Creative Commons Licensed Clipboard Fraud Image, Source Picpedia.org, Authors Nick Youngson http://www.nyphotographic.com/ and Alpha Stock Images https://alphastockimages.com/, (Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported)
As we watch the family break down, government is both accelerating the process and attempting to take up the slack, albeit stumbling under the load [1][2]. On top of this, there are many whose aim in life is to “game the system” for their own benefit. That has not helped.
The impact on children is particularly devastating.
Government Aid Programs
With charitable support by churches having weakened over the years, the need for government funding of poverty housing, nutritional assistance for the poor, and support for the disabled has increased [3][4][5].
- Co-parenting – shared responsibility for childrearing by those no longer in a relationship – is a reality these days, as divorce rates attest [6]. Some 40% of first marriages end in divorce; 60% – 67% of second and third marriages end that way [7]. However, 2/3 of non-resident fathers avoid formal child support payments [8A]. Unpaid child support in the United States exceeds $32 billion [8B].
- Illegitimacy rates (which plunge children into poverty) demonstrate that co-parenting would be a dream come true for many single parents abandoned by a partner [9][10]. By 2022, 52% of the children of single mothers were living below the poverty line. Welfare benefits and food stamps – the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) – are tremendously important.
- Government benefits to physically or mentally disabled individuals can be a lifesaver. The caregivers paid by the government to regularly look after the sick, elderly, or disabled are a real blessing.
Fraud
Unfortunately, government programs meant to assist the needy cannot be effectively monitored, so fraud is easily missed [11]. There was, for instance, a massive Medicaid fraud exceeding $90 million recently uncovered in Minnesota [12].
Regrettably, there are those who see the government as an open cash register, readily susceptible to false claims: claims that a relationship does not exist, even as children are brought into the world; claims of unemployment where employment “under the table” is ongoing, or income is derived by other illegal means; claims of disability where none exists; and claims of caregiving where none is rendered (or none needed at all) [13A].
Food stamps are traded by some for liquor, drugs, cigarettes or cash on the black market. In 2019, there was an estimated $1 billion in such SNAP fraud [14].
In addition to this, scammers using skimming technology annually steal around $12 billion in food stamps from families [15].
Impact of Government Aid Programs on Marriage
“…If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat” (2 Thess. 3: 10).
“But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever” (1 Tim. 5: 8).
Despite the best of intentions, many aid programs have had the unintended consequence of undermining both the work ethic and marriage [16][17][18].
Why work and be required to pay taxes, if the government is willing to provide food and housing [13B][19]? Why marry and be required to support children, if the government is willing to do that? So goes the warped thinking of more than a few.
Of course, no amount of government aid can replace an absent father in the life of a child [20][21][22].
Weaponized Protective Orders
Meanwhile, overburdened courts, now faced with an avalanche of requests for Protective Orders in custody cases, struggle to distinguish between true and false claims of abuse [23].
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[1] GovFacts, “How Government Is Adapting to the Changing American Family”, 8/25/25, https://govfacts.org/long-term-challenges-future/social-cultural-futures/changing-family-structures/how-government-is-adapting-to-the-changing-american-family/.
[2] Michael Carbonara, “What is the current trend in the American family structure? A clear overview” by Michael Carbonara, 2/20/26, https://michaelcarbonara.com/the-american-family-today-trends/.
[3] NRB, “New Surveys Find Charitable Giving In Decline”, 8/8/14, https://nrb.org/new-surveys-find-charitable-giving-in-decline/.
[4] Lake Institute on Faith & Giving, “Giving USA 2025: Trends in Religious Giving” by Erica Dollhopf PhD, https://lakeinstitute.org/resource-library/insights/july-15-2025/.
[5] Horizons Stewardship, “Giving USA 2024: Disturbing Trends Giving Trends”, https://blog.horizons.net/giving-usa-research-giving-trends.
[6] Centers for Disease Control (CDC), “Marriage and Divorce”, 3/17/25, https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/marriage-divorce.htm.
[7] Divorce Law, “US Divorce Rate Hits 50-Year Low: Only 40% of First Marriages Now End in Divorce” by Antonio Jimenez, Esq., 4/4/26, https://divorce.law/guides/news/us-divorce-rate-hits-50-year-low-only-40-percent-first-marriages-end-divorce/.
[8A and 8B] Rich Niches, “Deadbeat Dad Statistics: Understanding the Impact on Families and Society in 2023” by Ryan Kangail and Rich Niches, 6/2/26, https://richniches.com/deadbeat-dads-statistics/.
[9] Centers for Disease Control (CDC), “Unmarried Childbearing”, 6/10/26, https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/unmarried-childbearing.htm.
[10] Worldmetrics, “Single Mother Poverty Statistics” by Kathryn Blake, 5/5/26, https://worldmetrics.org/single-mother-poverty-statistics/.
[11] Connect US, “17 Huge Advantages and Disadvantages of Welfare”, 5/17/19, https://connectusfund.org/17-huge-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-welfare.
[12] US Dept. of Justice, Office of Public Affairs, “Minnesota Health Care Fraud Takedown Results in Charges Against 15 Defendants for $90M in Fraud”, 5/21/26, https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/minnesota-health-care-fraud-takedown-results-charges-against-15-defendants-over-90m-fraud#:~:text=The%20Justice%20Department%20today%20announced%20the%20Minnesota%20Health,and%20first-of-their%20kind%20charges%20involving%20additional%20Medicaid%20programs.
[13A and 13B] Institute for Youth in Policy, “Cons: Welfare”, https://yipinstitute.org/article/cons-welfare.
[14] Esquilo, “Who Buys Food Stamps for Cash: The Truth Behind this Illicit Trade” by Stephen Adriano, 12/29/23, https://esquilo.io/food-stamps/who-buys-food-stamps-for-cash/.
[15] Investigate TV, “Families suffer as $12 billion stolen from food assistance programs, USDA says” by Anastassia Olmos, 11/11/25, https://www.investigatetv.com/2025/11/11/families-suffer-12-billion-stolen-food-assistance-programs-usda-says/.
[16] University of Maryland, School of Public Policy, Welfare Reform Academy, “Understanding the Rise in Illegitimacy” by Robert Rector, https://welfareacademy.umd.edu/conf/papers/rector_p.html.
[17] US House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, “Congressional Testimony by Robert Rector – Understanding Marriage Penalties in Welfare and Their Impact on Society”, 2/11/25, https://oversight.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Rector-Written-Testimony.pdf.
[18] Brookings Institute, “Fragile Families, Welfare Reform, and Marriage” by Irwin Garfinkel, Ronald Mincy, and Sara McLanahan, 12/1/01, https://www.brookings.edu/articles/fragile-families-welfare-reform-and-marriage/.
[19] Classroom/Synonym, “The Disadvantages of Social Welfare to Human Development” by Joel Garrison, 9/28/17, https://classroom.synonym.com/the-disadvantages-of-social-welfare-to-human-development-12084203.html.
[20] The Parenting Pro, “Absent Fathers: How Fatherless Homes Affect Child Development” by Michael Bennett, 4/20/25, https://theparentingpro.com/effects-of-absent-fathers-on-child-development/.
[21] NeuroLaunch, “Psychological Effects of Absent Parents: Long-Term Impact on Children’s Well-Being”, 9/14/24 (Edited 7/3/26), https://neurolaunch.com/psychological-effects-of-absent-parents/.
[22] Owlcation, “Echoes of Absence: The Lasting Impact of A Missing Father”, 6/24/25, https://owlcation.com/social-sciences/psychological-effects-of-growing-up-without-a-father.
[23] Attorney at Law Magazine, “The Silver Bullet Method: The Rise of False Allegations in Divorce and Custody Cases” by Padideh Jafari, 3/3/25, https://attorneyatlawmagazine.com/legal/legal-trends/the-silver-bullet-method-the-rise-of-false-allegations-in-divorce-and-custody-cases.
This series will conclude next week.
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