Hamlet: And yet the children of the couple in the OP have been subjected to abuse as a result of this law, as have many other children. Seems to me that the law causes child abuse, rather than avoids it.
KellyM, are we talking about the child pornography law or the mandatory reporting for film developers law? I just want to make sure, because of the lack of clarity and consistency.
And you penchant for false extrapolation is once again rearing its head. Just because there are a few episodes of overextension of a law does not mean having that law is bad. Every single law on the books has been misused at one time or another. That is not a valid reason to do away with it. And saying the law is the cause of child abuse rather than the actions of the officers and prosecutors and grand jury is … well, let’s just say it doesn’t hold water.
Hamlet, I’m still talking about mandatory reporting for film processors. I have issues with the child porn laws as implemented, but not with the concept of banning child porn in general.
As far as the mandatory reporting for film processors, I am aware of several instances of adverse results from misapplication of the law and no instances of a righteous bust arising from the proper application of the law. I don’t think my conclusion is “false extrapolation”. And the law is a but-for cause of their abuse at the hands of the legal system. Assuming that the legal system will always act within its bounds is naive, at best, and it is foolish not to consider repealing or modifying laws that are frequently misapplied.
Back to the topic for a moment. An update on the family’s situation. The one-year old has been returned to his parents. The four year old(from a previous marriage) is still in his father’s custody and a custody dispute is beginning. This is taken from the family’s lawyer’s statements on a talk radio show in Dallas this morning. Reported by a listener on an area AP message board
I am unaware of the evidence presented in the custody dispute, but I would hope the ex-husband is not trying to use the charges of child pornography as part of his case to get custody of his son or somehow damage Ms Mercado’s credibility as a mother.
I’ll post a better cite if I can find one(ideally a transcript). In the meantime it is good to hear that the family is a step closer to being re-united. As long as the dispute over the four year-old keeps clear of using this issue as ammunition against Ms Mercado I’d say the worst is probably over. Voting this DA out of office is next on the agenda.
Enjoy,
Steven
(Cross-Posted this with the thread in the pit because there has been very little cross-over between the participants in both threads)
This case has me shaking with anger. I know that doesn’t contribute to the debate, but I had to say it.
We’ve got such a terribly long way to go in this nation’s understanding of breastfeeding. It’s depressing.
Actually, Cranky, I see the reaction of the nation, once the story broke and they became aware of it, as a good sign. A few individuals in power can still cause problems, but once the majority learns of the issues they put pressure on those individuals to remedy the situation. I think the DA, Officers, and a few others are to blame, but the public reaction(that I have seen) has been overwhelmingly supportive of breastfeeding as a positive influence that should not be interfered with, much less treated as a criminal offense.
Enjoy,
Steven