Back from the Dead... The Newborn Dead, at least.

So, I apologize for my silence. I have just not been in the headspace for much. Here it comes, one of my few personal postings. In September of 2010, I miscarried a set of twins. It was an awful pregnancy, I was so sick. I could not even hold water down for an ultrasound. That being said, we decided to try again. In April of 2011, I became pregnant again. Despite being pretty sick, all went well. And, in January of 2012, I was so grateful to finally meet my son. Here is Ari Atticus.

Motherhood has been interesting. I love the kid to death. But, make no mistake, due to the risk of further multiples, there will be no more children for me. One of the big things people used to tell me is that my atheism would change once I had children. Totally not true. I think that my atheism has taken on new dimensions now that I am a mother. In fact, it has made me more proud of the fact that I will impose no religion on this innocent child. He is getting the respect that I wish I would have gotten; the freedom to explore these types of ideas as an actualized and educated adult. He will never be presented with these ideas because he is a naive kid who will accept anything without question. I am well aware of that power, and I am very happy to know that it will never come from me. And, my feelings on the reproductive rights of women have become stronger. To make women submit to going through the birth process when they are not 100% ready is nothing more than completely barbaric and inhumane. So, all of you men out there who are busy with protecting the rights of the "unborn", I got this to say to you. If you are willing to gain 30 pounds, throw up everything you eat for at least four months, get swollen feet, take labor pains, get stitches through your private parts, get up every 2-3 hours to feed a baby for at least three months, and cry for 2 weeks because your hormones are shifting, you may have a platform to stand on. Hell, I would just settle for one of those crusaders to consent to stitches to show me that they are even willing to understand what it is like. Until then, as Keith Richards would say- Shave and go home. Anyways, bring it on. Give me what you got. I got my brain back now that I am no longer pregnant or significantly post partum. Happy to be back, despite having to take typing breaks to change crappy diapers.

Bibles in the Classroom

So, awhile back, I posted that the Canadian Civil Liberties Union had intervened in Waterloo, and had to stop Gideon's International from giving Bibles to Grade Five children. Of course, they have not backed off, because it is so IMPORTANT to push your religion on innocent and impressionable children. Now, the kids are coming home with consent forms for their parents to sign after claiming religious discrimination. Never mind that giving a child a Bible is an act of exclusion toward other religions, which is in itself a form of religious discrimination. Man, are they lucky no kids of mine are in this school district. So, the Civil Liberties Union is back on them, along with petitions. I smell the Supreme Court coming their way. Here it is, check it out;

http://ccla.org/2010/12/15/freedom-of-relgion-in-the-schools-distributing-the-gideon-bible/

I AM BACK....

I went off the grid (as Tristan calls it) for the last little while. The last six months have been epically chaotic and busy; things have slowed down to a much more manageable pace now. I managed to finally complete my degree, started working on a research study while still going to work at my normal job. At the same time, stuff in my personal life kinda got unusual, which has since resolved. Interesting times these past six months.....

So, to come back, I found a great article that is near and dear to my heart. This comes straight to us from The Christian Post, and is about a nursing student who is suing her school because she feels that she should not have to provide care to women who are having or have had abortions. Interestingly, I do not trust the article because they indicate that the clinical placement is on a Labour and Delivery Unit. Traditionally, abortion procedures are not done on these types of units unless it is for an emergent problem during birth; the high acuity of these types of cases is not the same as what the article calls "The Abortion Pledge". I also have a hard time believing that an applicant who does not wish to participate in abortion has to apply to another program- way too easy for this agenda.

I have mixed feelings about this one. On the one hand, I do not feel that people should be forced to engage in things that will disturb them. However, a good clinician is completely present for the people that they serve. They support people through good and bad decisions, you are not there to judge them, nor are you there to push any of your beliefs on them while they are experiencing difficult decisions. You are there to assist them... IT IS NOT ABOUT YOU. If you cannot put your beliefs aside and see people for their complexity with compassion, you should not be there. Period. Thoughts anyone?

http://www.christianpost.com/article/20110112/nursing-student-fights-school-policy-requiring-abortion-pledge/

A Milestone in Reproductive Heath- RU 486

Lately, I have been hearing alot of talk about reproductive health. Seems to always come from men who appear to be interested in protecting "life", or the destiny of a pregnancy. However, I find it very interesting that people who really want to protect the life of a cluster of cells always want to deny women the access to safe and effective technology. In turn, many women are forced to pursue unsafe options in choosing what they want to do. Again, being pro-choice supports the platform of choice; supporting a woman who decides to continue or terminate her pregnancy. Pro-lifers interpret this as being pro-abortion; it is not. Just because they are anti-abortion or anti- choice does not mean that pro-choice is the complete opposition to their position. A woman's individual needs decides her choice.

Nevertheless, due to the persistent work of many women, it is time to celebrate RU 486. A safe and effective drug that allows a woman the right to choose to terminate her pregnancy in the privacy of her own home. Administered in a pregnancy under 9 weeks, no more need for going to a clinic where people scream at you. No more need for anesthetic, no more need for invasive techniques. Like all drugs, it carries certain risks; however, so does childbirth. A true milestone in women's rights and reproductive health. http://www.ru486facts.org/

This Is Just So Sad

More reports of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, this time from Belgium. This is just awful.... And, again, the Vatican had no comment. When are people gonna stop supporting this church? When are people gonna start demanding accountability from this institution? These people should be in jail.... And because they preach, they are above the law. Sick.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/top/all/7194844.html

The Most Selfish Man in America- Rev Terry Jones- Part 2

So, he has decided to not go ahead and burn the Quran. I totally disagree with this guy, but at least he got people talking, which is always constructive. Now, the holy rollers are going to feel vindicated. This is going to open up a whole other can of worms. Here is his official statement;

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-11255490

Quote of the Day

Here is a comment on Rev Jones. Comes to us from Col. David Lapan, who is a Pentagon spokesperson. I think that this encapsulates how I feel about this whole issue. Ideally, I hope that this controversy makes people think more critically about how religion is harmful to the world. It is, in my opinion, counterproductive to the actualization of the human race, and this is a great example. This statement brings the issue to the core- innocent people will suffer.

“No one is questioning the right to do these things. We are questioning whether that's advisable considering the consequences that could occur,”