Bama Bastards?

It's not unusual to see jokes online that refer to "baby mama" and "baby daddy;" however, besides being ungrammatical, these colloquialisms are no laughing matter in terms of what illegitimate births cost the state. In 2014, Auburn University published a study linking illegitimate births to crime and poverty. In other words, individuals with more education, money, and morals marry before reproducing.

So just what are illegitimacy rates/facts in Alabama?

* For the last year available, 42.6% of all state births were to unmarried women.
* In over half illegitimate births, the father chose not to take responsibility for the child unless forced to do so in court.
* Up to 90% of illegitimate children will not have their biological father in their lives by the age of five.
* Seven Alabama counties had an illegitimacy rate of over 70%: Macon, Wilcox, Sumter, Dallas, Lowndes, Perry, and Greene.
* African-American unwed mothers outnumber white unwed mothers by two to one.
* Predominately white Shelby County had the lowest illegitimacy rate at 17.7%.
* Instead of learning from mistakes, 40% to 50% of unmarried women giving birth in Alabama already had one child born outside of marriage.
* Since 1992, the majority of welfare recipients, not just in Alabama, but all states, have been unmarried mothers. The majority of these recipients never had a permanent partner or have been deserted by their partners.
* As many as 65% of unwed mothers in Alabama do not have a high school diploma. Of the other 35%, many suffer from various mental illnesses.
* One in five men in prison in the U.S. are unwed fathers, some becoming fathers while technically incarcerated. New laws in many states prohibit mothers from seeking child support from prison work or work release income.
* It costs each taxpayer in Alabama $85.00 a year for each child on Medicaid. The cost per taxpayer for illegitimate children on Medicaid is well over $100.00. This amount does not cover other welfare that the illegitimate child receives.
* According to the U.S. Congressional Budget Office, the average IQ of an illegitimate child is 20 points less than its legitimate counterpart.This increases the stigma of illegitimacy.

Should the educated, intelligent, and caring of Alabama be concerned about the above statistics? Before anyone says "meh," think about that $100.00 in taxes each year going to support these children.