Child abuse/neglect in the US

Over the past 10 years, more than 20,000 American children are believed to have been killed in their own homes by family members. That is nearly four times the number of US soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Every five hours, a child dies from abuse or neglect in the US.

...

I can't find words to follow those statistics. I had no idea it was that bad.

I love reading US news in other countries' media. This article is from the BBC; it asks some tough questions about how children are likely to fare being related to the state in which they're born. Texas and Vermont are contrasted - Texas is a low tax, low service state; Vermont is high tax/high service. According to the BBC, children in Texas are"... four times more likely to be incarcerated, and nearly twice as likely to die from abuse and neglect" as children in Vermont.

Of course, it's impossible to tease apart all of the factors at play in determining the likely fate of each American child. However, this article notes that, unlike the US, "...other rich nations have social policies that provide child care, universal health insurance, pre-school, parental leave and visiting nurses to virtually all in need."

At this point, I'd love to be able to present statistics on abortion rights in each state and proclaim that Texas is only interested in children before they are born. But it's not that simple. A summary of abortion regulations by state shows Texas to have less restrictive policies than most. I could try to use the Republican control of the Texas legislature as proof that the state's ultimate goal is to outlaw abortion altogether.

But, honestly? Who benefits from pointing fingers and assigning blame? Not the kids who are living with the abuse and neglect. The fact remains that we, as a nation, are failing our children, and at an alarming rate. When will we divert the funds necessary to fight that war?