Thursday, August 21, 2014

How to End the Criminalization of America’s Mothers

How to End the Criminalization of America’s Mothers

Nightmarish stories about about the criminalizing of motherhood have been making headlines of late. There was Shanesha Taylor, arrested on child abuse charges for leaving her kids in a car to go to a job interview; Debra Harrell, locked up for child abuse for letting her 9-year-old play at a nearby park while she worked her shift at McDonald’s; Mallory Loyola, the first woman to be charged under a new Tennessee law that makes it a crime to take drugs while pregnant; and Eileen Dinino, who died serving a jail sentence because she was too poor to pay legal fees from her kids’ truancy cases. Other countries provide social programs and income supports for poor single mothers; in the United States, we arrest them. This week at The Curve, we ask contributors what, in their view, is driving America’s assault on mothers, and what is the remedy?

1 comment:

  1. Anonymous11:06 AM

    I was told, more than once, that if a Judge signs an Order, even if it is wrong and unjust, there is nothing that can be done. Unless you can afford to pay an attorney to have it changed, and that is not likely to happen. HELP!!! My daughter and granddaughter are paying because we don't have lots of money laying around for any more attorney's fees and we don't know anyone "in power". This should be about Justice and the REAL Best Interest of the Child!!! HELP!!! HELP!!! HELP!!! She is suffering each and every time in the care of the father/his family/his girlfriend. HELP!!! HELP!!! HELP!!! Contact me at:mariesoffice2004@yahoo.com if you can help. Thanks.

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