Islamic Law: Marital rape gets the green light in Afghanistan UPDATE

Back in April of this year, I reported on the passing of draconian marital laws in Afghanistan, by President Hamid Karzai.

I am happy to say the leaders of Afghanistan listened to the national hue and cry over the passing of such laws, and have since reformed the marriage laws.

Is it perfect? By no means. Is it better than it was? Yes. Does Afghanistan, and for that matter nearly all Islamic nations, have a long ways to go before achieving equality and respect between men and women? Good God yes.

But remember, every change must begin with a single first step.

Gay rights & hospital policy

I don't care what your stance on the gay rights issue is. We each have our own opinions that are formed from our different experiences and beliefs. But there is no way that anyone could agree with the actions of the doctors and hospital staff towards Janice Langbehn.

"When a loved one is in the hospital, you naturally want to be at the bedside. But what if the staff won’t allow it?

That’s what Janice Langbehn...experienced when her partner of 18 years, Lisa Pond, collapsed with an aneurysm....She died there, at age 39, as Ms. Langbehn tried in vain to persuade hospital officials to let her visit, along with the couple’s adopted children."

At what point does policy overrule or outweigh personal decision making? Mrs. Langbehn's partner had clearly chosen to spend her life with her; they had children together, spent 18 years together, where taking a vacation together, and had filled out health care proxy paperwork.

Should not the hospital and staff, no matter their personal beliefs or hospital policy, honored the LEGAL right that Janice Langhehn had to visit, care for, and make medical decisions for her partner?

Islamic Law: Marital rape gets the green light in Afghanistan

I have sat here for ten minuets, trying to find the words to describe just how utterly ashamed and angry I am, and how news like Afghani President Hamid Karzai signing Islamic Law into effect scares the hell out of me.

Did you know that Canadian and European governments have considered allowing Sharia laws to their systems in order to be more inclusive and supportive of Muslims, and so as not to be seen as unwelcoming or prejudice?

How would you like to have laws that:

"[make] it illegal for a woman to resist her husband’s sexual advances," or "[require] a husband’s permission for a woman to work outside the home or go to school," or "[make] it illegal for a woman to refuse to 'make herself up' or 'dress up' if that is what her husband wants"?

Well, news flash: laws like that just became reality for Afghani women.

13 year old student strip search in the name of War on Drugs

At what point do adults, serving their community as school principals, nurses, and administrators, think that strip searching a 13 year old is remotely close to being a good idea?!

This seriously has me thinking of making a new blog label called: WTF?! Or something like that...

Anyway, it's true. A 13 year old girl (A) was strip searched after another student (B) was found to be in possession of prescription strength Ibuprofen and said she obtained the pills from someone else (A).

Basing their invasive and thoroughly unnecessary and unwarnetted search on this flimsy "evidence," school officials required the student to submit to a search, which, as you can guess, resulted in no pills.

The child's mother wasn't call. The police weren't called. And the school seems to think they did the right thing.

Seriously! WTF?!?