By Elizabeth O’Brien
MADRID, August 24, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Calling for Spanish policy makers to commit to providing greater support for families, the Institute for Family Policy (IFP) reported an alarming trend that one in four homes will be single-parent by 2011, Catholic News Agency (CNA) reports.
Mariano Martinez-Aedo, Vice President of the IFP, pointed out that recent trends in Spanish families have caused increased “fragmentation” that has weakened the structure of society. He said, “The tendencies that show the evolution of homes in Spain reveal serious deficiencies in our future, as they are provoking a society that is more and more individualistic, where social fragmentation is isolating the person and makes the social fabric very fragile.”
The Vice President also criticized social policy for abandoning proper family values and failing in its purpose. He said, “This evolution is a result not only of cultural, economic and social changes, but also of a profound abandonment in family and social policy, which is not fulfilling its objectives.”
He concluded, “A vigorous social and political reaction is necessary that adopts important and lasting measures that truly support Spanish families to fulfill their role.”
The IFP noted that the destructive tendencies increasing in society are also due to the number of broken families and couples without children. The organization underlined the importance of an active cultural change in order to encourage solid families and strengthen society.
The IFP stated, “A decisive commitment to the family is also necessary in the realms of culture and education.” It then proposed practical changes such as increased financial assistance for families and other pro-family policies.
At present one in five homes in Spain is supported by a single parent, CNA reports.
Since the election of Socialist President Jose Luis Zapatero, the country has plunged into the foremost ranks of anti-family countries in the European Union. Spain’s birthrate of 1.28 children per woman is one of the lowest in the EU, yet as the IFP indicates, the country does not offer adequate assistance to parents and children.
Spain’s alarming demographic trends are not surprising in light of the fact that the country has systematically struck down or loosened those laws that protect traditional marriage and family, as well as the rights of unborn children.
Read previous LifeSiteNews coverage:
Spain’s Socialist-Led Descent into Darkness
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2004/nov/04111503.html
Spain to Teach Children From Age 10 to Accept Homosexuality
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/jul/06071701.html
Spain Fast Becoming Europe’s Worst Place for Families
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/jan/07011708.html