It has been a long time since my last post, but trust me, I have good reasons. We are nearing the end of quarter (week 10 is next week), and I've been busy with classes and reading. I am working on another draft of my qualifying paper, and I have been reading a lot about rape and high profile rape cases.
This week in my discussion section, we applied the concepts and court cases about the commerce clause, interstate commerce, and the 10th amendment to a hypothetical case involving the legalization and regulation of marijuana. The inspiration for this discussion came from Reefer tax madness, which discussed the introduction of legislation in the California State Assembly to regulate and tax marijuana.
The California State Supreme Court heard oral arguments on Prop 8 this past Thursday. There were rallies in Sacramento, and there is a looming debate over what happens to existing gay marriages. Do they get to remain married, or must they dissolve their marriages?
Inspired to act because of the octomom controversy, Georgia and Missouri have introduced legislation to regulate the fertility industry. I don't condone multiple births or reproductive technology, but this legislation is yet another way to regulate women's fertility. The medical community (as well as the government) has historically practiced the regulation of women's fertility and reproductive health. Until the 19th century, abortion was a common practice (women either self aborted or sought the help of midwives) and it was llegalized when medical doctors pushed for its illegalization. The reason they did this was because they wanted to put the midwives out of business. If a woman wanted an abortion, she had to consult a team of medical doctors who would assess her and decide if she should be granted one. Other examples in which the medical community weighs in on women's health: breastfeeding, childbirth, and now reproductive technology and multiple births. While there is a lot of controversy surrounding the octomom (she's single, unemployed outside the home, receives public assistance), something that hasn't been mentioned is her race. Are we upset that a woman of color is taking advantage of reproductive technology to pass along her DNA? After all, it seems that infertility is a tragedy only when it happens to white women.
R & B singer Chris Brown was in court over assault and criminal charges against his girlfriend, singer Rihanna. And, rumor has it that she's taking him back. Seriously? Seriously. WTF? Yes, people make mistakes, but hitting, biting, choking, etc (and any other sort of abuse) is never right. What message does this send to young girls that look up to Rihanna? Seriously, where is her self respect?
Sometimes, I miss living in the dorms at the University of Minnesota and eating in the cafeteria. Actually, I really don't, but I miss the cereal selection at Centennial Hall. I could eat Golden Grahams one day and Cap'n Crunch the next. It was great. Anyway, I was thinking about all of this when I was struck by a craving for Fruity Pebbles. I bought a box yesterday, and I hope I can eat them in a timely manner so they don't go stale.
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