[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 8]
[House]
[Page 10699]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                              FATHER'S DAY

  (Mr. PITTS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, on Sunday, millions of Americans will be 
taking dad out for dinner to celebrate Father's Day. Father's Day is 
the one day every year that we set aside to say thank you to the men 
who raised us, taught us to fish, to play baseball, taught us to know 
right from wrong.
  But there is a sad side to Father's Day as well. See, everyone has a 
father, but not everyone has a dad. In fact, fatherhood is in real 
trouble in America today. One-third of the children in America today do 
not live with their father, and one-third of all American children live 
in a house without an adult male.
  Since 1960, the percentage of single parent families has grown 248 
percent. What is the result: 226 percent increase in violent crime, 430 
percent increase in out-of-wedlock teen pregnancy, sadly 134 percent 
increase in teen suicides. Now an absent father is not the only reason 
so many kids are in trouble. But can anyone doubt that it is at least 
part of the reason?
  All the absent fathers and all the deadbeat dads in America should 
think hard this weekend about the role they could be playing in the 
lives of their children. A father's job is an important one. We should 
all remember that.

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