"We need to make messages about marriage as ubiquitous as messages about smoking."

Chuck Donovan is a Senior Research Fellow for the DeVos Center for Religion and Civil Society at the Heritage Foundation. Donovan has authored A Marshall plan for Marriage, examining how marriage in America can be saved.


How troubled is marriage in the United States?

Well, Matt, it's approaching a breaking point, really.

We have a 41% out-of-wedlock birth rate.

As you know there are campaigns underway to redefine marriage.

I went back and looked at the last 40 years of European marriage....I had trouble finding even a half dozen years where out-of-wedlock births went down.

We're on the verge of giving up.

How dangerous is it if we give up?

All the data and research shows that couples themselves suffer when there is not a stable support for marriage.

We have replaced marriage as an institution with marriage as an idea a rotating search for a soul mate.

What we've added to the mix is the cohabitation.

Unfortunately, in 40% of those instances, there are children in the homes.

Those children don't show up in the divorce statistics, but they are in the single-parent statistics.

Can we do a better job of preparing people for marriage as the church?

Well they're doing tremendous work.

We do have a divorce rate reduction.

The government can encourage the private sector.

Why is it that we know it's a problem, but no one wants to speak out?

There's certainly an issue when talking to legislators.

There's going to have to be some pride swallowed in connection with these things.

We've gotta start using the bully pulpits.

The president speaks very clearly on fathers, on the importance of fathers.

But he doesn't speak to the importance of marriage.

What do we need to do in order to regain this issue for the country?

Well, number one we need to make messages about marriage as ubiquitous as messages about smoking.

Secondly, we need to get ride of welfare programs that penalize marriage.

We also need to encourage organizations that promote marriage.

You're hopeful?

Well, it's going to take a mammoth effort, but we look to Europe and see what will happen if we don't do anything.