Under regulations recently set forth by the Obama administration under the Affordable Care Act, all insurance plans are required to cover domestic abuse screening and counseling services as preventive care, meaning that insurance must pay in full with no copays or deductibles. However, these regulations apply exclusively to women, meaning that male victims that have endured the exact same thing may be expected to pay out of pocket for access to these services. A petition has been started on Change.org calling on the administration to revise these discriminatory regulations so that these services will be covered for all victims of domestic abuse, regardless of gender. It can be accessed here. I hope that you will consider signing and sharing it with any friends or family who you feel may be supportive.

Story here. Excerpt:

'A 10-year-old Alexandria boy was arrested after police said he brought a toy handgun to school on Tuesday, a day after he showed it to others on a school bus. The boy, a fifth-grader at Douglas MacArthur Elementary School whose name is not being released, was charged as a juvenile with brandishing a weapon, police said.

He was also suspended from school, and Alexandria City Public Schools Superintendent Morton Sherman said further action is being considered, including expulsion.

On Monday, the boy showed the plastic gun to at least one other student during a bus ride home from the school. The 10-year-old did not point it at anyone or threaten to shoot it, but he neglected to mention that the weapon was fake, said Alexandria police spokeswoman Ashley Hildebrandt.'

Link here. Excerpt:

'Gonzalez said she took a chance because she was "vulnerable and wanted to be in love" and has now revealed she is eight-months pregnant with Wilson's child.

Court papers allege the pair were in a relationship from March to August last year.

The relationship ended in August and Gonzalez became involved with another inmate.

The public servant has reportedly voiced concerns regarding what she will tell her child about how he was conceived.

"I know that for me as a parent, how am I going to explain this to this little boy? ... Mommy got wrapped up ... And then the opposite end is with a person who took lives. So how do you explain that?," Gonzalez said in a recorded conversation with the inmate she became involved with after Wilson.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'Though both sides in this dispute have something sensible to say, they’ve missed an elephant in the room either because of willful blindness to anything politically incorrect or because of a lack of real-world experience. I speak of the problems associated with divorce, family breakup, father absence, and the enormous burdens placed on a single mom who must rear a troubled male child alone.

Story here. Excerpt:

'The radical anti-father/pro-mother bias of Canada’s courts was on full display last week for all to see.  Here’s Barbara Kay’s predictably accurate take on the whole shameful thing (National Post, 1/24/13).  The only remarkable attribute of the case is that it mostly played out, not in family courts, but in criminal ones.

Story here. Excerpt:

'Oh, my heart hurts today. In a twist on the standard child custody cases that make the news, a dad named Richard Rodwell is making news for getting back the child support he'd paid to his wife plus damages totalling $40,000. It turns out Rodwell really never needed to pay because his kids weren't really his kids at all.

Rodwell's ex-wife, Helen, had been lying to him for years. Eventually a paternity test proved the teenaged kids each had different fathers. But while this one is marked in the win column for the rights of men, I don't see any winners here.

Yes, Richard Rodwell got back the $25,000 he paid in child support over four years and then some when he proved his kids weren't his kids. But what's $40,000 compared to the love of your kids?

This poor man spent 17 and 14 years respectively thinking he had a daughter and a son. Now he has neither as both of the kids have cut him off. Despite his expressed interest in remaining in the children's lives, he says Helen turned them against him.'

Story here. This is PCism run amuck--and likely the result of too many female teachers who took too many "Women's Studies" classes in college. Any show of aggression is to be suppressed. Excerpt:

'A 7-year-old Mary Blair Elementary School student says he's confused about getting in trouble for trying to save the world from evil, though Thompson School District officials contend that the boy broke one of the school's “absolutes.”

Parent Mandie Watkins said Mary Blair principal Valerie Lara-Black called her Friday afternoon to inform her that her second-grade son, Alex, had been suspended for throwing an imaginary grenade during recess on the playground.

Alex did not have anything in his hand at the time and made no threats toward other people, Watkins reportedly was told.

Watkins said Alex's story matched up with the principal's account: He threw the pretend grenade at an imaginary box that had something evil inside.

Article here. Excerpt:

'Even addressing the issue of male academic underachievement can result in backlash from people incensed that society would bother caring about the disadvantages of men after spending decades and centuries ignoring the disadvantages of women. I understand that impulse, but as a person who cares deeply about her brothers, father, husband, and the possibility of raising decent men, should the opportunity arise, I have to care. Many others would no doubt feel the same if the problem were addressed with any frequency.

As Christina Hoff Sommers writes in the New York Times, “fairness today requires us to address the serious educational deficits of boys and young men. The rise of women, however long overdue, does not require the fall of men.”
...
*No, I’m not dismissing the concerns of gay men and women looking for mates, but the problem of educationally mismatched women and men is particularly problematic for heterosexual women.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'Being in power at home reduces a woman's desire to achieve success at workplace, says a new study.

The study from University of California, Berkeley, however found that while women may lose interest and energy after taking care of home, men still pursued career goals even if they were managing home.

"It appears that being in charge of household decisions may bring a semblance of power to women's traditional role, to the point where women may have less desire to push against the obstacles to achieving additional power outside the home," said Serena Chen from UC Berkeley, a co-author of the study.

Even now, women are mostly in charge of managing home and taking care of the children. Researchers say that this arrangement has an impact on the woman's ability and desire to aspire for success at workplace.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'Call the Midwife is perfect Sunday evening telly fare - with its nostalgic look at poverty-stricken East London, the hardships and deprivations of the 1950s soothed by the tender administrations of the clear-skinned midwives and their elders, stroking the cheeks of young to old, smiling with good-humoured compassion and easing the passage of world entry while they're about it.

But, this dewey tableau has been pilloried this season around for giving men a hard time... when they're not serially bashing their wives, they're neglecting them in fire hazards of homes, marrying two sisters at a time (that was all a bit weird) or queueing up on the ship to take their turn with the captain's daughter.'

Article here. Excerpt:

Article here. Excerpt:

'A study of youth attitudes has raised concerns about young men in the "squeezed middle" who are deeply pessimistic about their future chances.

Among these young men - from families of skilled or semi-skilled workers - more than two-thirds never expect to own their own home, says a survey.

These disgruntled young men were more negative than their counterparts from poorer backgrounds.

"These people feel trapped," says Durham University's Tony Chapman.
...
Even at this early stage in their working lives, almost a quarter of these young men expect never to have a fulfilling job - a much more negative outlook than their female counterparts.

Almost a third of these young men say they "feel unhappy" when they think about their future - much more than women.

Prof Chapman describes these youngsters as coming from "respectable" families with "strong aspirations" - but now facing increasingly insecure job prospects.'

Story here. Excerpt:

'PETALING JAYA - Parking bays at shopping malls demarcated for female drivers are being used by inconsiderate male drivers and shoppers.

Despite the "For Ladies Only" sign prominently displayed and the pillars painted in bright pink, the men are blatantly parking their vehicles at these bays, which are reserved for lone female drivers or women who are accompanied by their young ones.

Women with male companions cannot park at these bays.

A 15-minute survey by Sunday Star at one mall found that 14 of 20 cars entering the parking area had male drivers or men accompanying women drivers.

When security guards advised them to park elsewhere, the standard replies were: "It is only for a little while", "It is rarely used during office hours", and "I'm in a hurry, did not see the signboard".'

Press release here. Excerpt:

'WASHINGTON / February 5, 2013 – A group of scientists, victim advocates, and 15 leading organizations have endorsed a series of reforms to the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), a law that is currently up for reauthorization in Congress. The endorsers include many of the acclaimed scientists who have elucidated the causes and dynamics of intimate partner violence.

The VAWA Reform Principles are endorsed by the Independent Women’s Forum, National Coalition for Men, Washington Civil Rights Council, 60 Plus Association, Able Americans, and many others. The endorsing organizations collectively represent the interests of a majority of the American public.

The Reform Principles address a range of documented deficiencies with the nearly 20-year-old federal law, including the need for greater emphasis on programs to address substance abuse, marital instability, and emotional disorders.  The principles suggest a greater emphasis on partner reconciliation when it is safe to do so.'

The Senate vote on VAWA should be very soon.  
 
The Senate is expected to vote on S. 47, a Violence Against Women Act reauthorization bill this week. Unfortunately, S. 47 ignores well-documented problems. VAWA Reform Principals are urgently needed to create a comprehensive and effective VAWA.   
 
DO NOT DELAY! 
 
Please call your Senators TODAY. 
 
Tell them, "Say NO to S. 47 and YES to Real VAWA Reform!" 
 
Call 202-224-3121 or find your senators here. 
 
Keep calling!
 
Thanks!
 
Teri Stoddard, Program Director
Stop Abusive and Violent Environments   
www.saveservices.org