Jeb Bush Addresses Controversial Remarks Shaming Single Mothers

Jeb Bush – who will announce his 2016 bid any second now – stood by remarks he made about shaming unwed mothers in his 1995 book Profiles in Character, while on a trip to Poland.

Bush told reporters on Thursday that two-parent homes help children “live lives of purpose and meaning.”

When MSNBCs Benjy Sarlin asked if his views regarding the application of shaming single mothers had changed, Bush argued his warning had proved prophetic, and he said:

My views have evolved over time, but my views about the importance of dads being involved in the lives of children hasn’t changed at all. In fact, since 1995…this book was a book about cultural indicators [and] the country has moved in the wrong direction. We have a 40-plus percent out-of-wedlock birth rate.

“It’s a huge challenge for single moms to raise children in the world that we’re in today and it hurts the prospects. It limits the possibilities of young people being able to live lives of purpose and meaning.”

In his chapter The Restoration of Shame, Bush wrote in part:

One of the reasons more young women are giving birth out of wedlock and more young men are walking away from their paternal obligations is that there is no longer a stigma attached to this behavior, no reason to feel shame. Many of these young women and young men look around and see their friends engaged in the same irresponsible conduct. Their parents and neighbors have become ineffective at attaching some sense of ridicule to this behavior. There was a time when neighbors and communities would frown on out of wedlock births and when public condemnation was enough of a stimulus for one to be careful.”

Side note: When the recent article about Bush’s desire to shame unwed mothers surfaced, there was a lot of online debate and some folks (including liberals) were saying that since the commentary is twenty-years-old, it should be taken with a grain of salt.

Well, Bush has spoken and it’s clear. He still believes in shaming.

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