We abandon thousands of kids a year

[WFFaithful]

http://www.cnn.com/2014/04/16/opinion/soronen-foster-children/

"(CNN) - In 2012 in the United States, 23,439 children in foster care turned 18 and were "emancipated" or "aged out." In simple terms, most of them were put out into the world on their own without housing, financial assistance or emotional support."

 

[SkinsNDeacs]

If the "Pro Life" movement put half has much effort to saving the lives of people already born as they did the unborn this world would be a much better place. The people aging out of Foster care are the ones that pro lifers fight to get here.

 

[PhDeac]

His roommate got to go home on school breaks and had a mother who called to check in on him. Adrian had no one to call when he struggled at school -- nowhere to call home, no one to send a gift, no one to see how he was doing. He worked nearly 60 hours a week just to pay for college, and when eventually his grades slipped, he was kicked out. He struggled with the ups and downs of depression. As Adrian said of children in foster care: "We are not equipped to go through this world alone."

Why the hell should someone who spent their childhood as a ward of the state have to pay for college? Kids in foster care should get a good education and free undergrad education. It's the least we can do for children.

 

[SkinsNDeacs]

His roommate got to go home on school breaks and had a mother who called to check in on him. Adrian had no one to call when he struggled at school -- nowhere to call home, no one to send a gift, no one to see how he was doing. He worked nearly 60 hours a week just to pay for college, and when eventually his grades slipped, he was kicked out. He struggled with the ups and downs of depression. As Adrian said of children in foster care: "We are not equipped to go through this world alone."

Why the hell should someone who spent their childhood as a ward of the state have to pay for college? Kids in foster care should get a good education and free undergrad education. It's the least we can do for children.

Another example of the shitty parenting of the state.

 

[Deadbolt]

His roommate got to go home on school breaks and had a mother who called to check in on him. Adrian had no one to call when he struggled at school -- nowhere to call home, no one to send a gift, no one to see how he was doing. He worked nearly 60 hours a week just to pay for college, and when eventually his grades slipped, he was kicked out. He struggled with the ups and downs of depression. As Adrian said of children in foster care: "We are not equipped to go through this world alone."

Why the hell should someone who spent their childhood as a ward of the state have to pay for college? Kids in foster care should get a good education and free undergrad education. It's the least we can do for children.

That sounds too much like helping the poor. The GOP will never go for it.

 

[PhDeac]

That sounds too much like helping the poor. The GOP will never go for it.

One party cares about the child in the womb. The other party cares about them out of the womb. No room for both.

 

[Deacon923]

they're a lot cheaper before they are born.

 

[PhDeac]

I'd love to see a comparison between foster systems in states with strict vs. lax abortion laws.

 

[Milhouse]

why don't you do the research

 

[Liquid Karma]

why don't you do the research

Pos!

 

[PhDeac]

Found this:
http://works.bepress.com/michael_katz/3/

[h=4]Abstract[/h] Not all pro-life movements are equivalent. Some states are pushing harder to ban abortion than others. These states are focal points for the pro-life movement, and are therefore most telling as to the ethics of the movement as a whole. To gauge the ethical basis for pro-life legislation, this paper takes a closer look at the nine states that form the locus of the country’s pro-life movement. Possible ethical models are posited as foundations for state legislation opposing abortion, and then used as the analytical basis to test the ethical consistency of the pro-life movement. Specifically, this paper considers whether these states apply an ethically consistent approach to one likely outcome of outlawing abortion – an increased need for foster care.

 

[TownieDeac]

meh, the amount of money spent on both sides of the abortion fight is absurd. Unfortunately both sides are too entrenched to make reasonable concessions / work towards a workable common sense plan to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies.

The most effective way to protect the privacy and health of the mother, while also protecting the potential life of the fetus, would be to greatly increase education and access to contraceptives and other safe sex practices.

Actually, Planned Parenthood does a tremendous job on "one side" of this fight.

 

[BillBrasky]

birth control in the water would solve all of this

 

[The Mangler]

At what age should the state stop supporting these children/young adults? Never? Should it depend on whether or not they're pursuing a college degree?

 

[PhDeac]

The state took responsibility for them.

I plan on always been a parent to my kids just as my parents are still my parents. I don't expect the state to be a parent per se, but when you take on the responsibility for a child, stopping that responsibility at any specific age is somewhat arbitrary.

 

[The Mangler]

Part of parenting is allowing your kids to have more and more independence as time goes by. Permanent financial support isn't appealing to me in most circumstances. Perhaps a scaling back of financial support over a period of 5-6 years begging at the age of 18 would work. That's more financial support than many kids get from their parents.

 

[PhDeac]

Part of parenting is allowing your kids to have more and more independence as time goes by. Permanent financial support isn't appealing to me in most circumstances. Perhaps a scaling back of financial support over a period of 5-6 years begging at the age of 18 would work. That's more financial support than many kids get from their parents.

That's reasonable. I just think free education at a public institution is a no-brainer for wards of the state especially given how hard it is for a high school student with no or little work experience to work his/her way through college.

 

[WFFaithful]

That's reasonable. I just think free education at a public institution is a no-brainer for wards of the state especially given how hard it is for a high school student with no or little work experience to work his/her way through college.

Foster kids get free tuition at state schools in NC. I don't think they have much guidance from a responsible adult unless their previous foster parents choose to do so on their own.