A national opinion piece recently published in the Mirror opines that birth rates collapse without dads. The piece describes a crisis of fathers not providing moral or financial guidance for their progeny, and takes cultural conservatives to task for giving philandering politicians a pass on their bad example.

The writer points out that both parents are important and the burden is borne most heavily on single mothers.

Decades of government initiatives have created a social safety net that has emasculated men, creating a circumstance where often the nascent family is punished for a man owning up to his actions by creating worse financial options through the loss of benefits.

Educational indoctrination includes debates about how to define gender and how many exist, which weakens the concept of manhood and a man’s responsibility.

Attitudes and marginalization of religion further erode the family.

Decades of abortion creates a laissez-faire attitude toward procreation.

Parenthood is not to be entered lightly. It is the physical manifestation of the love between two adults. For a man there is no higher calling. Men need to know that young eyes see everything and young minds form the basis of their expectations based on example. Being a father means, as St. Joseph demonstrated, placing the needs and safety of the family above all else.

At its core, masculinity is about loving God, your family and those around you before yourself.

After decades of teaching men to not be responsible, it is no surprise that we have irresponsible men.

Mel Kepner

Altoona