Thursday, April 14, 2005
In Washington State last fall, 27-year-old Shawna Hughes had her divorce revoked by Superior Court Judge Paul Bastine on the grounds that she was pregnant.
"The judge said he had to make sure the child was legitimate," Hughes told Women's eNews in an interview at her home. "And if I wasn't married, the child was illegitimate." The judge's reasoning was that the fetus had a right to know who its parents are. OK. Meanwhile, the hubbie to be ex'd has been jailed several times on domestic violence charges.
Mrs. Hughes says she's been abused since the birth of her first child. Her attorney has appealed the decision. A hearing is scheduled to be held in a few months.
A study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association has found that pregnant women are more likely to die of homicide than of any other cause.
Ain't that America! This case came up in November. I didn't see anything in the media. They'd rather wait until women are murdered (Laci Peterson) rather than draw attention to a legal system malfunction that fails to protect women at risk.
