vanna,

I know you think you understand how it is when a woman has a baby - but you don't.

When my son was born, he was almost glued to me. His father, of course, was in his life too but, especially in the early days, its as if mother and child are still one entity. I breastfed him and we were as one. You mightn't like the term "primary carer", but its probably the most appropriate term for the role. It doesn't mean that the father is not involved and bonding. What it does mean is that during babyhood and infancy, Mothers tend to be primarily the nurturers - do you have a problem with that? It seems a natural thing to me that men and women have complementary roles in this area...and it doesn't mean that men are not capable of the nurturing role.

It's not a conspiracy that the one who gives birth is also equipped to feed and nurture her offspring - all mammals have the same capacity.

Poirot,
Yes, terms such as “women and their children” are heavily applied as a part of feminist propaganda, and of course women cannot be without “their” children, because they wouldn’t be a “real woman”.

And of course the mother can't be seen by other women as not having custody, because other women would think she wasn't a "real woman"

Motherhood is now in its worst state ever.

One of the lowest rates of breastfeeding in the world.
One of the highest rates of caesareans in the world.
One of the highest rates of overweight babies being born in the world.
One of the highest rates of childhood obesity and childhood diabetes.
One of the highest rates of childhood depression and mental illness.
One of the highest rates of divorce per 100,000 people in the world.

And then we start to get to the statistics as outlined by Professor Parkinson, such as

“the number of women aged 15-24 hospitalised for acute alcohol intoxication leaping from 46 per 100,000 in 1998-99 to 99 per 100,000 in 2005-06.

“a fourfold increase in chlamydia infections among those aged 10 to 14 in the last decade and a rise from 28 to 38 per cent in girls reporting unwanted sex between 2002 and 2008.

One in four people aged 16-24 has a mental disorder and 6500 children are using anti-depressants.

“a 66 per cent increase in 12 to 14-year-olds being hospitalised as a result of self-harm between 1996 and 2006. There was a 90 per cent rise in the hospitalisation of 15 to 17-year-old girls for self-harm.”

Isn’t motherhood combined with feminism a truly wonderful thing?

Poirot, the issue of maternal/child relationships is made more complex within the Family Law because the amendments that McClelland is trying to ram through give greater recognition to the "primary carer", which is nearly always the mother. Even the Howard FLA, which asserted equality of parental responsibility, gave the "primary carer" precedence in any dispute and an assumption that once a pattern of care was established it should be writ in stone.

That gives unscrupulous lawyers and vindictive mothers an incentive to make maliciously-founded accusations and allegations, since the Court sees the child's relationship with the primary carer as a paramount factor in most cases. It is very hard for a non-primary carer to establish that the best interests of the child run counter to the wishes of the primary carer, especially if there are allegations of abuse or violence, as there so often are, whether true or not.

People like Charles Pragnell and the toxic little group of self-serving misfits he belongs to only make that harder. As he said "the selective use/misuse of information is part and parcel of any debate" and he claims to be an "expert witness" for hire. What a nasty joke.

Antiseptic,
I agree.

The term "primary carer" now overrides "best interests of the child".

There is no hope really.

The father cannot do much because he is not the "primary carer", while motherhood slides into an abysmal mess.

And if fathers try to fix this mess, they are being "patriachial".

Best to go to another country to raise a family.

vanna and Antiseptic,

(vanna first)

It can't be helped if mother's and their children have such a relationship. Your sniping comments are always the most unhelpful in these discussions.

Much of what you listed is a direct consequence of this selfish little society we've dreamed up for ourselves in the West.

(Both)

You don't have to tell me that "some" women are diabolical and take advantage of the system. Next week I'm giving testimony in the Family Court on behalf of a male friend who was the "primary carer" before his wife nicked off. She has behaved in most despicable manner and has led him a merry dance all the way along...time for her to pay the piper.

The difference is that I can appreciate both sides of the coin - something which vanna is incapable of.

Poriot,
The jails are filling with fatherless children.
The Children’s Courts are filling with fatherless children.
The drug and alcohol rehabilitation centres are filling with fatherless children.
The mental health clinics are filling with fatherless children.
The public hospitals are filling with fatherless children.
The STD clinics are filling with fatherless children.
And when these children grow older, the Centerlink office’s are filling with fatherless children.

But it has been worth it.

We now have a feminist Prime Minister and a feminist Governor General, with more and more feminist school principles and vice chancellors. Of course we also need more feminists in industry and on government boards.

But no one should mention the fatherless children.

Not good PC in a feminist society.