Divorce is Down and Family Stability is Up: New Study

Marriage

A new study by scholars at the Institute for Family Studies has found divorce rates are down, family stability is improving, and most children are being raised in two-parent households.

While IFS predicts that one-third of young adults will never marry and one-fourth may not have children, the study found “major shifts” suggesting that marriage is becoming stronger in America. “Divorce is down,” the authors write, “as is single parenthood, and the share of kids being raised in stable married families is ticking up.”

When it comes to divorce rates, the study says, “The bottom line: Most married couples will make it.”

All of this is good news for several reasons.

Marriage is not “just a piece of paper,” and a wedding is more than just a social event.

Research repeatedly has shown that healthy marriages are good for adults, good for children, and good for society.

Cohabiting relationships tend to be less happy and less healthy. Meanwhile, children with a married mother and father are less likely to live in poverty.

Married couples report more satisfaction across the board than cohabiting couples, and marriage is also broadly connected with better health and wellbeing. In fact, a 2016 article from Harvard noted that marriage is tied to living longer, having fewer strokes, and enjoying better mental wellbeing.

Good relationships and healthy marriages are part of human flourishing. We ought to do what we can to promote marriage in Arkansas, and we ought to celebrate the fact that marriage rates seem to be on the upswing in our country.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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Story Underscores Deadly Risks of Kratom

Drugs,

A recent news story highlights the dangers of kratom products.

Kratom is a harmful and addictive drug. Although it is often marketed as a dietary supplement in the U.S., kratom mimic the effects of opioids and can lead to addiction, seizures, and even death.

The New York Post writes, “Jordan McKibban died at age 37 while taking kratom, an ‘all-natural’ supplement available online and in stores.”

The article highlights how kratom products are marketed in the U.S., noting:

Kratom products — sold in powders, gummies and energy-looking drinks — come from a plant native to Southeast Asia and can act like a stimulant at lower doses and a sedative at higher ones.

While they’re readily found online, in brick-and-mortar stores and even gas stations as catch-all solutions to everything from fatigue to opioid withdrawal, the Food and Drug Administration says kratom and its key components are “not lawfully marketed” in the US as a drug product, dietary supplement or food additive.

The article also points out the specific dangers of 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH), a powerful substance found in kratom.

The FDA recently recommended new restrictions on 7-OH. FDA officials say they are particularly concerned about 7-OH products that appeal to children and teens — including gummies and other candies.

Last April, lawmakers voted not to pass a bad bill that would have legalized kratom and 7-OH in Arkansas.

During his remarks against the bill, Rep. Zack Gramlich (R — Fort Smith) described a seventh-grader who was caught using kratom and trying to sell it to other students at a school in his district a few years ago.

Fortunately, efforts to legalize kratom in Arkansas have failed, and the Arkansas Department of Health has restricted 7-OH as a Schedule I substance.

Heartbreaking stories like Jordan McKibban’s remind us that kratom and 7-OH are dangerous drugs that our public health officials must take seriously.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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Unpacking Judge Brooks’ Ruling Over Ten Commandments in Public Schools

Legislation,

On Monday, U.S. District Judge Timothy Brooks partially blocked a state law placing copies of the Ten Commandments in Arkansas’ public schools.

Act 573 of 2025 by Sen. Jim Dotson (R — Bentonville) and Rep. Alyssa Brown (R — Heber Springs) requires privately funded copies of the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public schools and other public buildings in Arkansas.

The measure received strong support in the Arkansas Legislature earlier this year, and Act 573 was slated to take full effect on August 5.

However, lawyers from the ACLU and a group of atheist organizations filed a federal lawsuit against four public school districts to block Act 573.

Below are a few key points from Judge Brooks’ ruling that partially blocked Act 573.

The Ruling Is a Preliminary Injunction

Judge Brooks’ decision is a preliminary injunction. It blocks four school districts in Arkansas from complying with Act 573 while the lawsuit plays out in court.

This means that Act 573 has not been ruled unconstitutional. The law has been partially blocked for the time being while the attorneys argue the case in federal court. It could be months before a final decision is reached in the case, and that decision could be appealed to a higher court.

The Ruling Only Affects Four School Districts

Judge Brooks blocked the following four school districts from complying with the law:

  • The Fayetteville School District
  • The Springdale School District
  • The Bentonville School District
  • The Siloam Springs School District

Act 573 still applies to other school districts in Arkansas that are not part of the lawsuit.

The Ruling Does Not Affect Public Buildings Other Than Public Schools

Act 573 is part of a larger law allowing the national motto — “In God We Trust” — to be displayed in government buildings along with the U.S. flag and the Arkansas flag.

Besides public school classrooms, Act 573 says the Ten Commandments can be placed in state colleges and universities and in any “public building or facility in this state that is maintained or operated by taxpayer funds.”

That means posters of the Ten Commandments could be placed in city buildings, county courthouses, public libraries, and other government buildings or offices across the state.

The decision to partially block Act 573 has no bearing on these other public buildings.

The Ruling Does Not Affect Posters of the National Motto

In 2017 Arkansas passed the National Motto Display Act allowing the national motto — “In God We Trust” — to be displayed in Arkansas’ classrooms along with the U.S. flag and the Arkansas flag. Act 573 amended the National Motto Display Act to add the Ten Commandments to the list of historical items displayed in school.

Judge Brooks’ ruling does not block schools from displaying the national motto as state law allows.

We Expect Higher Courts Will Uphold Act 573

During her testimony in support of Act 573 last April, Rep. Alyssa Brown noted that the U.S. Supreme Court now uses a “longstanding history and tradition test” to decide if it is constitutional to display something like a copy of the Ten Commandments. Rep. Brown said, “The Ten Commandments without a doubt will pass this longstanding history and tradition test.”

Over the years, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that states are free to honor and recognize documents or symbols that are important to our nation’s history — like the Ten Commandments or the national motto.

In the court proceedings over Act 573, Attorney General Tim Griffin’s office pointed out:

As the [U.S.] Supreme Court has repeatedly recognized, the Ten Commandments have enormous historical significance “in America’s heritage.” . . . It is therefore beyond serious dispute—and settled by the Supreme Court—that the Ten Commandments have historical significance and are “one of the foundations of our legal system.”

The Ten Commandments are one of the earliest examples of the rule of law, and they have had a profound impact in shaping our society and our government.

We believe our federal courts ultimately will agree and uphold Act 573 as constitutional.

Help Promote the Ten Commandments in Arkansas

Visit the website RestoreAmericanschools.com to order Ten Commandments posters that you can donate to public buildings in your community in Arkansas.

You can also read Act 573 here.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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