Nationally, seventy percent of youths incarcerated in state reform institutions come from single-parent or no-parent homes. A survey of juvenile delinquents in state custody in Wisconsin found that fewer than 1/6 came from intact families; over two-fifths were illegitimate. Additionally, if a single-parent family is in a neighborhood with a large number of other single-parent families, the odds of a fatherless boy becoming involved in crime are tripled. These findings are based on a study conducted for the Department of Health and Human Services.

Shockingly, Aquinas is saying that in human parenting, fathers are more important than mothers. Okay, everyone take a deep breath and try to stay calmI am not mommy bashing. Please understand that Aquinas means this from the perspective of the good of mankind and not necessarily in each particular situation. Certainly, there are fathers that are a danger to children and need to be removed from homes. However, this does not change the truth (based in the nature of things) that fathers are more important in childrearing than are mothers--for the good of the species. Here is a quick way to validate this idea. At night drive into any large urban center in America (say Camden, NJ or Detroit, MI) where there is a high percentage of out-of-wedlock births. Unlock your car, and begin to walk around. You will quickly understand what I am suggesting.

The point is, fathers develop the internal and external endowments of children, particularly male children. If, for instance, a boy is raised without a father and he lives in a neighborhood without fathers, he will very likely grow up lacking internal restraints on his sexual and violent passions. He will also lack a father to prepare him for the job market and provide an entrée into the world of work--ergo, gangs and crime. In short, I am not the first person to suggest that fatherlessness leads to crime. A society with a high percentage of promiscuity and out-of-wedlock births is asking for its own destruction. Or as Pat Moynihan said, that community asks for and gets chaos. Promiscuity is against the nature of humankind.