Do you think single parenthood causes child abuse?

Good points, Chris. Thanks for adding the very pithy quote by Swain. 

Yes, it'll be interesting to see how this legislator supports this as he tries to get it passed. 

No. Swain is right: "To the contrary one of the risk factors for child abuse and neglect is poor quality of marriage," said Dr. Geoffrey Swain.  "Marriage actually has nothing to do with it, it's the quality of the relationship that matters in terms of the child's health." http://bit.ly/zxfJJ0 It's a crime that politicians get to push their own biased agendas that aren't based in science. This is the perpetuation of Power&Control thinking and culture. Blaming women is a part of that dysfunctional trauma-inducing mindset http://bit.ly/zD9ubM.

This man needs to be challenged and asked to site sources! What he says flys in the face of all the studies I'm aware of. Common sense alone tells me that a child raised in a home where parents do not love one another, fail to model loving behavior, and treat each other with disdain - or worse - would be far more damaging and potentially abusive, than growing up in a single parent home. However, the most alarming point he makes, is that a child is in more danger of being sexually abused if raised by a single mother ( the risk being boygriends). Not only is most sexual abuse perpetrated by peole related to the child, but his statement presupposes permuscuity simply because a woman is single! A frightening article! An even more alarming proposal for law!!

What about single men raising their children?  Our Family Diversity Task Force (Los Angeles) identified 16 family formations/structures.  These are chosen or imposed upon a person (being a widow or divorced or single, for example). Can you imagine if one had the option to select their family formation?  But life, actually, has alot to do with that...unforeseen circumstances, good luck, bad luck, etc.  Esther is right abuse of children can have many reasons, stress, lack of support, lack of education in raising children, understanding what is abusive (ignoring children, hitting children, etc.), as well as many other factors. Interesting that no matter what the societal problem, women get blamed. Why?

I think STRESS causes people to abuse children: the less stress in the parents' lives, the less likely abuse will happen. The circumstances of each individual family would determine whether the children would be less impacted by a poor marriage with both parents, or no marriage and a single parent.