My reasons for this are that while immigrants are welcomed and encouraged here in the U.S., as that’s the American way, doing it legally should be a no-brainer.  Legal immigrants are basically temporary guests until such time as they go back to their original home or apply for a U.S. citizenship.  While they are here, they have rules and regulations to follow.  Just as citizens who are born here in American.  Why should illegal immigrants who flaunt their disregard of the rules be rewarded for doing so; when many legal immigrants, who do things by the book, honor our system?  That isn’t right to reward illegals by giving them a free ride when our own citizens don’t get that same level of benefits.

The thing is, not only will they get private scholarships to go to college…but, they have to have money to live on.  How will they get food and money to pay for other necessities? So while they may get private scholarships to go to school…they must turn to the public to meet their other needs.  Already the state of California is struggling financially to meet it’s obligations to those who live there; you know, people that legally have the right to live there.  What about medical care?  What if those illegal immigrants have children while they are here? Those children will be U.S. citizens…but, then the parents have the ability to try to petition the courts to try to stay here as well.  Who picks up the tab in the meantime?  We all know the answer to that…residents of the United States who pay their taxes are stuck picking up the tab to provide for them.  It just isn’t right.

There are some individuals who think that by educating the illegals that it will help our country by causing them to pay taxes.  Yeah right, first of all, illegals don’t want to be noticed by government agencies.  They don’t want to be sent back to the countries that they came from.  Truthfully, why would they?  They can live here…find jobs that will pay them under the table, keep Uncle Sam’s portion for themselves, go to college…often have babies here in America for free, and send money back home where it is worth much more than it is here…and be doing quite well, all things considered.

I happen to think that it is outrageous that Governor Jerry Brown would slap Americans in the face by taking this action. It is what I call poor leadership that will have a negative impact on our nation.  As the head politicians, he should be enforcing the laws of his country, not creating ways around the laws of the nation.  This country is experiencing a time-bomb regarding our ceiling of debt that has the potential to paralyze our country financially; and, he dares to spread out the welcome mat to people that he feels we need to invest in.  The illegal immigrants shouldn’t be America’s obligation financially.

What are your thoughts on this matter?  Oh and before you jot down your opinion…just know that there is another bill being considered in the legislature for public scholarships to be extended to illegal immigrants in the United States as well.  That would squarely place the brunt of the cost, of sending ILLEGAL immigrants, directly onto the American taxpayer who may or may not be able to afford to send their own family members to college.  Is this fair?  Tell me what you think!

While that statement isn’t always true about every person…I believe that is the way that God created us.  Since he created animals too and they give so many of us a daily dose of joy and a lift to our spirits I have often wondered if God gave them a bit of the same compassionate nature that he gave to us humans.

Often you will hear stories of an animal that comforted or rescued someone who was hurt, lost, in danger, or suffering with a disease or illness.  I really enjoy hearing those stories.  Sometimes you will see animals do some amazing things; that’s why when I watched this video, which I first saw on the news, I had to post it here.  Then I went to Youtube to get the link.  The situation that unfolds, in the video, is that a group of elephants are drinking at the waters edge and a young one falls into the water.  The compassion and teamwork that the adult elephants put to use is very inspiring to me.  I hope you enjoy this elephant video rescue .

I love how the adult elephants size up the situation, are compassionate towards the young one who was in danger; and, use teamwork to rescue the baby elephant.  It just proves to me that animals are smart and have big hearts towards one another…I think that is amazing. God designed every part of our world in an impressive and fascinating way.  Compassionate behavior should be encouraged in both the human world and in the animal kingdom.  How can we be more compassionate and encouraging in our lives?  Leave your thoughts after watching the video to let me know you visited, if you please.

That being said…even those mother’s have done something to be remembered for, and that is for bringing their children into the world.  At the most basic level…giving life is something to honor; since not every woman who discovers she is pregnant makes the choice to give birth to her child.  If you had a mother who only functioned at a bare minimum, then I hope you had another woman who filled a mother- like role in your life, encouraging, teaching, praising and loving you; someone to step in and protect you.  Acknowledge that person on mother’s day and don’t let the negative emotions in regards to whether a birth mother was mother of the year or not; choose to celebrate love.

I’ve been blessed and I want to take a moment to celebrate love.  A few years ago, we were told that my mother had an enlarged heart.  This was traumatic as my mother was/is one of those women who loved and encouraged her children as we grew up.  She continues to do this.  Now her medical condition has been treated with medication and close monitoring; we are grateful for that.  However, it got me to thinking about mothers who love deeply.

I thought about the changes that happen when a woman is pregnant.  Her emotions change, her mind changes as she makes decisions that she feels are the best for her and her child.  Hopefully, she has a loving and supportive mate to help her as she parents her child…not everyone does.  A pregnant woman’s spirit changes too…she has to think beyond herself and how the life of the child she carries will be influenced by the choices she makes in life.  Finally, her body changes…oh you know the usual: weight gain, swollen ankles, varicose veins…hemorrhoids…headaches and cravings.  The important change I think for a woman who really wants to be a mother, is that her heart enlarges…it makes room for more love than you can imagine a heart to contain.

That love is what builds a life that can withstand problems, challenges, and negativity that is sure to come their way as they live their lives.  That love is what opens the door to the good things in life that are meant to be enjoyed and nurtured.  That love is what keeps the human race continuing.

I think mothers who chose to love and are loved in return should be celebrated.  If you didn’t get that, from the luck of the draw, at the moment of your conception & birth…you can still find it. Everyone wants and needs that kind of love in their life.  Be sensitive towards those who you know have a hard time at this time of year due to abandonment issues, abuse, neglect or due to the death of their mother figure.  Be a role model and encourage those who are sad or lonely or feeling cheated in the mother department.

This world is full of women who have enlarged hearts and are willing to share them.  Find someone to celebrate the good things in your life with.  Whether it be as a sister, a friend, an auntie, a grandma, a daughter…a teacher, a neighbor or a pen pal; a mother’s heart can be found in a multitude of relationships.  Let yourself love and be loved.  Don’t let a broken biological accident of birth scar you into a negative mother’s day.  Find someone who can share an enlarged heart with you…and give & receive the best that life has to offer…a truly wonderful Mother’s Day!

It seems that two of the children were delivered safely enough by a C-section; but, when the third child was delivered, the Dr. accidently nicked the uterus causing extreme blood loss and her brain was shortchanged of oxygen for a period of time.  She was paralyzed and can’t eat, talk or speak.  Her ex-husband thinks that the children visiting with their mother could be traumatized.  They have only allegedly spent 1 visit with their mother since they were born, from the sounds of it and they will be 5 years old this summer.

Apparently the husband divorced his wife approximately a year after the birth of the triplets.  He is under the impression that she is unaware of her environment.  Therefore, he didn’t believe she would be able to improve so he divorced her and has been raising the children on his own in California.

The grandparents on the mother’s side, who are caregiving, filed for the children’s mother to have a right to visit with her children.  The father has fought it…and now a judge decides.

In my heart, I started to wonder…how does a person who took marriage vows to love, honor, obey; for richer, for poorer; in sickness and in health, for better or for worse…how do they then, get to a place where they not only leave the person; but, deny them a right to visit their children that they presumably created together in love?

That is not to say that I don’t understand that the mother’s physical & medical needs weren’t overwhelming at the time of the children’s birth but; still…how do you walk away from the person that you committed yourself to?  I understand that raising triplets and working at the same time is demanding.  It leaves a lot of questions about where exactly a person’s obligations lay.

Do people really understand what those vows mean when they speak them?  What happens if life’s circumstance really do turn out worse than better once you have spoken your vows?  Did or does the husband have a moral obligation to honor his vows?  The judge will decide if he must legally allow visits…but, I am curious about what others think on an emotional level.

At the very least, shouldn’t he allow his ex-wife to see their children?  After all, the young woman who went to that hospital that day to give birth to their three children.  I am sure she had every expectation that their lives were about to change for the better.  They were going to be parents…a family who lived and loved together.  Things did not turn out that way at all…and it begs a person to wonder…when things turn out worse than for the better in a marriage…can the spouses have any level of expectation from the one who professes to love them enough to marry them?  What are your thoughts?

I know that some people celebrate Christmas without having any religious meaning to it…but honestly, why?  They could just as easily have get-togethers with friends and family without having to go through the motions of celebrating Christmas, right?   For me, my friends and most of my family; we choose to go deep into the meaning of Christmas.

I understand the biblical story can seem fantastical to an unbeliever.  A virgin girl gives birth to the son of God so that he can live among his people teaching them of the ways of God and to eventually sacrifice his life so that those who believe in him can live for eternity in Heaven with God the Father.   It is an amazing way to impact people.  It is extraordinary!  How else should the son of God be viewed except as an extraordinary person?

Put yourself into the position of young Mary the mother of baby Jesus.  She herself was a young girl who had known no man physically.  When the angel of the Lord came to her and told her of this miraculous plan; Mary had to have been shocked and fearful.  After all, even today being a young pregnant woman who is unmarried is no easy task.  Imagine even more so in the time in which Mary lived when a young woman could be not only socially destroyed by a pregnancy while unmarried…she could also be stoned to death for her sin.  This was the way of the world during the time that Mary lived.

Can you imagine her thoughts?  Not only that, but she was betrothed to Joseph.  Would he still accept her as his wife to be once it became noticeable that she was pregnant?  Did she tremble with the knowledge that the angel shared with her?  What about her family would they still love her, stand by her… or would they think her a liar and condemn her to the punishment that was sure to come her way?

God in his wisdom prepared Joseph by letting him know that his was his plan for Joseph and Mary.  He told Joseph that the child Mary carried was the Messiah that had been foretold of in scripture.  He told Joseph what to do when the time was right.  Joseph had to have struggled with his own thoughts of doubt, insecurities and fear.  Was he good enough, strong enough and faithful enough to support Mary in public and raise the child of God?  After all, he was about to become an adoptive father, a step father in effect.  How intimidating is all of that?  What about all that whispering of rumors that would happen when people would believe that he and Mary had just had sex and got caught…so maybe, just maybe, they came up with this fantastical story to cover their tracks?

I mean really, people are still the same today as back then when it comes to talking behind peoples backs, right? Joseph could have accused her in public of cheating on him, he could have shamed her; he could have walked away or “divorced” her severing their betrothal to one another.  He could have doubted his own worthiness to fulfill the role that God had chosen him to serve by protecting Mary, being the father figure on earth and by instilling all of the values that God in Heaven wanted his son Jesus to have while he grew into the man that God wanted him to be.

Courage is what it took for Joseph and Mary to accept God’s plan for their lives and for the life of baby Jesus who WOULD grow into the man who would die to save the world from their sins; if only they would believe.  Obedience is what was required.  Faith is what it took to make it happen.

The human side of the story is one in which I suspect most of us can most relate to.  The fears, the doubt, the questions… the awe when God’s plan was fulfilled.  As they planned and prepared for the birth of Jesus…imagine their surprise when he was born in a lowly stable (barn).  He was to be the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords…the son of God.  How could it be that he was to come into the world in such a common way?  There was no room at the inn as Joseph and Mary traveled…the stable was the best that Joseph could come up with at the moment of the onset of Mary’s labor.

Once the baby was born and God sent worshipers to him from around the world…don’t ya think that all were amazed?  I can only imagine it.  I mean…any other mother looks to prepare her nest.  Get things clean, prepared and just so.  I am sure that Mary was no different.  She was getting ready to welcome the baby who would be called Jesus.   Those who came to see the child were welcoming the baby.  The animals in the stable were privileged to see and greet the son of God.  The chosen human parents were welcoming the baby gratefully the he arrived safely.  There was joy.  There was celebration.

Today we should be no less filled with joy or celebration.  Yes it happened a long time ago.  But, just knowing that it happened and how it affects us all; we should still be welcoming the baby in our lives.  It should not just be at Christmas time either.  Jesus is a gift to us all; from God, so that we can have eternal life and not spend eternity in hell because of our sins.  If we believe in Jesus as the son of God, claim him as our own, live our lives under the guidelines and rules in the Bible… do our best to serve God in all that we do, say, think and feel; then, we will truly be welcoming the baby Jesus in the way that God intended.

How does that translate into a world that barely acknowledges God let alone his son?  We must do our best to include him daily.  Be the person that God has created you to  be.  Live your best life by doing what is right, striving to be holy, praying,  reading the Bible…affecting the people around you in a positive way.

This Christmas, how do you intend to celebrate the birth of Christ?  Do you include honoring as the main goal of your holiday celebrations?  Do you have traditions that show why you give gifts, prepare a feast of food, invite visitors and have a party in general?  Tell us about your Christmas celebrations…we’d love to hear from you.

         There is great debate about whether this policy should or should not be in place.  The Provincetown school district superintendent, Beth Singer appears to be puzzled by the controversy; even though the policy has no age limitation.    This goes above and beyond regular sex ed where parents can opt out of certain aspects of a sex ed program because of their beliefs or their own choice in how they want to explain the facts of life to their children; but, this policy removes that option by eliminating a parent’s consent or awareness.

        The author of the policy believes that all students should be educated about the use of condoms regarding disease and pregnancy prevention along with other issues relating to sexual education.  News reports say that she believes the controversy is surprising, but good as it gets people discussing the issue.  She has said that the policy was not created with the intention of giving condoms to children in elementary school.   It will probably now be geared for middle school and up, if I understand this correctly.  However, I think that is wrong because even though it does happen, kids should NOT be having sex.  If they are having sex then it is up to the parents and that child/teen to discuss how things should be handled; it should be a private family matter.

      It seems that, the school committee that approved the policy will re-examine the way that the policy is written because opposition to the policy has arisen over the availability of condoms to grade school children without having to notify the  parents, of said students.   Golly, I wonder why the parents are so upset…I mean…it is not like the school is trying to take over the role of the parents or anything, right?  >by the way, that is SARCASM if you are not getting that without hearing the “tone” of my voice.

       My feeling is that anytime a school or agency tries to usurp the authority of a parent over their children… it is wrong.  By creating a situation where kids can skip going to their parents for something as important as birth control or a device meant to protect them while having sexual relations with another person (whether it be another minor or not) is a serious problem. 

         First of all, minors having sex is not ok.  It happens yes; yes it does.  However, our society is sending kids mixed messages about whether that is appropriate.  Everything they hear and see in the media is sexually charged.  Yet, legally (and morally) sexually activity with another minor is wrong.  It can get them brought up on charges.  A minor having sexual relations with an adult is illegal, and damaging emotionally, physically and spiritually.  

        Any sexual activity can expose them to sexually transmitted diseases.  It can damage them emotionally and socially at a time when they are just discovering who they are as an individual.  It can put them in a situation where they have to choose how to handle the consequences of a pregnancy; ie: raising the child, adoption, abortion and the after-effects of any of those choices.  A minor is not typically in a position to handle the life long implications of such choices; often their choices are made while in crisis.  They often do not have the finances, the education, the housing or the emotional maturity to handle the consequences of sexual behavior.   Sometimes decisions such as having an abortion, or making an adoption plan, can actually harm them permanently forcing them to seek professional help in the future.  

         No one knows your child like you the parent does.  You understand their emotional make up.  You know what they have gone through personally.  You the parent know their friends and their boyfriends/girlfriends.  It is you the parent who is/was their first teacher in life…they have learned a great deal from you from birth on.  This area of teaching is the parent’s responsibility.  It can be uncomfortable yes…but understand this…no agency or school is going to have your particular set of values on this subject.  They might get taught the mechanics of how sex happens and how to prevent pregnancy…but, they won’t get the personal/moral/religious viewpoint that you the parent has from some other authority in the exact same way as you, yourself would have your kids understand it.

         I understand that not all parents are created equally…some parents will shirk their responsibility or worse, they may care less what their kids are doing; let alone deal with any consequences.  There are abusive family situations as well…that IS when an agency is appropriate to step in and take over the parenting duties…when an adult parent is unfit.  In that situation, a school counselor, a trusted adult or even a member of clergy can be confided in to meet the needs of a kid who is in need of counseling regarding sexual behavior.  But, it is not fair to the parents who do take their leadership position as heads of their households away by superceding their parental authority.

          The fallout of damage to personal relationships due to the alienation of parental authority is real and can hurt your relationship with your child forever. 

          The mere fact of keeping the parents out of the decision making loop, in an area of life that has the potential of affecting their child for the rest of their life which allows them to keep those kind of secrets is unhealthy and just plain wrong. 

          I would hope that this policy helps people realize and respect how important these decisions are and allows them to be decided between parents, their children, and their own family’s medical/spiritual consultants.

       For once in recent months, she is not at the mercy of someone else out to make news headlines from standing on top of her tragic connection to the negative headlines concerning her husband’s alleged infidelities.   I am sure this is not how she originally planned to announce her son’s birth; however,  it is good to have a bright light in this situation…Sandra’s celebration of her new life with her son.

        Sandra who is known for her clean and loving image and reputation has been dealt a raw deal by those alleged mistresses and their stories that they’ve shared in the media.  Their public claims of “sorry for the mess” carries little weight, I am sure.  Their requests for one- on- one time with her to discuss their “relationships” with Sandra’s husband…should not be given the time of day.  Sandra owes them no such gesture.  

       All along, Sandra has kept her peace and her dignity.  Not easy to do with some of the muck that was published.  However, Sandra is now voicing the fact that she is divorcing her husband, and also sharing the joy of her leap into single motherhood.  She has the finances and the support systems to be able to parent quite well as a single mother.  She will not face many of the challenges that many other single mothers face and that is a blessing.   The dissolution of her marriage is a tragedy…leave her alone to heal on that.   Allow her to celebrate and enjoy the things that bring happiness to her and her loved ones; for once, don’t pick at what should be a private family event.

        The People article speaks of the fact that Sandra and Jesse were adopting her son Louis together in January.  Then came the Oscars…they were waiting until that event was over to announce the adoption of their son.  We all know that a week after the Oscars the headlines gleefully announced the assault on Sandra’s marriage.  Women came out of the wood-work to share the gory details of their encounters with Jesse James.  Sandra moved out of the home she shared with her husband and his children from former relationships.   The tabloids took joy in following up one lurid headline after another…and it is unfortunate that there is a huge market for selling such newspapers on the backs of other people’s pain and misery.  It doesn’t speak well of our culture to have such an environment for our children to grow up in, in my opinion.

          She kept quiet in the media, except to declare the fact that an alleged sex tape did not exist.  That had to be painful enough to have to address something related to the horror of those stories; still, now it is easy to understand why she made the statement.  It was to distance herself from being tainted with the poor choices of those who brought down her marriage.  She was not reponsibile for making such personally devastating choices with her own behavior; even though allegedly her husband and those who had physical relationships with him are.  Sandra should not be held accountable for their actions nor should she suffer the loss of her son because of them.  By stating that there was no sex tape with her in it…she was standing tall and distancing herself from the immoral activity that was affecting her because of her association with it just by being married to Jesse. 

        I can imagine the fear and despair she felt as a new adoptive parent.   She had to have been fearful that the agencies that approved her adoption process would rightfully question whether that adoption should be finalized.  It is every adoptive parents concern that “something” will happen to derail an adoption and tear apart a parent-child relationship that has formed.  

        The headlines screamed all kinds of concern about the stability of Sandra and Jesse’s relationship at this point.  It would only be right of those concerned about the welfare of a child to want to know how that would impact Sandra’s son.  Remember, courts have to insure the best interests of the child; that is a big responsibility.   But, for most adoptive parents, any concerns an agency or court would have would normally be addressed privately…not in the media.   No adoptive parent wants something to come into play that would jepardize their blossoming relationship with their child or perhaps end their quest to come together as parent and child.

          For those who have no relationship with adoption, you should know that adoptive parents often live with others putting their parenting under the microscope.   People in general feel that it is ok to voice their input about an adoptive parent should or should not do in regards to parenting their child.  In Sandra’s case, she was a victim of circumstance and timing.  Jesse made those choices and Jesse has to address those issues within himself.  

        Jesse went off to rehab…and allegedly left rehab…only to return.  In the meantime, I am sure the behind the scenes details continued to be worked out in regards to the adoption.   Strength and courage in the face of challenges comes from a person’s internal character.  It doesn’t make the devastation any less with the dissolution of a marriage…however, I am sure that Sandra’s relationship with her friends and family will help her to heal. 

          I would caution readers to remember that there are many “innocent” people in these situations from in-laws to friends and neighbors.  They all suffer when these things happen; that is both the beauty and the pain of having deep personal relationships with others.   With the announcement that Sandra is now adopting her son as a single parent and stating that the adoption is no longer including Jesse, the concerns about stability and appropriateness should now be eliminated.   Louis will be loved, protected, and cared for and that is the goal of adoption.  It is all life changing news that Sandra “chose” to share with People magazine. 

        Congratulations Sandra Bullock on the adoption of your son.  May you have a long, healthy & happy life together as mother and son.  No matter what happens with your marriage, I hope that you are able to continue having a loving and supportive relationship with Jesse’s children.   They will need that and so will you. 

         Life gets so complicated sometimes and the innocent are often caught up in the ripples of negativity from the actions of others.  Sandra has been a constant in Jesse’s children’s life for quite a few years now…hopefully that can continue.  I am sure that the older children have begun to bond with Louis as well…may peace and love be yours once again.  Oh and by the way, let me be the first to say, Happy Mother’s Day in a couple weeks!

      This is not ok.  The reason that it is not ok is because our country is increasingly finding out that our kids are in trouble.  They often have relationship issues, drug/alcohol abuse issues, eating disorders, trust issues and more.   Many of their role models have not been good ones; and finding good leadership for them to learn from is difficult.  Teen years are challenging at best when it is natural for them to try to discover who they are and what freedoms they can enjoy.

       They are in trouble in school, at home, out with their friends, in trouble with the law, they are isolated, angry, hurt, sad, frustrated, fearful and many are finding it hard to trust anyone or anything to be there for them.  Yet at the same time, there is resistence or open rebellion when it comes to accepting advice or rules meant to help them, keep them safe and meant to guide or direct them.  This not only creates difficulty in having a healthy, loving and respectful relationship between parent and child it also puts the child/teen at risk of being influenced by others who have no real vested interest in making sure that the child/teen is happy, healthy, productive and well-balanced in their life.

       One of the situations that came to my attention was a situation in which a school in the US runs a health clinic.  At the beginning of the year, a parent signed a consent form allowing the child/teen to go to the clinic if the need arose for treatment.  This would have allowed that student to receive care for a headache, a physical, birth control, and a multi-tude of other services.  One of those other services appears to be pregnancy counseling and get this…the facilatation of setting up and transporting the student off school grounds to receive an abortion-without informing or getting the consent of the legal parent of said student.   This did in fact happen, a student was put in a taxi from my understanding of the news report and sent off to receive an abortion.  Evidently by signing that generic consent form this “allowed” the high school student to receive such services.   This is outrageous; it is not like that student had a hangnail removed…this student made a life altering decision; one that will impact her physically, spiritually and emotionally…without parental involvement.

       That is or should be unacceptable to most families.  It is as if the school assumed a superior level of authority over the parents in an area of life that should have been left up to the student, her parents, the student’s boyfriend and his parents and if they could not handle the situation then, and only then, maybe the court system.  

        Parental rights and parental authority are under attack in this country.  We see it at every level of society from commercials on television and radio, to the internet, to entertainment such as music videos, movies, and television shows…the parents are made out to be interferring, control freaks, laughable buffoons to be made fun of, and if at all necessary someone to distance themselves from.   Yet when kids get out of control behaviorally, emotionally or physically…many other venues from the schools, to law enforcement to businesses want the parents to “handle or correct” the situation with their children/teens.   You can’t expect parents to be an authority figure to their kids if you are putting down, reducing the effects of parental authority/control, or are in some way ridiculing parental involvement in their kids lives.  

       It is hard when parents are often told how they can and cannot discipline or correct their children.  The respect for parental authority is challenged in court and in the classroom.  It doesn’t help when many families are broken or in fact have never formed legally in the first place.  Kids get conflicting sets of rules and expectations and often in those situations are told by whatever person in authority over them at the time tears down or directly tells the child/teen that they do not have to listen to or respect the other parent’s rules or expectations if they differ from their own.

       In the news also is the case of a father who took his child to church against the wishes of the mother.  When the mother and father were together they agreed to raise the child in the Jewish faith.  When the parents were no longer together…the father decided to go back to his Christian faith and take his child to court.  Now the court says he can not expose the child to his faith.  Who has more authority with the child; the mother, the father, or the court.  Evidently the court does.  

        This is why in previous generations there were warnings about “mixed marriages” when it came to beliefs or what the old timers called being unequally yolked or joined together.  It is hard to have a respectful blending of beliefs and raise children in those kind of relationships.  Can it be done?  It seems only if the couple agrees to expose them to differing viewpoints…because in this particular case, the court says no, the father may not take his child to his church to educate the child about his beliefs.   Is this right or wrong?

        I have a friend who has a special needs child who is in his 30′s who lives in an assisted living type of home.  That individual developed some complications with his health years ago and almost died.  The parent in that situation had to fight tooth and nail to keep authority over the medical treatment of her son.  Again this past week, her parental authority was challenged.  

        The doctor in charge wanted to medicate her child to battle some health issues that a lifestyle change would also help to fascilitate his return to health.  It looked as if the powers that be would escalate the struggle to the next level and would have even gone beyond harsh words and a pushy agenda in gaining the upper hand in who was in control over the medical decisions regarding the young man.   The parent had to push to “temporarily” removed him from the environment and stressed that the same goal of reducing the health risk to her son could be achieved by changes to his diet and exercise plan on a daily basis.   This is going to come down to what they can achieve and the documentation of her approach.  If it doesn’t work the way that the parent knows to be true; then the facility will try to enforce their plan of medication which in his case can have an extremely dire affect upon his health because of the side effects.

         All of these situations and more every day are jeparodizing the importance of the role that parents play in shaping the lives of their children.  We who have children have to step up to the plate and demand that we be given the opportunity to raise our children to the best of our ability with full legal, moral, physical and spiritual authority; unless we prove that we are not capable of handling that authority.  Parental authority/parental rights should only be challenged or threatened in cases of abuse/neglect/or endangerment.

        What are your thoughts on this subject?  Do you have an experience that you would like to share?

       First off, I want to say that I did not join in or comment on her Twitter stream because I don’t think that she is looking so much for conversation about her choice to abort a pregnancy, as she is looking for agreement with her right to do so, as well as some notoriety.  She says that she was looking for support from her friends during the abortion. 

        See, the back story is that this woman has a 4 year old special needs son.  She lives with the child and her boyfriend (the father of this child she is trying to abort).  I wonder what he thinks…if he is as much in support of the public abortion as she is?  In her twitter stream she called this child she was carrying a “thing”, a thing that didn’t have sex organs yet; in relationship to another twitter persons tweet for life. 

         I am trying to imagine what a man would think about his child being called a thing?  What about grandparents, aunts/uncles, cousins or the woman’s young son when he grows up…how do, or will, any of them feel about this abortion?  Should their opinions count?    How does abortion impact those who are in relationships with people who choose abortion as their path?  Does it create issues between them if they are in disagreement with the choice to have an abortion?

        According to the news articles that I have read, this adult woman had a first pregnancy which was allegedly life threatening to her.  She was “advised” not to get pregnant again because of that first pregnancy and the high risk that she endured.  So, from what I understand from the various articles on the subject…she decided that if she were to get pregnant again she would have an abortion to end it.  Obviously, whatever form of birth control they were using was not effective because she became pregnant.

       When she discovered that she was pregnant she allegedly tweeted that she was pregnant.  She found out early that she was indeed pregnant so that allowed her to use the chemical form of abortion called RU486.  Since she went this route…she has been tweeting the process.  Telling of the cramping, the bleeding, and all of the other gory details.  This process can take days.   This process of abortion can be  dangerous…but, she seems to believe that it is worth the risk. 

         I do not believe in abortion…and it seems to me that it is a gamble with her life either way…either from carrying the pregnancy as far as is humanly possible or, from having the abortion.   I would not wish a high risk pregnancy on anyone; however, I personally would have more respect for her had she tried to carry this baby to term.  Even if she did not want to raise the child…she could attempt to give it life and place the child for adoption.

        Some people have been very supportive of what she is doing…others are not.  After all, abortion is a very polarizing subject.  People react according to their personal beliefs, experiences,  and values.  This woman also says that she is an athiest.   From my visit to her Twitter stream I found her to be not only vocal about the abortion but also about religion and other subjects, such as foster care.  She like anyone in America has a right to voice her opinion.  Yet, she uses language that many would deem vulgar or filled with obsenities; hardly language that one would use to try to educate or pursuade another person towards their way of thinking on a particular subject.    She allegedly says that she is astonished at the level of reaction and attention that her attempt to “educate” people about abortion has attracted.

        I find that hard to believe.  I don’t think that you choose to go against traditional beliefs, values, and lifestyle without expecting others to have a strong reaction to it.  I happen to believe that for whatever reason, the very fact that many other people find her actions (regarding the abortion) and beliefs (religion) so wrong and offensive, gives her a sense of, her against the world… and I think in her mind, it empowers her.   Especially when those who oppose her strongly, wrongly attack her personally in their objection to what she has chosen to do.  Unfortunately, it seems that some people have even threatened her life…not only is that wrong…it is illegal.  The authorities will be involved in those situations appropriately, I am sure. 

       Understand, she is going to do what she wants to do; what we in this country have legally allowed her and any other woman that chooses to; and, that is to be able to legally abort the life of her child.  However, I myself do not wish to be watching her do what I myself find personally wrong.  I do believe in God and I believe in spiritual consequences.  She says that she doesn’t believe in God.  That is probably true…because I dont think it is easy to do what she is doing and have a close relationship with God…who i believe is the author of life. 

         A great number of women who have abortions suffer in later years because of their decision to abort.  They have emotional, physical and spiritual damage to their beings.  Some do not and continue to go on and have repeat abortions according to what their conscience dictates.  Legally this is allowed in the United States; it is unfortunate in my opinion.

        She doesn’t appear to care about my opinion or anyone elses probably.  By giving her more attention, it feeds the flames.  However, in my opinion the taking of the life of her child and throwing it away is wrong.  Once the child was conceived…it should have the right to be born.   What if she gets pregnant again in the future?  Why not pursue a permanent solution to her pregnancy potential?

          What about her life…the one that potentially could be threatened should she try to carry the baby (she calls it cells)?  Calling the baby a clump of cells is an attempt to deny the value of the life she carried.  Well, in my opinion…once she was told that it would be life threatening, in the future, for her to become pregnant; then, if she felt that she needed to protect her life…she either should have avoided sex (not practical) or she should have sought some permanent means of birth control such as having her tubes tied, or having a partial hysterectomy… or by choosing a sexual partner who had also taken drastic means of curbing the possibility of creating a pregnancy.   A combination of those choices would have ensured that she would not have become pregnant. 

         This whole subject opens to the door to a discussion about social media and what is acceptable, what will be allowed…what will people endorse or reject.  What are the socially acceptable standards or limitations?  Will we see someone comitting crimes and tweeting about it?  Or posting it on Facebook, or Myspace?  It is the testing of those limits that creates this drive to be the person that pushes the envelope.  It creates a media sensation or a backwards sort of fame.   It is horribly sad to me that in this case it was at the expense of the life of an unborn child.  What are your thoughts?