A woman I know was recently diagnosed with an STD, Human Papilloma Virus to be exact. Not that unusual I know. But here's the thing. She's in her late 70s and hasn't been sexually active in over 35 years. It seems that her abusive ex-husband gave her the disease sometime prior to the early 1970s. It lay dormant in her system for all that time, until last year, when she received radiation treatment for breast cancer. The radiation apparently compromised her immune system, and the long dormant HPV took advantage. Her ex-husband died about 6 years ago. But he's managed to reach out from the grave to abuse her yet again.

Baby Cage.net - Infant Containment Specialists Since 2001.

I can only assume this is supposed to be making fun of folks like the Ezzo's (whack your 6 month old with a Biblically-sanctioned stick, er, rod) and James Dobson (beats his dog if it sleeps in the bathroom).

Unfortunately, this one isn't a joke. And, weirder still: Suggestions for teenagers who want to be spanked but aren't.

I'm reprinting this article, originally published in Mothering Magazine, with permission from my good friend Pat Gowens, who is the editor of Mother Warriors Voice.

Without my powerful belief in motherwork, which I learned from my mother's creative dedication to home and hearth, and without the support of my friend Carol, I might not have survived single motherhood.

During the eight years my husband and I were married, he hit or pushed me several times when he could not win an argument. Those assaults, combined with his unwillingness to share motherwork and money, convinced me that I had to leave him for the sake of our three sons and myself. But how would I support the four of us? How could I get away from him without a battle? How could I stay home with my kids until they were ready for school?

Indiana repubs are trying to make it a criminal act for lesbians and single women to get pregnant!

From Ductape Fatwa at boo tribune:

Republican lawmakers are drafting new legislation that will make marriage a requirement for motherhood in the state of Indiana, including specific criminal penalties for unmarried women who do become pregnant "by means other than sexual intercourse."

According to a draft of the recommended change in state law, every woman in Indiana seeking to become a mother throu gh assisted reproduction therapy such as in vitro fertilization, sperm donation, and egg donation, must first file for a "petition for parentage" in their local county probate court.