The traditional, two-parent family is the vehicle by which values have been transmitted from generation to generation. This invaluable function provides the very foundation upon which our stability as a society rests. The family unit is inextricably intertwined with basic economic issues. The correlation between the rise of poverty and the demise of the traditional family is supported by some new statistics. In sharp contrast to traditional families, almost one-half of female, single parent households are at poverty levels.
Statistics indicate that family coherence has a profound effect on physical health as well.
According to a 1995 study reported in the American Journal of Public Health, the average life span is significantly reduced by divorce. This phenomenon impacts both parents and children alike. Also noteworthy is the fact that church attendance lengthens life span according to a recent study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology. It appears that the power and influence of a prominent elite is somehow eroded by the promotion of the traditional family. At the international level, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child presents a direct attack on the parent-child relationship.