Lily Sánchez writes from a place of personal pain. That deserves respect, but the solution lies in rebuilding families, not discarding them.
TLDR (Too Long / Didn’t Read Summary):
The 2022 Current Affairs article by Lily Sánchez argues for abolishing the family, citing its failures and its links to capitalism and inequality. The piece is written from a place of clear personal pain where family did not provide the care and protection it should have. That experience is valid and real. But the answer to family failure is not abolition. It is building a system that strengthens caregiving, repairs broken relationships, and holds harmful behavior accountable. Where families fall apart, outcomes usually worsen. Removing the structure entirely would harm the people it aims to protect.
Lily Sánchez’s call to abolish the family is shaped by experiences where family did not work. That pain is evident and deserves recognition. Many people grow up in homes marked by neglect, abuse, or silence. Others face rejection from their families for reasons of identity, belief, or circumstance. The harm that can happen inside families is real, and it should not be minimized.
But it is one thing to say some families fail. It is another to say the family itself must go.
Families, in all their forms, remain the most common way people give and receive care. This is not a product of capitalism or tradition alone. It is a basic human pattern. From infancy to old age, people need consistent, trusted relationships. Where families are absent, life gets harder.
The article imagines that a collective model of care could take the place of family ties. In theory, this could mean universal child care, elder support, housing, and emotional connection provided by the community or the state. But that system does not exist. And where governments have tried to replace families, the results have been deeply harmful.
In state-run orphanages across Eastern Europe, children raised without personal family ties faced cognitive and emotional damage that lasted into adulthood. In the United States, youth in foster care experience higher rates of trauma, school failure, and homelessness. Elderly people without family advocates are more likely to die alone, suffer neglect, or end up in underfunded institutions. The pattern is not hard to see. When families disappear, the system rarely steps up in time or with enough care.
That does not mean every family should be preserved at all costs. Dangerous home environments need intervention. But the goal should be to fix what is broken—not to remove what so often works. Families should be supported, not idealized. That means holding people accountable when they harm others. It also means building public policies that reduce stress and expand support: paid leave, mental health services, safe housing, and caregiving assistance.
Strengthening families does not mean forcing people into rigid roles. It means recognizing that care needs a structure. A household, a group of people who are responsible for one another, a long-term commitment to someone else’s well-being—these things are hard to replicate through policy alone.
For those whose families have failed them, the desire for a world without that pain is understandable. But most people still want connection, still long for belonging, and still depend on someone who knows their name and story. If we dismantle the family without offering anything better, the people who are already most at risk will suffer more.
Rebuilding is harder than tearing down. But it is the only way forward.
Like this article? Share it and subscribe to the ReligiousLiberty.TV blog at religiouslibertytv.substack.com
Subscribers get access to breaking news, case law updates, and thoughtful analysis on family, conscience rights, and the role of personal responsibility in a free society.
AI Disclaimer: This article was prepared with the assistance of AI. All claims are based on verifiable sources and reviewed for accuracy.
Legal Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. It is not legal advice. Consult a licensed attorney for guidance on specific legal issues.
SEO Tags: abolish the family critique, family reform vs abolition, foster care outcomes, rebuilding broken families, socialist family policy response