PETITION CLOSED

  • The time period for signing this petition has ended.
  1. Signatures
    106 out of 10,000
    Petitioning
    1. The President of the United States (+ 1 other)
      Petitioning
      close
      • The President of the United States
      • Your Governor
  2. Created By
    The National Crittenton Foundation
About this Petition Petition Letter

Robie's 1959 story clearly shows that young mothers @ the margin are not a new social phenomenon. They remain largely invisible in communities across the country.

Young mothers @ the margin are pregnant and parenting young women ages 14-24 who are in foster care, involved with juvenile justice or are homeless. Many are victims of child abuse or grew up in homes marked by persistent domestic violence. This is not surprising since “one in three girls in the United States are sexually abused” (Bolen, R.M. and M. Scannapieco, 1999). Traumatic experiences, not of their making, have left them searching for safety, belonging, love and support. And sometimes, creating a family seems like the only way to get it.

In 2006, there were over 350,000 unmarried teen mothers ages 14 to 18 in the United States. This is more than the total number of teens (boys and girls) in foster care and far more than the 90,587 teens that are currently incarcerated (Rosch, Brinson, Hassel 2008). Yet, they remain out of sight and funding for services and programs that support them continue to disappear. I

Sign on to challenge the First Lady and First Ladies (and men) in states across the country to take action to advocate on behalf of young mothers @ the margin and their children. With our support they can break the destructive intergenerational cycles passed on to them by their families and become safe, empowered and self-sufficient. We need to look no further than the White House to see the impact of a young single mother who had the support she needed.

 

 

 

Recent Signatures

First Ladies (and men) support young mothers @ the margin

Dear First Lady (or man)

Motherhood is a profoundly transformative experience, one that permanently alters the way in which you see and interact with the world. Each year thousands of young women become pregnant or are parenting young children. It’s true that some come from stable middle class families, some are celebrities and some do have the support they need to succeed.

But they are the exception not the rule.

Today I’m writing to draw your attention to a group of young women in our country who are invisible. While the clamoring conversation about pregnancy prevention, abstinence and fatherhood continues there is little if any mention about young women who choose to parent under difficult circumstances. We refer to these young women as young mothers @ the margin, because they live at the edge of the American dream, working to break the destructive cycles into which they were born.

Young mothers @ the margin are pregnant and parenting young women ages 14-24 who are in foster care, involved with juvenile justice or are homeless. Many are victims of child abuse or grew up in homes marked by persistent domestic violence. This is not surprising since “one in three girls in the Unites States are sexually abused” (Bolen, R.M. and M. Scannapieco, 1999).

As a result of this childhood trauma most have multiple acute issues such as substance abuse, mental health, interpersonal violence, and unhealthy relationships, to name a few. They tend to live in rural or urban poverty; to be disproportionately young women of color; and many come from family traditions of teen pregnancy. Traumatic experiences, not of their making, have left them searching high and low for safety, belonging, love and support. And sometimes, creating a family seems like the only way to get it.

Federal, state and local agencies aren’t counting how many young mothers @ the margin they serve. This is shocking, because they are not few in number. In 2006, there were over 350,000 unmarried teen mothers ages 14 to 18 in the United States. This is more than the total number of teens (boys and girls) in foster care and far more than the 90,587 teens that are currently incarcerated (Rosch, Brinson, Hassel 2008). Yet, they remain out of sight and largely invisible. Despite these uncomfortable facts, funding for services and programs that support young mothers and their children continue to disappear.

Focusing significant national energy, work and resources on young mothers @ the margin is the right thing to do. But if that’s not enough to convince you, then focus on the fact that it makes good financial sense for our country. Investing in them strengthens their efforts to break intergenerational cycles of system reliance and poverty that have plagued their families for generations.

Today, I join supporters across the country in challenging you to confront the invisibility of young mothers @ the margin and to become a champion committed to ensuring that these young mothers and their children have the opportunity to move from the margin to the center of the American dream.

To learn more:
www.AtTheMargin.org
www.TheNationalCrittentonFoundation.org

[Your name]

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