http://www.politico.com/blogs/politico-live/?hp=arPaul clarifies unwed mothers remarks
By KEVIN CIRILLI |
1/26/14 9:44 AM EST
Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul clarified on Sunday comments he made last week about unwed mothers, saying that Americans need to warn their children that unwed teen pregnancy can lead to poverty.
During a luncheon in Lexington, Ky.,the Republican senator was reported to have said during a question-and-answer period: "Maybe we have to say 'enough's enough, you shouldn't be having kids after a certain amount.' ... We should sell that message -- not in a mean way to tell people who already have made a bad decision, but if you've had one child and you're not married, you shouldn't have another one."
On Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union," host Candy Crowley asked him about it, saying that he had "seemed to suggest that government might halt aid to single women who received government poverty funds if they keep having children.
"Actually, I said kind of the opposite," Paul said. "I said that a lot of times government can't do anything about this. But the number one cause in our country -- and I don't think you can debate this -- of poverty is having kids before you're married."
"Right," Crowley said.
Paul continued: "We need to be telling our kids that poverty is linked to having children before you're married. The institution of marriage is incredibly important -- not just as a religious institution, but as an economic institution."
