Update: NOW Demands Access to Program Geared to Fathers

Anyone compiling a list of women oriented service. I think the VAWA example is overused. Is there a more complete list we could send to them for comment, or even to news media, maybe one would run it as a counterpoint.

In approx. 1990, the Federal Government created an Office of Research on Women's Health. It is part of the Dept. of Health and Human Services' National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland.

As of today, there is still no Office of Research on Men's Health..even though men die at a greater rate then women from all 15 leading causes of death.

Note: Here is a link to a web site where you can look, to find out how to advocate for the proposed Office of Men's Health: link here

Today's joke..here is a real gem I found while searching on "office of research on men's health":

"In the United States, men are twice as likely to die from parasite-related diseases (in part, some speculate, because their greater average size may offer parasites a bigger target)."

So does that mean the average man is twice as big as the average woman? Tell that to the Butt Sisters..

--ax

scottkirk men are blinded by (women as victim rhetoric) to the degree that they do not realise it is in fact they that are the sufferrers..

In his 1999 book "Women Can't Hear What Men Don't Say", Warren Farrell discusses the programs in education that are designed for women without corresponding programs for boys and men. For example, in education majors, there are Centers for the Education of Women but nothing comparable for men. At the Univesity of Michigan alone there is the Center for the Education of Women, the Institute for Research on Women and Gender (offering awards to promote feminist research), a program for undergraduate women called WISE (Women In Science and Education), and a program for junior level female faculty called SHARE (Senior Hiring and Recruitment Effort) permitting departments to promote junior female faculty to senior level. There is also a program called Women of Color in the Academy that has no male equivalent. Aside from Michigan, there is a federally funded program called Girl Power to encourage women in schools, but no corresponding program for boys.

Farrell points out that there are over 30,000 women's studies courses currently offered at American universities -- and about 700 majors or minors offered on American campuses. The entire California State University system requires women's studies courses as part of their curriculum. Throughout the country, between a quarter and a third of the universities now require women's studies courses for graduation.

Unfortunately the general public doesn't always make the connection between programs that are 'private' which are funded with public money, and actual public government run programs.

Given the multitude of women-only programs, benefits, courses, preferential treatments etc. currently in existence, it seems to me that the best NOW can hope for is that this case dies a quick and quiet death as they lose with any other outcome: if they win OR lose in court, they set a precedent which can be turned against them and any and all publicity simply raises awareness of the current imbalance.

I find it more than a little amusing that, having been given some rope, they seem to be stomping their feet demanding the right to hang themselves.

If NOW does win this, we'll then have to hope that a whole new double standard isn't set. Anyone remember the lawsuit over whether or not some girl could try out for the men's hockey team at her high school? She won that case and tried out for the team, yet didn't make it. Not long after, two boys at the very same school wanted to try out for the volleyball team, but were told that was nto allowed. We could see this action repeat itself on a much larger scale here.