Evelyn Uddin-Khan asks our politicians, “When are you going to start working on the real-life issues now facing us, the poor? In particular, I want to call attention to the fact that unwanted children in this country are in dire need of food, health care and homes – now, today.”
There are two topics that are guaranteed to win seats in Congress for some politicians. Pro-Life and Pro-Gun. The Supreme Court, with its mighty powers, has just sealed the fates of these two topics – for the present.
If we could now move on, change the subject for a few hours, I would like to ask our politicians a simple question.
When are you going to start working on the real-life issues now facing us, the poor? In particular, I want to call attention to the fact that unwanted children in this country are in dire need of food, health care and homes – now, today.
In many ways, our children’s lives are in danger; their future uncertain.
I would like our people in Congress to examine the statistics on abandoned, underprivileged, and starving children in the United States of America. People in Congress, what are you doing to address the “future” of this country? Children are the future of the United States!
The statistics are alarming. In 2019, 400,000 babies born in the US were victims of sex and other infant abuse. In 2018, 200,000 adolescents were in Juvenile Delinquent Facilities (JDF). No need to state the racial and ethnic disparities. From birth to eighteen – and in between?
The child welfare system is on overload with abandoned and unwanted kids. Eventually, some of these children are adopted, sent to shelters or foster homes. As they get older, some graduate to JDF or jail. The welfare system does not have the staff, the money, and the facilities to deal with this crisis.
In this, the richest country in the world, (or so we like to think) we have children in the welfare system – abandoned in shelters, foster homes, and JDF. Upon Google searches, the kids do not have access to nutritious meals, proper health care, or early education – and no permanent home address.
Neglect is the name of the game in their formative years.
In the first place, who are these abandoned children? Where do they come from? Who are their parents? Did their mothers abandon them at birth? Were the mothers too poor to keep them? Were the mothers victims of rape or incest? Were the mothers teenagers?
Where are the fathers? They made the women pregnant! Why haven’t they taken responsibility, giving financial support to their new born babies? Perhaps some men’s evil actions produced babies who no one wants. No birth-control? No abortion?
In whatever way these children entered this cruel world is inconsequential. They deserve more, not less. Better not worse.
So America, we have a child crisis on our hands. And if the children of today are our beneficiaries of this rotten, broken system of government, then it’s a sad commentary on the people in charge of our government – Congress. Who is responsible for these kids and their future? Congress!
Here are two reminders of what our children are facing right now. First, death by guns in their classrooms, in their homes, on their streets and any fun places their parents may want to take them.
Second, climate change, which many people seem to think is a non-issue, will be a real issue for our children. We are right now feeling the atmospheric changes all around us. What would it be like for our little ones when they are 20 or 30 years old and wake up daily to seasons of droughts and fires, floods and monsoons.
The future belongs to our children. Our ancestors gave us this future we now have – imperfect, but acceptable. Senators Burr, Tillis, Reps. Budd, Cawthorn and all the people of power and wealth in Congress, kindly take a moment (tax payers are paying for your time) and do two things:
- Google the stats on unwanted children in your state, your country.
- Write proposals and / or find solutions to this hidden crisis facing the future of America’s children.
The voters know that you are most concerned with pro-life, pro-gun. You have won those battles – for the present. Now win the war on unwanted kids in poverty, foster homes, shelters and JDF.
Evelyn Uddin-Khan