It’s like déjà vu all over again, or at least it’s 1992. The minor war of words between actress Jennifer Aniston and instigator Bill O’Reilly over women opting for single motherhood was reminiscent of the flap between Vice President Dan Quayle and Murphy Brown nearly 20 years ago. FYI--Murphy Brown was the fictional character and namesake of a hit sitcom starring Candice Bergen whose character became a single mom by choice and thus was in the GOP’s crosshairs courtesy of Quayle.
Under the guise of family values, men are once again poking their noses where they don’t belong--in female reproductive rights and the choice to be a parent. Whether it’s the “welfare queen” having children out of wedlock draining society or an upwardly mobile, self-sufficient woman who intentionally seeks out parenthood without a mate, they are both seemingly equal to those opposed to a woman raising a child alone. Apparently, no progress has been made in this area in the last 18 years as the argument has reared its head once again.
Why is it anyone else’s business how and why someone decides to become a parent? It’s not truly about the welfare of the child because if that were first and foremost, the quality of public education, the foster care system and eradicating child predators would be of paramount concern. Since that’s not the case, I’ll just call it what it is. An excuse to introduce another hot button issue that crops up anytime someone wants to parade around “family values” just in time for Election Day. I could go on about it, but that, my friends, is a rant for another day.
Read more at www.alternet.org
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