Letters to the Editor
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Reverse Sexism
It's unfortunate Salon chose Rebecca Traister to write this article. She is so focused on this case "stealing" attention, she tries her best to find faults, but cannot. Turnabout is fairplay: A man understands this situation intiutively. Nearly every woman I have discussed this with, after explaining over and over again where Mr. Feit is coming from, supports it. Those women that don't are the real problem, as most of those are the ones who benefit by gaming the current status quo. Just because some women cannot fathom a situation where there was truly and unintended pregnacy, does not mean they don't exist.
I strongly disagree that this issue is "stealing" anything from other equally important and related issues. It sounds more like a spoiled, jealous rant than a real objection.
If you think that is a sexist viewpoint, then you support what really amounts to the current sexist status quo on this issue.
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I can fathom a situation where there was truly an unintended pregnacy.
And the sperm donor and the egg donor are still 100% responsible for the life that was created.
(I support their right to an abortion before the 3rd trimester, too.)
But all the 'feelings' in the world still don't trump biology. And, once more for the slow folks, if you're not ready to accept the possibilities of the consequences of your actions, put away the equipment, because you're still not ready.
Unintended doesn't negate one's responsibility. It doesn't wash for anything else, why on Earth should it be an acceptable excuse for ignoring your responsibility to a child? "Oops, my bad," is hardly a mantra for claiming the mantle of adulthood.
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My friend's experience
I have a friend whose father, so-called, was like the plaintiff in this case, though he didn't bother with a lawsuit. The father didn't want the responsibility of a kid, didn't want to be tied down, so he just skipped out. My friend's mother, maybe out of pride and humiliation, didn't seek child support. Despite enduring some hard times as a kid, and having to go on public support, my friend grew up to be a really cool guy, handsome, funny and kind -- and very successful in his profession. When he was about 30, he was able to track down his absentee father, something he wanted to do to satisfy his curiousity. After that, there was really no relationship, and the deadbeat dad eventually died without ever getting to know his wonderful son or his wonderful grandchildren. Even though he managed to escape making any monthly payments and any hassles about being tied down to some kid, I think he was the loser after all.
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Fairness in Law and in the Child's Best Interest
Ironclad's points are the real issue here, everthing else is really off-topic, except for what happens AFTER a child is born, under Ironclad's matrix #4. In that sceniaro, the mother should be REQUIRED to give the child up for adopton, at a minimum. For this to be enforcable, it would require the father sign an opt-out statement at least two weeks before the end of the first trimester. If the mother does not inform him of her pregnacy until after that time, and it's too late for anything but adoption, again under matrix #4, then either the mother must choose adoption, or if she choosed to keep the child, not be allowed to demand legally enforcable child support from the father.
If a woman is that confident of her parental abilities (rather than the selfish "I want a baby"), then she should be given ALL the legal responsibility that goes with her own decisions. I would even go farther to say that under these conditions, that child should have no automatic inheritance rights either. The women's right to choose in this case ends after the child is born. As stated elsewhere, that is really what is in the best interest of the child after it is born under those circumstances.
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Same-sex bathrooms
"Torts for tarts?
There's a few other things women need to come to terms with...and what about single-sex bathrooms...? Maybe i'm too feminist for my own good .
-- LeCastor
...Or too stupid.
Ask for your tuition back. You're obviously not learning anything.
-- No Name Given"
No Name, i know this may be hard for you to swallow, but same-sex bathrooms are something quite common in Europe, and quite frequently discussed in law schools. In fact, it seems i'm applying what i'm learning directly, since just last week, there was a huge discussion in my Property class about same-sex bathrooms. Here's a quote from a message the professor posted:
"With regard to the issue of opposite-sex encounters in bathrooms, one cannot help but recognize that norms have already begun to change, despite courts' stalwart defense of sex-discriminatory hiring practices. Unisex bathrooms are fairly common in Europe, and they are beginning to appear in the United States--further proof that these norms can change. But even though same-sex bathrooms are still the norm in this country, the practice of segregating bathroom facilities has come under scrutiny in recent years. While some justify the sex-segregation of bathrooms on the grounds that it prevents sexual assault, others have responded by pointing out that segregation actually makes it easier for would-be attacker to identify victims. [FN211] In fact, many parents already bring their children of either sex into the bathroom they are using for safety reasons. Other advocates of single-sex bathrooms insist that sex-segregation preserves privacy. But housing all of the toilets in single-occupancy stalls would equally satisfy this goal. Therefore, as one scholar has suggested, the ongoing segregation of bathrooms seems to be driven by a desire to maintain "that sense of mystery or forbiddenness about the other sex's sexuality which is fostered by the general prohibition upon public nudity and the unashamed viewing of genitalia." [FN212]?"
"Unequal women's restrooms may be found in many professional places of employment, including our nation's Capitol Building. [FN8] A congresswoman in the United States Capitol must plan her trips to the restroom properly or she may miss a vote. [FN9] This strategy is necessary because to get to the restroom, she must walk down a long hallway, through Representative Richard Gephardt's offices, take a left, then a right into a small, windowless bathroom with three stalls. [FN10] In comparison, the congressmen's restroom is just a few feet off the House floor, has six stalls, four urinals, gilt mirrors, a shoeshine, ceiling fan, drinking fountain, and television. [FN11]?"
Maybe you should ask for your tuition back from Upstairs Omaha Night College. Since all you learned is how to be an uninformed jerk.