The current stance on teen fathers is punitive, shows no support for them, labels them as deadbeat dads. Teen fathers desire relationships with their children but they receive no moral support from government. Hogan Hillings Must promote father presence. Fatherlessness is a problem which feeds itself - a fatherless child grows up without a male role model and then has difficulty being a father to his own children. His concern about fatherlessness is not a passing fancy which will go away.
Human costs are larger than the dollar costs, but the dollar costs are enormous.
In budget meetings he is struck by the enormous size of the welfare and prison budgets. Statutory rape should be prosecuted more vigorously to reduce teen pregnancy. The conference certainly will raise the public consciousness about the problems of fatherlessness.