In the 1972 Stanley v. Illinois case, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that custody laws distinguishing between married and unmarried fathers was “constitutionally repugnant.” Fathers would be given the same rights and face no consequences for fathering a child outside of marriage. Thus, one of the main reasons for entering into the religious and civil covenant and contract of marriage was removed. Those who were married and those who were not married were given the same respect and legal standing.
Divorce and illegitimacy has undercut the institution of the family. The incubator for nurturing offspring who would safeguard the republic and, for Christians, discipling children in biblical truth, is now relatively in shambles.
Friedan and the cultural Marxists have used civil law, courts, and the media to destroy the family and fathers and to make possible the rise of the welfare nanny state. The break-up of the family has been the leading cause of generational poverty and the permanent underclass. And the chaos is having its intended effect: the American people increasingly call for government to solve the problem by greater intervention into family life.1
