A story in Sunday’s Journal-World about changes in a federal nutrition program for expectant mothers and children included some surprising statistics.

Perhaps the most surprising was that half of the infants born in the United States are served by the program, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, WIC for short. Each month, 8.7 million women and babies receive WIC benefits. That includes 77,000 in Kansas and about 1,550 right here in Douglas County.

Income restrictions for the WIC program are not as low as for food stamps and some other government assistance programs. Single parents or families can have incomes of up to 185 percent of the federal poverty standard, but that still means a family of four can’t be making more than $40,793 per year and a family of two more than $26,955. That’s not a lot of money to cover all the necessary expenses.

Even with the slightly higher income standards, it is stunning to think that half of U.S. babies are born to mothers or families who need assistance to provide basic necessities. It’s hard to argue with the benefits of the program, but the number of people taking advantage of it seems to provide some sort of window on American society.

WIC provides prenatal care to women, which has the direct benefit of reducing the number of low-birthweight babies and the increased medical costs associated with such births. WIC also provides nutritious food that helps babies and children up to age 5 years get off to a healthy start. That helps them develop in ways that will increase their chances of being successful in school and in life. At about $59 per month per child ($110 for babies on formula), it seems like a pretty good investment for taxpayers.

But how did we get here? Why do so many people need this help? Single motherhood has become increasingly accepted in American society. A lack of support from the baby’s father or extended family members probably pushes many mothers to seek WIC support, at least temporarily. The current sagging economy may have some effect, but numbers for WIC participation in Douglas County were relatively steady through 2008.

In a perfect world, every child would be born into a family well-prepared to provide it at least the necessities of life, like food and formula. Unfortunately, that obviously isn’t the case, even in America. It’s good that the WIC program is available to take up that slack, but the staggering number of women and children depending on such federal food assistance is not a very flattering reflection on American society.