That whole gender thing again -

[kyburg]

Here are two takes on the whole Female Thing for the day -

One, I'm sure we'll be hearing about this case again - I'd give the chance the guy will serve his entire time in jail at less than 2%.

-and-

Two, how another culture deals with the whole thing.

Not a good thing to be female and unaware, methinks. Not good at all.

*keeps Maglite close at hand.*

Comments

[kali-ma.livejournal.com]

You know...
I know I'm uncool and unpopular and all, but here's what really gets me about the first one.
It's all about the helpless little babies. Notice he "stepped" on her stomach. Notice anything he did to harm the "babies" had to be potentially or actually harmful to the girl as well. But she's just a baby container - no one considered that this was harmful to her. No one considered that maybe this happened because she couldn't just safely go to an abortion clinic for whatever reason.
And I love the quote at the end - it's all the girl's fault, of course, She forced him to stomp on her pregnant belly. She MADE him be violent. He had no choice. Sure.

[bigbigtruck.livejournal.com]

Well of course - women have no value as human beings; just as incubators.

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

Oh look, Maria's going to have a baby! NOW LET'S PAY ATTENTION TO HER A@#$GH!

[reannon.livejournal.com]

I dunno. The story makes it pretty clear that she wanted him to do it, and even actively participated by hitting herself in the abdomen, by her own admission. If the defense had used that argument and the girl claimed it wasn't true, it would be a different story - and he'd be charged with assault on her as well as murder of the twins. Clearly she suffered no lasting physical damage. So I don't know that it would be appropriate for the story to paint her as a victim.

However, I would like it if the story had addressed why she didn't just go to an abortion clinic, if she was so desperate not to have the babies.

[kali-ma.livejournal.com]

If she'd gone to a doctor and he'd given her a medical abortion, the doctor wouldn't be in any trouble at all. They don't say why she didn't go. Given her family's pushing of a murder charge, I would say they probably refused to allow her to abort. Since at issue isn't his treatment of HER, clearly the intention is to try to push the idea of life beginning at conception. The girl's desire not to be forced to give birth is, to them, irrelevant.
Some years ago in Louisiana, a teen girl shot herself in the stomach because she was pregnant and couldn't get an abortion. They charged her with murder because the fetus died. I never did find out what happened to her.

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

Yet another good example of what I consider to be at the crux of these kinds of legislative issues.

They not legislating for you or I, who think ahead - have resources, support and independent means.

This is a 17 and a 19 year old, if I remember reading it right. No idependent means (I didn't even have a car until I was 19, nor had driving privledges often on the one car the household had), and asking for help? Sounds like they had to resort to something nobody could see or object to.

A 12 year old presenting at a county clinic for a morning after pill isn't hooking on the side for spare change.

A teen aborting by violence (remember that baseball bat thing in Michigan?) is not doing it by choice. (Gah, what a use of the word.)

If you fail to address the reason a woman is presenting for an abortion, you do not solve the problem of women needing abortions.

As a backhanded slap, we do something twice as stupid to the men. We prosecute them and do nothing to the women! Jeez.

[kali-ma.livejournal.com]

I think all the fetal murder laws are intended to eventuallly outlaw abortion. A few of the more honest pushers of these laws will quietly admit that.
Worst I would charge him with could be maybe practicing medicine without a license. The charge of double capital murder is just - stupid. If she can get it legally done at a doctor's office then the problem is obviously the method and not the end result, right?

Oh sorry, I must be speaking from that POV of that durned reality based community again.

[pipu.livejournal.com]

What if she changed her story after the fact to protect him? She's already lost the babies, but maybe by saying she was involved she can help save her boyfriend. No one but the two people involved know what actually happened, and only they know if they're telling the truth now.

I don't think it's that clear at all, but then again, maybe I've been watching too many episodes of Law & Order.

[moropus.livejournal.com]

I think the girl is lucky she didn't end up with internal bleeding or something. And who knows what kind of 'female troubles' she will have after this.
I remember girls used to dive off the top of stairs to try to have a miscarriage. It's really sad we're still doing things that foolish.

[our-meg.livejournal.com]

Regardless of the whole 'are fetus' people' arguement, he tried to abort twins in the third trimester by kicking her in the stomach!!! Aborting fetuses that late is dangerous to the mom, let alone the kids. He should be put away for attempted murder of the mother and practicing medicine without a lisence, and she should be put away for attempted suicide. GRRRR!!!

As for the other article. *twitch* Makes me glad that any 'kidnapping of the bride' that would happen in my vicinity would be met with steel.

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

I think the Maglite is cast aluminum, if I remember right. *smirks*

[feyandstrange.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure who I need the Mace and the Maglite for, these days - kidnappers, or people trying to take away my right to be anything *but* a baby container.

I suppose I should be glad (sarcasm alert) that, since I'm disabled, it's a lot more likely people won't want me to breed, even if my disability isn't inheritable.

[mactavish.livejournal.com]

eeeeesh

[joggingguy.livejournal.com]

Kidnapping, then institutionalized slavery. Nice. *sarcasm*

*trades you the maglite for an aluminum baseball bat*