Tags
#yesallwomen, abortion, creative writing, law, photography, poetry, rape, writing, writing prompt
When I first had the idea for this post, it would have fallen on Mother’s Day. Even though that might have gotten more views for being controversial and potentially inappropriate, I waited. Recently, I’ve had several signs that suggest it’s time for this piece. I started reading I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up For Education and Was Shot by the Taliban. I’ve read several articles about the Isla Vista shooting and the U.S. culture objectifying women. Lastly, I read the following tweet in “THE POWER OF #YESALLWOMEN” (The New Yorker).
Because in about 30 states, rapists whose victims choose to keep the baby can get parental rights, like weekend visitation. WTF #YesAllWomen
The Picture it & Write this week is fiction. It does not represent the views of Ermilia. Rather, I hope it garners awareness of U.S. laws and discussion of how women are viewed in many societies. Maybe it adds a few more voices in the cry for change. Sources for the stats are provided at the end of the post.
Sensitive material follows.
I want more than anything to be a father but women just don’t want to have sex with me. I want a son to take fishing, to fix the car with me, and I’m tired of waiting. At forty, I will be sixty while my child is still in college. I blame women for this injustice. For whatever reason, they don’t want me to be a father, so it’s time I took things into my own hands. I read in the paper that each year, rapes result in 32,000 pregnancies. As many as 10,667 are carried to term. Suddenly, I had a plan.
“All of the boxes along that wall,” I told the movers.
After packing most of my house up, I decided to have the moving company store most of my belongings indefinitely while I looked for a place in Texas. Nine states prohibit abortions after 20 weeks. 31 will states allow me to sue for custody. Texas worked for both and one of my brothers agreed to let me stay while I looked for a job and an apartment.
When he asked why I was moving, I told him, “I’m ready for the next chapter in my life.”
Maybe I’ll start on Craig’s List.
–Eliabeth Hawthorne
Picture it & Write now supports The Girl Effect, a movement empowering girls to break the cycle of poverty in their communities, countries, and world. All profits from the publication are donated to this cause.
Sources
“Child custody rights for rapists? Most states have them” by Ed Payne on CNN
“Worst States For Pregnant Rape Victims (INFOGRAPHIC)” on Huff Post Politics
“Strip rapists of parental rights over their victim’s child” petition on Change.org
“State Policies in Brief: An Overview of Abortion Laws” via Guttmacher Institute
Ermilia 
That is very powerful Eliabeth and a true example of the fact that the law and true justice can often go separate ways.
I am unable to write a longer piece this weekend so I’ll just write something brief.
After years of the Regime, with all of his attempts to bring justice having failed, the judge ordered a new gavel. One of glass so fragile that it would instantly shatter if used. A sign that the law was truely powerless.
Vey nice.
Beautiful piece Joe. For once, I knew what I wanted to write before I found the image, so I looked through ~50 images before finding that one. I’d hoped someone would comment about the fragility of law.
Hehe, I just called this “glass justice” in my response to Elia, and then Googled it. It might have been coined here! A like is a like.
“I want more than anything to be a father but women just don’t want to have sex with me. I want a son to take fishing, to fix the car with me, and I’m tired of waiting. At forty, I will be sixty while my child is still in college. I blame women for this injustice…”
I think it is very courageous, in fiction, to try to write from a point of view with which you might feel no obvious sympathy. To do so and to carry it off is amazing. Brava!
I agree!
For those of you across the pond: Some freak a few miles south of me went on a shooting spree a few days ago. He made these and many other disturbing comments that were (almost more disturbingly) made public on YouTube for a while.
Then this is a quotation, not a piece of creative writing? I must apologise to all concerned for my inattentive reading and stupidity.
I think I might have been misleading in what I typed. You are anything but inattentive or stupid. I just meant to shed a little light on why she was burning a torch.
No worries. My brain flickers on and off most times anyway.
It might be your muse #%$ing with the switch. 🙂
This is a very thought provoking piece of work Elizabeth~Well done, this subject~ should be open for more public debate universally~Thank-you
Thank you, John.
Here is my effort at an uneasy subject~
http://johnandmargaret1607.wordpress.com/2014/06/01/smashing-justice/
It’s always difficult when we feel one thing in our hearts, but we can’t prove it. That’s always been something that interests me about law. Thanks for contributing this week.
Will get on to this tomorrow. The me is tired 🙂
I’ve been gone for a couple of days, but I saw the hashtag when it went up, caught part of Ermi’s rant, and had dreams about it for two nights before I even read what you wrote. Ugh! I love what you’ve done, but jeez, it’s practically non-fiction, right? Such a sick freak. Maybe if someone had just explained to him, “Axe for men, you idiot. Not ASS!” Suppose that was on women too. An. E. Way… I really like the glass justice idea for this picture.
Here’s the (sorry, unedited) result of my dreams: Glass Horses.
Oh my gosh I hope you used that line in your piece lol “axe for men…” I will read it from not my phone. On a more serious note, Ermi pointed out that more rapists probably think the girl wants it or was dressed provocatively and deserves it, but I am not the only one to address that some men do have this thought process. It was also a CSI SVU episode or something like that. After it posted, I thought maybe I should have written from the pov of a man who raped a woman and won custody. I might do a second edition in the comments because I’d like to address this in the next publication, if we do a vol 2.
Ow! That could put an ugly twist on a HEA!
That’s a very powerful story, a horrible subject, but one more people need to be aware of.
Mature Content.
I sat in the police office, I had to relive that night again and again. Many examinations, some of which were painful and I still feel like no-one believes me. In small towns the Judge is law and order, so no-one tells on him.
One more cop wants to know the story.
It was halloween night, I was trick or treating with my little brother, he is 7, we went to Judge Hammonds, house, their oldest daughter is two years older than me. They invited us, gave us some candy and the judge said he wanted to see if I wanted any of his daughters toys, he took me to her room, I sat on the bed and he got the toys out, he told me he wanted to see me for another reason I grew scared. he placed a hand on my shoulder and sat down beside me. I started to panic.
“What you saw the other night between me and my secretary is nothing to tell anyone, please don’t tell me wife, it will only hurt her and her kids.”
I wanted to yell, this had happened with mummy and daddy, I never saw mummy anymore and daddy could not care less, all for some other person. I saw red.
I saw the hammer that was lying on the floor, shelves were being built. I lifted the hammer and swung. Apparently my aim was true and hit it’s mark several times.
My name is Lucy, I am 12 years old and I am accused of mass murder.