Mommies Paradise

I just read this amazing essay at Shape of a Mother but you can also read it from the author at Magdalena’s Revenge.

(Read the article)

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This is great! There are some events in Southern California even! It is easy to find them — you can go here. The movement is big on parties these days and these groups are making it really easy to throw one.

Rock-on with your tuna casserole!

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So the proposition to enforce parental consent on teenage abortions is on the ballots again here in California as Proposition 85.

1186. (SA2005RF0132, Amdt. #1-S) Waiting Period and Parental Notification Before Termination of Minor’s Pregnancy. Initiative Constitutional Amendment. Proponent: Paul E. Laubacher, R.N. (916) 381-7094Amends California Constitution to prohibit abortion for unemancipated minor until 48 hours after physician notifies minor’s parent or legal guardian, except in medical emergency or with parental waiver. Permits minor to obtain court order waiving notice based on clear and convincing evidence of minor’s maturity or best interests. Mandates various reporting requirements, including reports from physicians regarding abortions performed on minors. Authorizes monetary damages against physicians for violation. Requires minor’s consent to abortion, with certain exceptions. Permits judicial relief if minor’s consent coerced. Summary of estimate by Legislative Analyst and Director of Finance of fiscal impact on state and local governments: Potential unknown net state costs of several million dollars annually for health and social services programs, court administration, and state health agency administration combined. (SA2005RF0132, Amdt. #1-S)

Basically the Traditional Values Coalition, Evangelicals for Social Action and Right to Life of Central California or the RIGHT wants teens to get consent from parents for an abortion. Now, they are not looking for written consent but they are insisting that doctors notify parents of any minor seeking an abortion and then that doctor must wait 48 hours to perform the abortion. In my book that means consent since some children will inevitably have to go home at some point within the next 48 hours and have to deal with this parent who may not be as understanding as these right wing, evangelical assholes - who I am SURE would not try to talk their daughters out of said abortion. Right.

If the minor fears for her life however, it “Permits minor to obtain court order waiving notice based on clear and convincing evidence of minor’s maturity or best interests.” Oh. Yay. Because I know when I was 13, 15, 17,… hell, 30 years old, I wanted to go stand in front a judge and tell them how grown up I was. Or more importantly, how very, very scared. If this child could go to a judge and tell them that their father raped them and now they are pregnant, chances are that this child would have felt comfortable enought to get help sooner. But that is just insane and unrealistic.

Now, I could go on and on about why this is just a stupid, stupid idea but it would really just be the ravings of an exasperated lunatic. Here you can read all the facts a well as the official signed argument against Prop 85.

Just so you know, supporters are saying

“More than 30 states have laws like Proposition 85, and many times after such laws have passed, there have been substantial reductions in pregnancies and abortions among minors.” (via Yeson85.net)

But, I ask, how do they know? Really? I mean at this point it only means that because of the fear that these children are experiencing they are being forced to go through other means to terminate pregnancies and so they aren’t being counted as pregnancies and less children are having abortions because, strangely enough, they are too frightened to tell their parents OR their parents won’t let them have an abortion. Instead, forcing children to give birth to unwanted children or even worse. They certainly can’t count the ones who have run away, been kicked out or much, much worse!

And then I read this and the following statement.

“Unfortunately, opponents of parental notification eagerly exploit the public’s fear of mythical “back-alley” abortions…”

Um. “…mythical “back-alley” abortions..?”

Tell that to my aunt who almost bled to death in Tijuana from “mythology” you lying fucks!

Ahem.

How can a child who has possibly been impregnated by her father be expected to go to her parent for guidance and support? This is ludicrous!!!!

Why don’t these people spend time empowering our girls with accurate and realistic information regarding their bodies and their minds? Why don’t they spend more time creating legislation that truly protects them - legislation that won’t allow children to stay in abusive homes or let pedophiles and abusers go free?

These are children and nothing can ever replace responsible parenting - but it does take a village. It is everyone’s responsibility to protect our children. Even if you have no children, don’t want any children, or they are simply someone elses children.

Go to www.NoOn85.com to get the informatin and get involved!

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I can’t come up with any catchy little quote to lead into this article. Suffice it to say that it is about a new and improved “Mommy Track” (for some reason that term makes me cringe a little).

“The old Mommy Track was a path where up-and-coming women found that having children effectively disqualified them for top positions. They either took themselves out of the running, settling for lower-level positions with more predictable hours and less responsibility, or their male bosses assumed that because these women had children, they wouldn’t or couldn’t give their all to the office.

Now, some employers in high-pressure professions such as law, medicine, accounting and finance — that years ago may have fired women who became pregnant — are finally giving working mothers what they’ve wanted for years: a shot at the top jobs but with flexible hours, part-time schedules or other concessions to their care-giving responsibilities.

…Breast-feeding lounges, support groups, mentors and sabbaticals have become more commonplace as services for working mothers seeking to break the glass ceiling.”

Read more here.

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This is a great interview by Celena at Feministing with Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner who co-wrote The Motherhood Manifesto with Joan Blades.

You can get more information about The Motherhood Manifesto and what it is all about here. These issues are everyone’s issues regardless of whether or not you have children.

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