Ohio Spends $122M Preventing Out-of-Wedlock Babies, Starves Marriage Support
Why Ohio Leads the Nation in Pregnancy Support But Fails the Family Foundation
The latest federal report on Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funding reveals that Ohio uses more block grant dollars than any other state to prevent out-of-wedlock pregnancies. Backed by a total allocation of $1,261,434,957, our state directs 9.7% of its TANF funding—roughly $122.3 million—toward pregnancy centers and prevention efforts.
Connecticut ranks second with a 6.8% allocation. 17 states allocate 1% or less, and 27 states spend zero dollars.
This record builds on the massive impact of Ohio pregnancy centers, which recently provided $22 million in life-affirming services to women in crisis. Governor Mike DeWine and state lawmakers deserve credit for standing firmly with these centers.
The Core Mandate of TANF
But to understand the full picture, we have to look at what this program was actually created to do. Since 1996, the TANF program has served as one of the nation’s primary economic security and stability programs for low-income families. As a federal block grant providing $16.6 billion annually nationwide, jurisdictions have considerable flexibility to implement programs that best serve their communities.
However, federal law explicitly mandates that this flexibility must be used to accomplish the program’s four broad statutory purposes:
Provide assistance to needy families so that children can be cared for in their own homes or in the homes of relatives.
End the dependence of needy parents on government benefits by promoting job preparation, work, and marriage.
Prevent and reduce the incidence of out-of-wedlock pregnancies.
Encourage the formation and maintenance of two-parent families.
The Massive Funding Imbalance
While Ohio excels at preventing out-of-wedlock pregnancies (Purpose 3), there is a devastating reality revealed in the data regarding how we handle the rest of the mandate.
Ohio allocates a mere 1.0% of its TANF funds to promote marriage and family stability. While this technically doubles the abysmal national average of 0.5%, it proves that secular bureaucrats across the country have systematically abandoned the family structure.
Consider the massive imbalance in how our state prioritizes its $1.26 billion budget: we are spending 31.6% ($398.6 million) on child care after the fact, but only a tiny fraction to strengthen the home before a crisis hits.
We see this play out in real-time in our state:
When Governor DeWine signed an executive order to distribute fiscal year 2024 TANF funding to families in need, millions of dollars were routinely funneled into programs like short-term food aid, youth clubs, and workforce training. While funding pregnancy care centers like Elizabeth’s New Life Center or adoption initiatives is a massive victory, the rest of these funds are treating the symptoms of family breakdown rather than preventing it. It shouldn't take emergency executive orders to patch over a leaking roof when we could be using our core budget to build a stronger foundation through marriage.
Stable homes are the single best protection against child poverty, yet look at how Ohio's marriage and family funding stacks up against states that are prioritizing family structure:
Out-of-Wedlock Pregnancy Prevention vs. Family Stability Programs (FY 2024)
| State | Total TANF Budget | Out-of-Wedlock Pregnancy Prevention | Fatherhood & Two-Parent Family Programs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio | $1,261,434,957 | 9.7% | 1.0% |
| Connecticut | $567,310,361 | 6.8% | 3.2% |
| Missouri | $416,190,610 | 0.8% | 9.0% |
| Oklahoma | $280,927,933 | 0.0% | 10.3% |
| Mississippi | $106,820,923 | 0.0% | 35.8% |
As the "TANF and MOE Spending and Transfers by Activity, FY 2024" report highlights, not only is it required, but states like Mississippi (35.8%) and Oklahoma (10.3%) prove that it is entirely possible to use these federal block grants to invest in healthy marriages and fatherhood programs. Ohio clearly has the resources. Our state simply needs the political will to rebalance the scales.
Rebuilding the Foundation
Gallery: Pastors and ministry leaders learning about CCV’s plan to help churches strengthen marriage and family
We must fix this imbalance. Center for Christian Virtue is implementing a comprehensive plan to reform state spending and prioritize healthy marriages. Through our Hope and a Future report, developed in partnership with the Institute for Family Studies, we have laid out a data-driven roadmap to eliminate marriage penalties in state assistance programs and bring relationship education back into our communities.
But we aren't just waiting on the legislature. Real cultural turnaround requires the local church. That is why CCV has stepped up with significant financial backing to launch a statewide initiative with Communio. By funding this partnership, we are equipping local Ohio churches with the data tools, strategies, and ministry infrastructure needed to evangelize and strengthen marriages directly in their neighborhoods.
From just two marriage retreats this spring, nine marriages were saved from divorce.
We must protect children in the womb, and through the policy goals of our Hope and a Future report and our active investments into the local church, we are going to protect their homes.
For more information, contact CCV at 513-733-5775 or contact@ccv.org. For media inquiries, email media@ccv.org.
As Ohio's largest Christian public policy organization, Center for Christian Virtue seeks the good of our neighbors by advocating for public policy that reflects the truth of the Gospel.
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