I Had an Abortion. It’s None of Your Business Why.

[80zephyr]

You mean with a constitutional amendment? If so, there is nothing preventing that now. Go start one.

Whats the point? The decisions have been made for us, by the courts.

Mark

[Michele]

When I favored repeal it was on the political grounds that allowing the states to parse the issue as each saw fit would lead to a happier union. And would take the issue off the national docket. I was tired of the extremists, NARAL v Right to Life Party, e.g., maybe before Wayback was invented.

I've changed a bit on that. If it's "repealed" it will be replaced at the same moment with a refinement, the shape of which I have no inkling, but will again affirm the right to abort very early on. That much is accepted by almost everyone, including me.

We'll see. I've read that the SCOTUS "isn't ready" to review Roe v Wade, whatever that means. Maybe it means they don't have a clue how to resolve things either.

I don't think it's going to matter, Newman unless the public gets out in front of the extremists. Is there a leading candidate for the dems who believe there should be any restrictions on abortions? I don't think so. It's a grizzly free for all.

[Norm dePlume]

Whats the point? The decisions have been made for us, by the courts.

Mark

Maybe you're unaware that a constitutional amendment overrides a Supreme Court decision.

But is that what you meant by "handled like the womens right to vote"? Because the women's right to vote was settled by a constitutional amendment.

[Newman]

I don't think it's going to matter, Newman unless the public gets out in front of the extremists. Is there a leading candidate for the dems who believe there should be any restrictions on abortions? I don't think so. It's a grizzly free for all.

You're correct, I think: none are. I haven't dug further to see if any are offering the ol' two-step, "Personally I don't like this or that, but...."

It's the standard answer when whatever they're pushing is especially unpopular.

[phillygirl]

And yet, it seems many women don't name a father.

Mark

How do you know that?

[Celeste Chalfonte]

How do you know that?

He doesn't. He makes shit up that fits hi worldview.

In the 5 years I worked in social services, I had 2 clients who didn't name the father of their babies.

One was placed in our county and exempt from naming the absent father due to a history of severe domestic violence (on his part).

The other was a severely retarded young woman who thought the hospital gave her the baby for being a good girl when she was hospitalized for a terrible tummy ache. I later found out, not precisely who the father was, but that he was a rapist, entirely coincidentally; she told me she always walked the several miles to her appointment with me because one time she accepted a ride into town, a mean man made her go in a field and he took off her panties and they wrestled and he peed on her.

All the others cooperated with child support services, willingly or reluctantly, but usually successfully, to the extent the guy had any income to garnish. Even back then, you didn't get public assistance if you didn't, and it has only gotten more strict.

[Newman]

He doesn't. He makes shit up that fits hi worldview.

In the 5 years I worked in social services, I had 2 clients who didn't name the father of their babies.

One was placed in our county and exempt from naming the absent father due to a history of severe domestic violence (on his part).

The other was a severely retarded young woman who thought the hospital gave her the baby for being a good girl when she was hospitalized for a terrible tummy ache. I later found out, not precisely who the father was, but that he was a rapist, entirely coincidentally; she told me she always walked the several miles to her appointment with me because one time she accepted a ride into town, a mean man made her go in a field and he took off her panties and they wrestled and he peed on her.

All the others cooperated with child support services, willingly or reluctantly, but usually successfully, to the extent the guy had any income to garnish. Even back then, you didn't get public assistance if you didn't, and it has only gotten more strict.

Yecch. Those are pretty discouraging experiences to run into. Sounds like John Steinbeck. Ah well, thanks for posting.

[Lady Marva]

And yet, it seems many women don't name a father.

Mark

Many? You'll have to put some numbers to that. How many? What's the percentage?

[Celeste Chalfonte]

Yecch. Those are pretty discouraging experiences to run into. Sounds like John Steinbeck. Ah well, thanks for posting.

Yeah, I cried over those, but for the most part, the work was very rewarding. Every time one of my people called to cancel a re-certification appointment because s/he had gotten a job, it felt like a victory. Easing the burdens on an elderly or disabled person by getting them through the food stamp and/or Medicaid process felt like really important work. I loved working with the first-wave Cuban refugees and the Vietnamese boat people, using the languages I love to help people in real need. The day I was able, in the absence of my Russian-speaking co-worker, to assist an elderly Russian Jewish refugee couple transfer their food-stamp eligibility from Maryland to be near their kids in California, using my rudimentary Yiddish, I walked on clouds for a week.

The rewards usually outweighed the heartbreak, and I might be doing that work still if I hadn't moved to California, where even the food stamp clerks had doctorates and were waiting to move up so they could use their MSW's and PhD's in social work. I don't regret the transition, but I didn't leave social service work because I was discouraged.