Meredith just posted about a recent news segment. Read it here. Letter writing campaign, anyone?
*** I am adding on to this post rather than composing another one.
Did anyone read this? I love you, dear readers, but I have a feeling you like to drop by for a peek rather than stay for tea and chat. You're totally forgiven. It would still be nice to hear some of your opinions about this topic. I'll start.
The transcript of this news segment I read was disturbing to me on many levels:
It is disheartening to hear that some people take traditional family values to the extreme, build resentment and proceed to divorce over it. I am saddened for women who do not feel they have a choice about wearing skirts, homeschooling or homebirth. I believe these choices have great value if a woman is called by God to them and holds her own personal convictions about them. But no woman should feel forced to go along with any of this, especially if she feels she is in danger. I have no idea how homeschooling, having a large family or modest dress could put a woman in danger, but unassisted homebirth certainly does. Personally speaking, my husband and I share the first three values, but have not embraced homebirth. We believe that homebirth is a wonderful choice for many women, but we decided to err on the side of caution. We tried a hospital birth first, thinking that if all went well our second child would be born at home. My husband and I both agreed that I was not an ideal candidate for homebirth!
I am perplexed as to why Fox News (usually rather conservative, right?) would interview this woman and put a negative spin on the topic of traditional family values. I read in the news that Fox News is under fire for being too conservative. Are they using this piece to try to change their image? This story, although it did include a little balance with quotes from Dr. Watkins, was glaringly unbalanced. If any real concern exists for people who feel trapped in this "Quivering" lifestyle, I did not see any links or phone numbers for those who would like help, even though this story ends with, "There are lots of ways to raise a family which is why we are including a lot of different resources on the subject for you to check out." Where are the resources?
The title of this piece is "In Depth: Motherhood Movement" but the story is primarily focused on another movement called Quivering. There is a difference in my mind between a Motherhood Movement and Quivering. Is this story one in a series about the many faucets of the Motherhood Movement? If so, where are the links to the other stories? I would love to see Fox News to interview someone like Sally Clarkson or Elizabeth Foss for a balanced approach.
There are many families who make the same lifestyle choices who know nothing about Quivering and do not take things to the extreme. Would they dare do a story about Catholic families who take seriously the Church's teachings about being the primary educators of our children, dressing modestly or being open to life?
I think it is irresponsible to print the quote about that many mothers are introduced to Quivering through homeschooling. Apples and oranges. There are plenty of homeschoolers who have never heard about Quivering. If they have heard about it, I would bet it was through their church or someone's ministry and not through any homeschooling organization.
Is this a story about the play Quive or about the Quiverful Movement? It seems they used the play as an initial lead but turned the piece into a segment about the Quiverful Movement instead.
A story like this has the potential of being very damaging to public opinion. There are people out there whose prejudices are formed in part by what they hear on the news. The next time I am out in public during school hours wearing a skirt with my four children in tow and one noticeably on the way will people think about this news story and wonder if my children and I are oppressed or abused? I wish I could say that I didn't care, but I do. I do care if news stories contribute to prejudiced public opinion. I do care if these public opinions would ever lead to legal decisions that limit family size or make homeschooling and homebirth illegal. There are countries that do this. Hopefully modest dress will never be outlawed.
I also know that the "frog in the boiling pot" analogy can also be applied to those who go along with popular culture and send their children to schools that put a child's soul in danger. It could be used for the outcome of a T.V./computer/video game generation. It could be used for the shift in the role of women after it became common to wear pants (and men's exploitation of women's bodies). Yes, it can also be used for those who find themselves getting deeper into cults and other organizations with cult-like tenancies. Honestly, there have been times in the last ten years that I have stopped, taken a step back, and re-evaluated where my choices were leading me. The important lesson here is to not let yourself be a frog in a pot of water. You should always have the freedom to jump out and hold on to the ability to notice red flags waving in your face.
From the information offered in this news story, the only "unnecessary and dangerous risk" that Vyckie Garrison was placed in was unassisted homebirth. Maybe this is the topic the investigative report should have covered.
