received AFDC.

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