The astonishing speed at which traditional family life has collapsed is laid bare in a recent report. Shocking figures reveal that births outside marriage are at their highest level in two centuries and nearly half of children can expect their parents to separate by the time they turn 16. Nine out of ten couples now live together before -or instead of – marriage, earlier it was considered shameful to have a child outside of wedlock, now it has become the norm. Some 46 per cent of children are born to unmarried mothers, according to research by the Centre for Social Justice. The think-tank said a child growing up in a one-parent family is 75 per cent more likely to fail at school, 70 per cent more likely to become a drug addict, 50 per cent more likely to have an alcohol problem and 35 per cent more likely to be unemployed as an adult. Pray: for the Church to respond and support those adversely affected and to promote strong, loving stable marriage. (Heb.13:4 )