Facing Possible Loss of Custody, Mom Snatches Son
She says the balance of the court - once firmly in favour of granting custody to mothers - had tipped dramatically towards fathers. The Howard government's regime of "shared parenting" had given power to fathers at the expense of mothers.
So, rather than appear in court, Australian Melinda Stratton kidnapped her son and fled the country, or so says this article (The Australian, 2/2/09). Apparently she's made serious allegations against the father that the New South Wales Department of Community Services investigated and found to be meritless. Read about it here (The Australian, 2/3/09).
I don't know the facts of child custody in Australia. If child custody there has "tipped dramatically" toward fathers, it's sure different from the United States where only 16% of child custody goes to dads. GlennSacks.com has several Australian readers, so maybe they can send us some data on who tends to get custody in the Land Down Under - mothers or fathers.
But let's assume for a moment that every word Melinda Stratton said is true - that the government's "regime of shared parenting has given power to fathers at the expense of mothers." First, is that a bad thing? Second, is it reason to violate criminal and civil laws, and deprive your son of his right to a father and his father his rights to his son? Why not just do what millions of fathers have done over the decades - be the best parent you can be under the circumstances because the wellbeing of your child comes first?
These are not rhetorical questions. They demand answers, and not just of Melinda Stratton. Of course few mothers take the radical action of kidnapping their children and going into hiding. But Stratton's action is just the extreme end of an entire spectrum of maternal power over the rearing of children. That spectrum includes the behavior of millions of mothers. It includes everything from the completely legitimate to the criminal. It includes everything from "Dear, if you fasten the diaper that tightly, it may make a rash," to kidnapping and child injury.
We're coming to find out that one of the major impediments to men's parental rights and responsibilities is the unwillingness of many mothers to make way for them. For all that mothers complain about fathers' lack of involvement in childrearing, we now have strong evidence that they are a major barrier to that involvement. That, plus popular culture, plus the family court system, form a triumvirate that pretty much guarantees the sidelining of men in everything related to children, from infant care to custody of teenagers.
As I've pointed out before, quoting former NOW President Karen DeCrow, if women are to gain power in the workplace, they will have to cede power in the nursery. And, in her own words, that is precisely what Stratton refuses to do. So in addition to its denial of rights to her son and husband, Stratton's action militates against women's workplace equality.
Let no one be confused: actions like Melinda Stratton's not only abuse fathers and children; they strike a blow against sexual equality too.
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