Date: Wed, 3 May 1995 21:35:05 -0700
Status: RO
X-Status:
For redistribution
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
F R I E N D S O F C H O I C E F O R M E N # 7
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
5/3/95
Raped Boy May be Forced Into Fatherhood
Israeli Court Rules that State Can't Force Man to Father Child
Cuckold Fatherhood
Administrative Stuff
Reproductive Rights Suit
Men's Reproductive Rights Lobby
Why Women Really Decline Parenthood
1993 "Paternities Established"
http Server Accessed by Thousands
=======================================
Raped Boy May be Forced Into Fatherhood
=======================================
The February 12th issue of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch had an alarming article
about a boy who may be forced into fatherhood by his ex-babysitter. She
allegedly raped him when he was only 13, and since Missouri has no lower age
limit for child support payments from a parent, he may end up paying child
support! She voluntarily dismissed the paternity proceedings in hopes
of avoiding criminal charges for rape, but the charges have been levied
anyways, and the paternity proceedings could be resumed.
The article was titled "WOMAN WHO BABY-SAT TEEN ACCUSED OF RAPE". The
Post Dispatch reporter was Nordeka English, the boy's attorney was
Byron Cohen of St. Louis County, and the ex babysitter is Regina L. Vaughan,
now 20 and living in Mill Shoals, Ill. She's been charged with eight counts
of rape and one count of sodomy. Each count is a felony that carries a maximum
penalty of life in prison.
This case parallels Shane Seyer's 1993 Kansas Supreme Court case. He was
forced into fatherhood by a babysitter and is paying child support. Please
let me know about other extreme cases of forced fatherhood!
==============================================================
Israeli Court Rules that State Can't Force Man to Father Child
==============================================================
Israel's Supreme Court has overturned a lower court ruling and said that
the state cannot impose parenthood upon men! The case was Ruti Nahmani vs.
Danny Nahmani, and the issue was whether fertilized eggs could be used
without the man's consent. Justice Tova Strasberg-Cohen, writing for the
majority, anchored the ruling in basic human rights and equality between the
sexes: "The decision to become a parent is recognized, as is the decision
to decline to be a parent, both basic human rights. But once these two
rights are in conflict with each other, it must not be up to the legal
system or the state to decide between them. Just as it is wrong to impose
a pregnancy upon a woman when she objects to it, or to forbid her to have
an abortion, it is also wrong to impose parenthood upon a man against his
will."
This concurred with the 6/1/92 Davis v. Davis, Tennessee Supreme Court ruling,
but conflicts with the opinion of New York Supreme Court Judge Roncallo,
who said a "husband's rights...end with ejaculation" in the case of Kass v.
Kass.. Judge Roncallo is retiring. Isn't that special.
==================
Cuckold Fatherhood
==================
"Cuckold" is a bird which lays its eggs in another bird's nest, or a man
whose wife commits adultery. Unfair as it may sound, current laws force men
to support children who aren't theirs! Arizona bankruptcy judge Aldon
Anderson recently ruled that a man whose wife had tricked him into raising
another man's children had "suffered no monetary damages as a result of
the fraud" [from his so-called "wife"]. Judge Anderson went further and
chastised the man for even bringing the action. What is that judge's planet
of origin?
A Minnesota appeals court ruled on March 7, 1995 that Eric D. must continue
paying child support even though blood tests showed he's not the child's
real father. The mother, Ann Christine D., signed a document saying he was
the father in 1989. In a 2-1 ruling the court said Eric D. is still liable
for child support because he did not take the blood test until after the
three year statute of limitations had expired.
These laws are so weird that a daily newspaper column called "News of the
weird" has picked up on them. The April 26, 1995 column claims that even
though blood tests and confessed perjury by a mother have exonerated men
in Minnesota and Maryland, the men must continue paying child support.
Blood tests in one study found that 18% of fathers may have been tricked
into raising someone else's child.
====================
Administrative Stuff
====================
You can get back issues of "Friends of Choice for Men" by emailing
change@rahul.net. Use the same email address to be added to or removed from
the distribution list. FOCFM is also at http://www.rahul.net/c4m/c4m.html.
========================
Reproductive Rights Suit
========================
Plaintiffs
----------
The National Center for Men has prepared a legal challenge to
today's restrictive paternity laws, and is searching for
suitable plaintiffs in or near Hartford Connecticut, Boston
Massachusetts or New York City. Or if you have an activist attorney
somewhere else, that might work too. Simply put, we intend to initiate
the male Roe v. Wade on the federal level. We have attorneys,
legal strategy and media interest.
We believe we can win, and are searching for the best possible
plaintiffs. They
- will be certain that they don't want to be fathers
- won't have capitulated to fatherhood in court, in writing or otherwise
- will be articulate
- will be comfortable with media interviews
- will live near Hartford Connecticut, Boston Massachusetts or New
York City to have access to our attorneys.
Portland Oregon Attorney
------------------------
The National Center for Men may need an attorney in Portland
Oregon for this case. Consider how Sarah Weddington's and Gerry
Spence's careers have been advanced by publicity. In return for
media exposure, we expect low or no fees. We also expect candidates
to be sympathetic to men's current lack of a legal reproductive "choice".
NATIONAL CENTER FOR MEN P.O. BOX 555 OLD BETH PAGE, NY 11804 (516) 942-2020
===============================
Men's Reproductive Rights Lobby
===============================
Michael J. Alline is looking for people interested in
lobbying for men's reproductive rights. Lobbying the legislatures would
compliment the reproductive rights suit.
===================================
Why Women Really Decline Parenthood
===================================
Although women's right to abortion is based on a right to privacy in the
U.S., the REAL reasons why women decline parenthood have more to do with
avoiding parenthood. A 1988 survey by the Alan Guttmacher Institute found
these were the most common reasons for deciding to abort:
Reason % Most Important
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Woman is concerned about how having
a baby could change her life 76% 16%
Woman can't afford a baby now 68% 21% **
Woman has problems with relationship
or wants to avoid single parenthood 51% 12%
Woman is unready for responsibility 31% 21% **
Woman doesn't want others to know she 31% 1%
has had sex or is pregnant
Woman is not mature enough, or is too 30% 11%
young to have a child.
It's ironic that no reason is more important to a woman contemplating
abortion than money! Yet the law forces men to pay child support even in
cases of rape, incest, or if the man is extremely immature.
Reference
"Why do Women have Abortions", Aida Torres and Jacqueline Darroch Forrest,
Family Planning Perspectives, 20(4) Jul/Aug 1988, pp 169-176
==============================
1993 "Paternities Established"
==============================
The 1993 numbers are in from the U.S. National Center for Child
Support Enforcement. 554,205 paternities were established
in U.S. courts in 1993, which is 7% more than in 1992. Preliminary
data from the U.S. government found that 65% of U.S. fathers who
caused never married mothers to conceive, didn't intend to. Keep
in mind that many of these courtroom proceedings involve forced
fatherhood. The 1993 rate is about one per minute. Here's the
record to date:
Year Paternities Established
----------------------------------
1986 245,000
1987 269,000
1988 307,000
1989 339,000
1990 393,000
1991 497,066
1992 516,949
1993 554,205
=================================
http Server Accessed by Thousands
=================================
The http server for Friends of CHOICE FOR MEN has been accessed
thousands of times in it's first few months of operation. It can be
found by the popular internet applications "Mosaic", "Netscape" and
"Lynx" at: http://www.rahul.net/c4m/c4m.html
It has:
o Answers to Frequently Asked Questions
o Statistics
o Case law
o Contacts
o Entertainment
o Suggestions for action
LEGALIZE CHOICE FOR MEN!
for more information contact
NATIONAL CENTER FOR MEN P.O. BOX 555 OLD BETHPAGE, NY 11804 (516) 942-2020
http://www.rahul.net/c4m/c4m.html
From owner-online-news@marketplace.com Mon May 1 01:58:49 1995
Received: from marketplace.com by cnj.digex.net with SMTP id AA04222
(5.67b8/IDA-1.5 for ); Mon, 1 May 1995 01:58:46 -0400
Received: (from majordom@localhost) by marketplace.com (8.6.12/8.6.12) id VAA19541 for online-news-outgoing; Sun, 30 Apr 1995 21:48:06 -0600
Received: from cnj.digex.net (qlk8OpZlyTxrs@cnj.digex.net [199.34.50.3]) by marketplace.com (8.6.12/8.6.12) with SMTP id VAA19533 for ; Sun, 30 Apr 1995 21:48:01 -0600
Received: by cnj.digex.net id AA01847
(5.67b8/IDA-1.5 for online-news@marketplace.com); Sun, 30 Apr 1995 23:50:10 -0400