Daily French Roast

Anne is reading …

For the first time in American history, non-Hispanic whites now account for a minority of births in the US.

Among new mothers, births peak among black and Hispanic mothers in their early 20s. For Asian and white mothers, peak births occur among women in their late 20s and early 30s. Most white and Asian mothers are college educated, while most Hispanic and black mothers aren’t.

In 2009, according to the National Center for Health Statistics, 41% of births were to unmarried mothers, but the shares varied for different groups: 53% for Hispanics, 29% for non-Hispanic whites and 73% for non-Hispanic blacks. via Pew Research

Related: Minn. efforts to stem teen pregnancy effective Marshall Independent

SMART is one of several projects bringing down teen pregnancy rates in Minnesota. Increased use of contraception has decreased not only birth rates but decreased abortion rates as well.

More DFR

Marriage and the Bible

Post President Obama’s announcement of support for the principles of gay marriage, Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council condemned the president saying the marriage is the time-honored scared bond between one man and one woman.

Jay Michaelson, has written a brilliant piece for Religion Dispatches, saying “Time to break out your Bible, Mr. Perkins!”

Abraham had two wives, Sarah and her handmaiden Hagar. King Solomon had 700 wives, plus 300 concubines and slaves. Jacob, the patriarch who gives Israel its name, had two wives and two concubines. In a humanist vein, Exodus 21:10 warns that when men take additional wives, they must still provide for their previous one. (Exodus 21:16 adds that if a man seduces a virgin and has sex with her, he has to marry her, too.)

Wives were prizes in war, writes Michaelson, reminding us that in biblical society, the conquerors of a city, tribe or nation took their defeated foes’ wives as part of the spoils.

Sodomy Not A Right

Virginia’s delegate Robert Marshall explained his successful effort to block an openly gay man from becoming a district judge today with the explanation that “sodomy is not a civil right.”

The Republican who is running for Senate called the prosecutor Tracy Thorne-Gegland an “aggressive activist for the pro-homosexual agenda.”

Marshall explained further his views on sodomy not being a civil right, saying, “When I was in public school … we all said, ‘Keep us from temptation.’ This was because we said the Lord’s Prayer. Nobody, nobody — should go where they’ll be tempted. That includes me, that includes you, that includes you, that includes a prospective judge.” via Politico