Data Proves that Red States Have Higher Rates of Out-of-Wedlock Births

DAY 3 DATA: CONSERVATIVE AND RELIGIOUS RED STATES RANK WORST ON OUT OF WEDLOCK BIRTHS

Writer’s Note: This is Part 3 in my series exposing the irrefutable truth that the most dangerous, backward, uneducated, and poorest states are overwhelmingly governed by conservative Republicans.

Conservatives and religious fundamentalists often cite the breakup of the two-parent family and falling percentages of “traditional” parenting as the primary causation for many problems in society. While children raised in single-parent households sometimes perform extraordinarily well in school and later in life, while other children raised in “traditional” two-parent households turn out badly, let’s agree on some correlation between stability in the home (two parents) = success, versus instability in the home (zero or one parent) = problems.

Traditionalists overwhelmingly support “marriage between a man and a woman.” They oppose gay marriage and adoption. They have even maligned and scapegoated single motherhood. Accordingly, states with conservative laws and traditional attitudes about marriage and pregnancy should have higher percentages of two-parent families. By consequence, this should translate into fewer out-of-wedlock births. After all, if conservatives make laws and fundamentalists impose “traditional” values on females, the statistical outcome of those policies and attitudes should reflect a simple result — fewer babies born to unmarried mothers.

So, does data prove that ultra-conservative and religious-oriented policy are more effective? Let’s answer that question here and now. We’ll examine the most recent data available up through the year 2020. Which states rank as the best and the worst for out-of-wedlock births?

[Note that stats are per capita — which means states are ranked accordingly to the percentages of out-of-wedlock births]

The colors and shading tells us everything, within seconds.  Notice a startling fact; Conservative-leaning, Republican-run Red States have somewhat HIGH RATES OF OUT OF WEDLOCK BIRTHS. Take a look at the unmistakable dividing line that is heavily shaded towards southern states and the industrial rust belt as producing more babies to unwed mothers. Contrast this with the Northeast and the West.

There are some surprising outliers. See Utah, an overwhelming Red State where Mormonism dominates much of life. But then look next door to Colorado, which also ranks among the top states on this scale, which definitely skews Blue. Even though those states offer conflicting conclusions, there remains a clear divide between North and South.

Although this data isn’t quite as strong as the previous rankings on teen pregnancy (See Day 2 Data) this map tells us everything we need to know about the failure of conservative social policies. It’s an outright indictment against organized religion, since there’s an overwhelming correlation between Christian conservatism and higher out-of-wedlock births. Take away the Mormon state (Utah), and Christianity really looks bad here.

Claim #1: Conservative states with fundamentalist religious values have high percentages of “traditional” families and births within the bounds of marriage — FALSE

Claim #2: Liberal and less religious states with more permissive attitudes about sex and female reproduction have lower rates of babies born to unwed mothers — TRUE

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Note that I’ll be back daily to post several other metrics (most from official federal government statistics) that are irrefutable as to how the most dangerous, backward, uneducated, and poorest states are overwhelmingly led by conservative Republicans.

PREVIOUS ARTICLES IN THIS SERIES:

DAY 1 DATA: MORE GUNS EQUALS MORE GUN DEATHS

DAY 2 DATA: CONSERVATIVE AND RELIGIOUS RED STATES RANK AT THE BOTTOM ON TEEN PREGNANCY