In the past 2 weeks, two incidents covered in the news have troubled me the most. The first occurred about a week ago. A woman was gunned down at a college campus by her ex-boyfriend even though she had a restraining order on him. Today, another woman--pregnant, no less--was shot point-blank by an unnamed man in a CNN building in Atlanta. Clearly, since he chose to drag her by the hair prior to killing her, this was some kind of domestic case.
According to the American Pregnancy Association, 240,000 pregnant women are subject to domestic violence every year in the United States. The fact is, pregnancy in itself is a risk factor. Pregnant women are at twice the risk of being battered. Think about it: teenage moms, distant partners, doctor's bills, extramarital affairs, unwanted pregnancies, stress--it's all a concoction for violence. Look no further than the Laci Peterson case.
The Unborn Victims of Violence Act (signed in '04) helps prosecute those who harm children in utero (abortion is specifically exempted from this law), but the sad truth is, it can't prevent the attacks in the first place. No only that, some of these men commit suicide after killing the mothers, so how can justice ever be done by society?
Prevention is the goal here. Encouraging all teen moms to have abortions isn't going to do it, because that only gives one party (the male) a say in the situation. Free health care alone won't do it, because we all know people who have had more than their share of children that they make no effort to care for.
I think everyone who has a baby in the works, regardless if they want to remain a couple or not, should be required by law to:
1. Take a paternity test.
2. Be required to attend weekly parenting classes with counseling.
3. Receive free or low-cost prenatal health care and benefits until the child is at least five.
4. Be connected with adoption services immediately to be informed of their choices.
The idea is for people to take baby-making seriously. If couples were required to attend parenting classes, if they were forced to see the gravity of the situation, perhaps they would refrain from bringing multiple children into the world (a major cause for stress). If men knew that mothers were required to attend prenatal appointments (where signs of abuse would be looked for), perhaps they would think twice. If child support was automatically garnished from people's wages, we would all be less careless. "Baby Moses" locations (places where you can leave an unwanted baby, no questions asked) should be publicized everywhere, but that isn't enough. Crimes against mothers should be punished severely. Prevention is critical. Successfully prosecuting a perpetrator of violence against a pregnant woman is commendable, but wouldn't true success be if we prevented the violence in the first place?
According to the American Pregnancy Association, 240,000 pregnant women are subject to domestic violence every year in the United States. The fact is, pregnancy in itself is a risk factor. Pregnant women are at twice the risk of being battered. Think about it: teenage moms, distant partners, doctor's bills, extramarital affairs, unwanted pregnancies, stress--it's all a concoction for violence. Look no further than the Laci Peterson case.
The Unborn Victims of Violence Act (signed in '04) helps prosecute those who harm children in utero (abortion is specifically exempted from this law), but the sad truth is, it can't prevent the attacks in the first place. No only that, some of these men commit suicide after killing the mothers, so how can justice ever be done by society?
Prevention is the goal here. Encouraging all teen moms to have abortions isn't going to do it, because that only gives one party (the male) a say in the situation. Free health care alone won't do it, because we all know people who have had more than their share of children that they make no effort to care for.
I think everyone who has a baby in the works, regardless if they want to remain a couple or not, should be required by law to:
1. Take a paternity test.
2. Be required to attend weekly parenting classes with counseling.
3. Receive free or low-cost prenatal health care and benefits until the child is at least five.
4. Be connected with adoption services immediately to be informed of their choices.
The idea is for people to take baby-making seriously. If couples were required to attend parenting classes, if they were forced to see the gravity of the situation, perhaps they would refrain from bringing multiple children into the world (a major cause for stress). If men knew that mothers were required to attend prenatal appointments (where signs of abuse would be looked for), perhaps they would think twice. If child support was automatically garnished from people's wages, we would all be less careless. "Baby Moses" locations (places where you can leave an unwanted baby, no questions asked) should be publicized everywhere, but that isn't enough. Crimes against mothers should be punished severely. Prevention is critical. Successfully prosecuting a perpetrator of violence against a pregnant woman is commendable, but wouldn't true success be if we prevented the violence in the first place?
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