Rick Santorum Government Paternity Tests Or No Welfare

[FloraDoraDolly]

Former worker here, when a woman or a man comes in to apply as a single parent, we tried to get information on the absent parent even if the parent lived out of state or was in prison or deceased. For women who really didn't know who the father was, there were ways to work around it. One of my mom's was a former addict who worked as a prostitute when she got pregnant and she had no problem getting aid. If someone doesn't cooperate, only the parent is not aided, the children still are aided.

I think some women do not cooperate because the father is still involved with her and she may be getting some cash, unreported, from him.

This is not a problem with single dads because guess what mom's name is on the birth certificate.

Also if the parent alleges abuse, there are ways to deal with that, without penalizing the single parent.

OK, re teen moms, before welfare reform, a pregnant teen was declared emancipated. She could apply for aid and even get homeless assistance. Currently, the rules are that teen mom's parents are still responsible for her but if she says that conditions at home or that she is unwanted at home a real social worked will investigate and validate teen mom's claims. Most of the time the claims are founded and teen mom is aided. The interesting thing is that this policy has really cut down on teen pregnancies in California.

All of this sounds reasonable to me.

[JesusFightClub]

'Ere, I'm a former benefits official type here too and I have a lovely story a colleague shared. A pregnant woman was asked the question "who's the dad?" when applying for aid. She said "Couldn't tell you, I passed out in a pal's house, his mates were round and apparently they all had a go".

I would like to know what Santorum would purpose to do in these circumstances.

[Childless]

'Ere, I'm a former benefits official type here too and I have a lovely story a colleague shared. A pregnant woman was asked the question "who's the dad?" when applying for aid. She said "Couldn't tell you, I passed out in a pal's house, his mates were round and apparently they all had a go".

I would like to know what Santorum would purpose to do in these circumstances.

My suggestion would be to arrest them all and charge them with rape. Why the hell didn't she report that?!?!?

[Ozzie]

Childless- because she thought it was her fault? Because she thought the cops wouldn't care? Because she thought she'd be slut-shamed for passing out intoxicated (could have been drugs in her drink for all we know)?

[JesusFightClub]

Apparently she was quite matter of fact about it, like "oh well, it was my bad luck". She seemed to regard it like an accident.

I think as well she thought police wouldn't care or it wouldn't be worth reporting.

[fundiefan]

That is terrible. But, it brings up an issue (the billionth one in Santorum's twisted mind). Rape victims shouldn't be allowed to abort. If they apply for welfare to support the child they are forced to have and can't name the father, what are they supposed to do? They can't be on birth control in the first place to prevent the unwanted pregnancy in such an event. So, women will be forced to have a child they didn't ask for after someone has sex with them that they didn't ask for and then they can't ask for benefits to support that child?

The logic fail from these asshats gets bigger every time they open their mouths.

[FlorenceHamilton]

Former worker here, when a woman or a man comes in to apply as a single parent, we tried to get information on the absent parent even if the parent lived out of state or was in prison or deceased. For women who really didn't know who the father was, there were ways to work around it. One of my mom's was a former addict who worked as a prostitute when she got pregnant and she had no problem getting aid. If someone doesn't cooperate, only the parent is not aided, the children still are aided.

I think some women do not cooperate because the father is still involved with her and she may be getting some cash, unreported, from him.

This is not a problem with single dads because guess what mom's name is on the birth certificate.

Also if the parent alleges abuse, there are ways to deal with that, without penalizing the single parent.

OK, re teen moms, before welfare reform, a pregnant teen was declared emancipated. She could apply for aid and even get homeless assistance. Currently, the rules are that teen mom's parents are still responsible for her but if she says that conditions at home or that she is unwanted at home a real social worked will investigate and validate teen mom's claims. Most of the time the claims are founded and teen mom is aided. The interesting thing is that this policy has really cut down on teen pregnancies in California.

I am highliting this post because it triggered me to think about the difference between this and what Santorum has to say. Essentially, pressing women to identify the father or to prove that the identity is not descernable is an economic decision. The purpose is to limit the use of public funds to those cases where responsible parties such as sperm donors or parents are not able to carry the financial burden of a pregnant woman/infant.

Santorum is moralizing the issue. The burden of his religious fanatacism makes him offensive and it leads him to string together ideas in a way that becomes outrageous and scary. The real common sense argument is to prevent unwanted pregnancies through realistic education and freely available birth control. The real common sense approach to abortion is to accept the fact that abortion is a terrible decision to need to make. We do not need to burden women with moralizing to add to her already horrific position. We need to make abortion safe and legal so that she does not need to go "off grid" to terminate a pregnancy. We need to make diagnosis of pregnancy readily available and to institute NO TIME DELAYS in obtaining the termination so that this can be done as early in pregnancy as possible. The real common sense is to approach pregnant woman of any age and attempt to identify a father for the purposes of support. The real common sense is to expect the parents of minor pregnant teens to continue to contribute to the health and well being of their child. If private sources of support fail, then public support is necessary. No moralizing.

Now let's go to the issue of the opportunites that controlling fertility have offered women. Santorum says in is book that women have been brainwashed into thinking that work is the only path to happiness. First of all, the ability to find work and make a living is the path to continuing to feed, clothe and house yourself and your family, so it truly is a necessary step on the road to happiness. Second, having rewarding work does not preclude raising a wonderful and healthy family. We need to stop solvin old problems with old solutions. We need to shift our paradigm. Workplaces need to recognize the long term economic benefit of an environment that encourages its emplyees, male and female to be involved in the community, in their family life and in the education and involvement with their children. Some newer companies such as Google and Microsoft alread do this. Men and women BOTH belong in the workplace and in the home. The key is balance. The average company does not allow for this balance. Society...and the companies...are failing.

We need to let go of old scripts that tell us the way things should be. Controlling fertility has changed many things. The far right is correct in its observation. However, making it go away so that we go back to the old way is not the answer. It is a good thing. It has opened up new avenues for happiness for women and for men. We need to destigmatize the position of men who have found happiness being the primary parent. We need to stop pointing a finger at the woman who is the breadwinner. If we support families as they actually are rather than what an old paradigm says they should be, perhaps we will have more successful families.

[booksnbeats]

The real common sense approach to abortion is to accept the fact that abortion is a terrible decision to need to make. We do not need to burden women with moralizing to add to her already horrific position.

And as part of that effort, maybe we could stop making sure we mention that abortion is "horrific" and always a terrible thing for a woman to go through. How is that not moralizing? Abortion is a medical procedure like any other and everyone has their own reaction to it, depending on their own situation. In many circumstances, an abortion can be a relief.

[valsa]

And as part of that effort, maybe we could stop making sure we mention that abortion is "horrific" and always a terrible thing for a woman to go through. How is that not moralizing? Abortion is a medical procedure like any other and everyone has their own reaction to it, depending on their own situation. In many circumstances, an abortion can be a relief.

I wonder how many of the women who've felt bad about choosing to have an abortion wouldn't have felt bad if everyone else wasn't telling them that's what they should feel.

[valsa]

Childless- because she thought it was her fault? Because she thought the cops wouldn't care? Because she thought she'd be slut-shamed for passing out intoxicated (could have been drugs in her drink for all we know)?

Not to mention there's still a depressingly large segment of the population who would tell her she deserved it for drinking at a party with men attending and that she "should have known better". Or that it would be a "she said, they said" situation that's extremely difficult to prove in court and likely (to her) not worth dealing with just to see her rapists walk because the judge or jury believed them over her.

[FlorenceHamilton]

And as part of that effort, maybe we could stop making sure we mention that abortion is "horrific" and always a terrible thing for a woman to go through. How is that not moralizing? Abortion is a medical procedure like any other and everyone has their own reaction to it, depending on their own situation. In many circumstances, an abortion can be a relief.

No that is not moralizing. I am well aware of the medical nature of the procedure. The procedure itself is very simple. I have preformed them. I made that decision for myself as well.The decision is a terrlble one to make. It is painful for people to need to make decisions at life crossroads. This is a crossroad. One decision will take your life in one direction and another decision takes your life in another. Women still have to contend with their own priorities and their own morals. Yes, it is often a relief. A relief implies that there is a burden. Burdens are hard. My point was that the government does not have the right to moralize when a woman is already carrying a great burden. You do not like my word horrible. The situation is horrible. Who would want to need to make such a decision? It is not the abortion that is horrible, it is the decision. Many decisions are horrible. If you have a monster of a boss and you are thinking of quitting your job, but you know the economy sucks and finding a new job will be difficult, that too is a horrible decsion.

Get off your high horse.

[Kishiria]

Okay...a woman has to have a paternity test to go on government aid but the man goes scott-free? WTF?

[bettertomarry]

FlorenceHamilton: I love your post and agree with it, except for one part. I would argue that Santorum and the most rabidly anti-choice proponents don't think that women having to go 'off-grid' for an abortion is a problem, but a justifiable punishment for their 'sin'. I really don't think these folks would shed any tears for the death of a woman because of a botched abortion. Any more than they would shed a tear over someone who OD'd. Because it seems in their view this is a proper 'punishment' and fits the 'crime'.

[BayLee_10]

It's like he thinks the entire American population must be paternalistic assholes if he thinks this shit will get him elected. WHAT is his fascination with women's sex lives and what gay people do in their own bedrooms? It's like he's a legitimized, socially accepted version of someones jerkwad pervy uncle.

I believe I saw Rick's picture in the dictionary next to jerkwad pervy.

[Cannelle]

OK, re teen moms, before welfare reform, a pregnant teen was declared emancipated. She could apply for aid and even get homeless assistance. Currently, the rules are that teen mom's parents are still responsible for her but if she says that conditions at home or that she is unwanted at home a real social worked will investigate and validate teen mom's claims. Most of the time the claims are founded and teen mom is aided. The interesting thing is that this policy has really cut down on teen pregnancies in California.

Can I ask you to elaborate on that a little? What happens if the abuse at home is not physical, but emotional and verbal?

I ask because I was once that teen. I wasn't pregnant, but I left home at 18 because I couldn't take hearing what a piece of shit I was every day, couldn't take getting screamed at for things like leaving a single glass in the sink, or not rinsing my sink out more thoroughly (here's what an awful kid I was: I had straight A's in school, was French club president, at that time I'd held the same job for three years, hadn't ever drank, didn't do any kind of drugs, didn't go to parties, had never come home late after curfew, and was voted Most Polite and Class Bookworm in high school. Worst kid ever, right?). My mom's husband was the one proffering this abuse. The scariest thing is that outside the house, everyone LOVED this guy. Thought he was the best guy in the world, the kind of guy who would bend over backwards to help people out. He put on an extremely good show, and then came home and told me I was a bitch and a slut and screamed right in my face.

I ended up moving in with my boyfriend's parents (he was in the military and was stationed out of state; we married a few months later. His parents knew what was going on and were horrified, which is why they took me in). I had no other options and was actually considering suicide because I couldn't take it anymore. I can't even begin to imagine how horrible life would've been for me if I'd turned up pregnant. What I'm wondering is how the state would've dealt with a case like mine, when I didn't have any physical marks of abuse and my mom's husband (I refuse to refer to him as a stepfather) knew exactly how to act to convince everyone he was a great guy.

[booksnbeats]

Get off your high horse.

Not until you stop claiming to speak for all women's experiences.