WHSV is running an article with an un-sourced claim that West Virginia children are dying from abuse/neglect at a much higher rate than in any other State. The anonymous reporter then goes on to claim that un-named experts all blame the problem on parents who abuse drugs and that the only solution is more of the same: beef up existing government programs.
At best, this is lazy reporting. At worst (as I suspect), it's an independent news outlet peddling government propaganda in an effort to secure more funding for failed programs like the welfare state and the drug war.
Let's assume this claim is true - and it very well could be since WV is known regionally for its high abuse rates of 'meth' and 'scrips' (according to Brandeis University, prescription drug abuse now kills more people than cocaine and heroin combined). The main problem here is that they fail to ask the hard questions, namely, is the problem cyclical?
How many of these addicts resorted to drugs in desperation at becoming parents unexpectedly, or to temporarily escape the pressures of trying to raise a child? Have you ever shooed away your bored, hungry, whiny kid in the morning until you could get that first cup of coffee in you? Slippery slope!
We preach to frightened, struggling girls/boys that 'abortion is murder' and that 'every child is a blessing', then we proceed to shun the task of nourishing that blessing off to government bureaucrats and contractors looking to make a buck. As long as there are children in America being neglected, we can't afford to bring democracy, protection, foreign aid or anything else to any other country or industry. It's time to get our priorities straight.
The fact is, prohibition doesn't work - whether it's drugs or underage sex. As long as there is a demand, there will always be a supplier. You can't force your morals on your child - let alone someone else's - because at the end of the day, your morals are just that: yours. All you can do is make an honest attempt to live by those morals, explain why, and hope that the example you set inspires them to do the same.
