In an effort to soothe expectant mothers into oblivion, the new Carafem abortion clinic is opening in Friendship Heights (Montgomery County), Maryland to service the Washington D.C. elite caught by an embarrassing "unexpected" pregnancy.
“It was important for us to try to present an upgraded, almost spa-like feel.” -- Melissa S. Grant, VP Carafem
For background on various other abortion marketing techniques, click headlines below:
Plagued by political setbacks in recent years, abortion rights activists are seeking to normalize abortion, to put a human face on the women getting the procedure and, in some cases, even putting a positive spin on it.
At Carafem, staff members plan to greet clients with warm teas, comfortable robes and a matter-of-fact attitude.
[Carafem President Christopher] Purdy said he got the idea for Carafem two years ago after more than a decade with DKT International, a nonprofit group that promotes family planning and HIV prevention in developing countries. Overseas, he said, getting an abortion is often as simple as visiting a pharmacy. In the United States, however, some states strictly regulate the abortion pill, citing concerns about its safety, making it virtually impossible to get in some rural areas.
By offering only pharmaceutical abortions, Purdy says, he can avoid purchasing expensive surgical equipment and can keep prices low for clients. The average pharmaceutical abortion cost about $500 in the United States in 2011, Guttmacher figures show; Purdy plans to charge around $400.
Beginning this week, clients will be welcomed with hot tea and comfy robes in the clinic, which features wood floors, plush upholstery and natural wood tones, so it resembles a high-end salon or spa.
For $400, women will receive counseling and basic tests, then take an initial pill, before returning home with a second set of pills to induce the abortion the next day. The goal is to have them in and out in an hour. Like a typical salon or spa, women can schedule weekend and evening appointments online, or by calling a 24 hour hotline.
Carafem staff understand the “various emotions” that come with getting an abortion, the clinic’s site states, and promise to give “clear, non-judgmental, and accurate information” to clients. The site features pictures of young smiling women in pleasant settings drinking coffee, eating and walking together.
“It’s fresh, it’s modern, it’s clean, it’s caring,” [Purdy] said. “That’s the brand we’re trying to create.”
I don’t know about you but I think it’s going to take a lot more than pretty floors and furniture to change public opinion on abortion. First of all, whether an abortion takes place at a run-down Gosnell-like facility or at a “high-end salon,” abortion always, 100% of the time, kills an unborn child and hurts the family involved.
Secondly, as LifeNews previously reported, after abortion over 65% of women suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and post abortive women are six-times more likely to commit suicide than women who have given birth. Also, many women describe their abortion experience as ‘a nightmare,’ with 60% reporting that it felt like ’Part of me died.’
So to put it mildly, better branding, “abortion spas,” and all the positive talk in the world will never change the horror of abortion or the devastation it brings.
To read the entire opinion column above, CLICK HERE.
California State University in Turlock has de-recognized the Stanislaus Christian Fellowship chapter of Chi Alpha after being on campus for 40 years because the club limits its leadership to Christians. Cal State officials declared, "What they cannot be is faith-based where someone has to have a profession of faith to be that leader."
“In the university’s attempt to enforce nondiscriminatory policies, they themselves are discriminating against the religious creeds of this particular student organization.” -- Matthew Jacob, Turlock Councilman
For background, click headlines below to read previous articles:
CSUS Associate Vice President Tim Lynch says the group’s constitution does not follow a CSU system wide executive order by prohibiting non-Christians from seeking a leadership role within the organization.
. . . Lynch says two other faith-based groups on campus have complied with the executive order with no issues.
The Chi Alpha chapter at San Diego State also lost its recognition from the school for the same reason.
Stanislaus Christian Fellowship Chi Alpha is crying discrimination to a recently implemented open-membership policy, which has been enforced by the California State University system in an effort to eliminate discrimination in student organizations system wide.
With withdrawal of recognition, Chi Alpha is no longer eligible for benefits made available to recognized groups, including those made possible through taxpayers and student fees. They are also no longer able to reserve space on campus, gain access to a mailbox in the Student Leadership & Development Office, and make use of accounting services.
Although numerous student organizations throughout the state are facing the same fate as Chi Alpha due to discrimination based on race, religion, age, and gender among others, the student group perceives CSU Stanislaus’ action as a personal affront to their beliefs and religious freedom.
Councilman Matthew Jacob sent out a news release late Thursday, asking the university to reverse its decision and reinstate Stanislaus Christian Fellowship. The local student group is part of the Chi Alpha campus ministries organization, which has more than 300 student group chapters at campuses internationally.
The membership of Chi Alpha’s Stanislaus chapter is open to any student, but it requires that its leaders, who lead worship services and Bible studies, affirm the group’s Christian beliefs. The councilman said compliance with university policy would potentially pave the way for non-Christians to take on leadership roles in a fundamentally Christian student organization.
The councilman said the local student group believes it would be illogical to have leaders teaching and mentoring other club members about a faith that they themselves do not practice. Jacob said it would infringe on the student group’s religious freedoms to adopt this university policy.
Jacob called the university’s action an “injustice.” He said he approached university officials, hoping to help the students work out a resolution with the campus. But he said he felt like he was getting the runaround from university officials.
In a letter to Suzanne Espinoza, Cal State’s vice president for enrollment and student affairs, the group argued that the discriminatory policy “[b]urdens Chi Alpha’s sincere religious exercise,[i]mproperly interferes with the internal affairs of a religious organization, and [v]iolates the law, including the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and Article I of the California Constitution.”
The letter also urged the university to reinstate its recognition of Chi Alpha.
The student group has secured the legal services of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty . . .
“The price of admission to a state school shouldn’t include denying your faith,” Becket Fund lawyer Adele Keim explained in an interview with Campus Reform.
Assemblywoman Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield) proposed a bill called the Student Freedom of Association Act. The bill was proposed to fight the “Open Membership Policy”, a policy that requires that membership and leadership positions within recognized student organizations be open for all students, even if those students disagree with the purpose or beliefs of the club.
The policy lost Stanislaus Christian Fellowship their recognition. Lynch was asked what would happen if this bill came into effect.
“It would be premature to speculate on any proposed legislation,” Lynch said.
This week, the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the investigatory arm of Congress, released a report documenting the unprecedented funding by the Obama administration of Planned Parenthood and five other organizations that promote abortion and population control to the tune of more than $1.5 billion over a three-year period (2010-2012).
“It is unconscionable that the federal government would fund Planned Parenthood and other pro-abortion groups which prefer profit over life.” -- Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler (R-Missouri)
Six groups that perform abortions, advocate for the right to the procedure, or study family planning issues received over $441 million in federal funding in the three years between 2010 and 2012, according to a congressional report requested by anti-abortion lawmakers.
There's no indication from the report that the money went for abortions, but the lawmakers, including Sen. David Vitter, R-La, said it affirms their view that Congress should pass legislation that bars any federal funding for groups that perform abortion.
"Taxpayer funding should in no way support abortions," Vitter said. "But when we hand out funding to groups like Planned Parenthood, we know exactly where it's going -- they proudly admit that the majority of their pregnancy-related resources go toward abortions. We can't let this federal support come at the expense of millions of unborn children."
The report found that the six organizations spent $481 million in federal funding from Fiscal Years 2010 to 2012, as well as about $1.2 billion in combined federal and state funds under federal health programs that require shared funding. Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) spent the greatest share of this public funding – approximately $1.5 billion in combined state and federal dollars, or an average of about $500 million each year. Olson, Black, Smith, and Vitter led more than 60 House and Senate Members in calling for this study in February 2013. They released the following statements:
“It shouldn't take a GAO request from Congress for the American public to know where their tax dollars are being spent. Yet, since I've been in Congress, this is the only way we can get answers. That's why I continue to demand transparency and fight to stop organizations like Planned Parenthood from receiving a single tax dollar. I will continue to do all I can to prevent taxpayers from being forced to support organizations that promote or perform abortions. Greater transparency is critically important and precisely what these groups seek to avoid,” said Congressman Pete Olson.
The GAO report, which was released on Wednesday, March 25, 2015, stemmed from a request in 2013 from a group of pro-life members of Congress for up-to-date information regarding federal funding of Planned Parenthood.
According to its 2013-2014 annual report, Planned Parenthood is the nation’s largest abortion provider, performing 327,653 abortions in 2013 (last reported year). That is an average of 898 abortions every day, 37 abortions every hour, 3 abortions every 5 minutes and more than 1 abortion every two minutes.
During this same year, according to its own statistics, Planned Parenthood only provided 1,880 adoption referrals and 18,684 prenatal services. This means that in 2013, abortions made up 94.1% of these three pregnancy services, while prenatal care and adoption referrals accounted for only 5.4% (18,684) and .5% (1,800), respectively.
To read the entire press release above, CLICK HERE.
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) provided an update to a 2010 report on funding provided to Advocates for Youth, Guttmacher Institute, International Planned Parenthood Federation, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Population Council, and the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS).
The report examined federal funding for the organizations -- including those dollars furnished through state offices, such as Medicaid funding -- as well as how the groups spent the money.
The GAO examined a total of $19 billion sent to, and $10 billion spent by, Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs).
Approximately $107 million of the direct federal funding for the six groups came from the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS). Another $128 million for Population Council and Planned Parenthood came from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
The report, which was compiled after a group of over 60 pro-life Congress members led by U.S. Reps. Diane Black, R-Tenn., Chris Smith, R-N.J. and Pete Olson, R-Texas, sent a letter to GAO in February of 2013 asking for data on the how much federal funding was expended by six major organizations who advocate and or perform elective abortion-on-demand from 2010-2012.
Although the Hyde Amendment, which was made law in 1976, prohibits the federal government from using taxpayer dollars to fund abortions, elective abortion providers and supporters are able to secure federal funding because of the other services they offer, senior policy advisor for the Christian pro-life activist organization Operation Rescue, Cheryl Sullenger, previously told The Christian Post.
"The Obama Administration is committed to advancing a pro-abortion agenda and continually has placed the demands of abortion advocates and providers at the top of its public health agenda for six years [and] all the expenses [are] the taxpayers," said the director of Family Research Council's Center for Human Dignity, Arina Grossu, in a press release.
GAO found that Planned Parenthood and its affiliates alone received $344.5 million in federal funding, and a whopping $1.5 billion in taxpayer money overall when state funds received through Medicaid are included. With a majority of Americans opposing taxpayer funding of abortion, the GAO report highlights the pressing need to defund Big Abortion — if not out of respect for the unborn, then at the very least out of respect for the wishes of the taxpayer.
According to the study,
The six organizations reported expending over $482 million in federal funding from fiscal year 2010 though fiscal year 2012. The six organizations reported expending funding they received directly and indirectly from federal agencies, including HHS and USAID, as well as the Departments of Agriculture, Defense, Housing and Urban Development, and Justice.
To read the entire opinion column above, CLICK HERE.
The Rise and Shine Academy in Toledo, Ohio has terminated a teacher and Lucas County Children's Services is investigating accusations that 6- and 8-year-old girls forced a 7-year-old girl to perform oral sex on them in the school restroom.
"My daughter is considered the victim. They think that they bribed my daughter into doing things. Not once but twice. And the first time she said she didn't say anything because she was scared." -- Victim's mother
For background, click headlines below to read previous articles:
The mother says both her daughter and the school said the incident occurred while the students were on a bathroom break.
The situation has caused the girl's mother to keep her home from school, file a police report, and contact Children's Services, reports WTOL.
"Something needs to be done. Especially if they're not keeping a close eye on the children and this is what's going on at the school," she said.
The Rise and Shine Academy, whose web site describes the school as a free, community-based K-6 college preparatory program, has reportedly fired the teacher who was responsible for the students at the time of the incident and has brought in a psychologist to work with the students.
The CEO of Rise and Shine Academy, Dr. Pat McKinstry, says they became aware of the situation when a student reported something "nasty" happening in the bathrooms.
When a teacher found out, it was immediately reported, and the children were called to the office as their parents were called to the school.
"This incident, even though it happened, these 6-year-olds' innocent minds are only reacting to what they have been exposed to," said McKinstry.
The school has already changed their bathroom policy to only allow one child inside the bathroom at a time.
Austin, Texas abortion advocate Melanie Maria Toney, 52, expressed her pro-death attitude at pro-life Christians outside the Planned Parenthood clinic by tossing, out the window of her speeding BMW, a flaming improvised explosive device (a molotov cocktail) at the group as they prayed. Police are NOT investigating this as a "hate crime."
“. . . if the ignition had occurred, due to the close proximity of the device to the protestors, serious bodily injury and/or death could have occurred.” -- Arrest affidavit
For background, click headlines below to read previous articles:
An arrest affidavit states that members of Texas Alliance for Life were praying near the South Austin facility when a woman in an SUV tossed a "flaming item" out of the window.
Police found a fuel additive bottle and a rolled-up paper towel used as a wick. Investigators said that one of the women praying stomped out a small fire.
Witnesses reported a partial license plate to police, who found the SUV nearby. Toney initially denied involvement but then told police she threw a bottle that "might" have been smoldering.
According to an arrest affidavit, 52-year-old Melanie Maria Toney threw the device, “a bottle filled with a flammable substance and a wick material that is then lit so as to ignite when it contacts an object,” out the passenger window of her BMW while passing the clinic on 201 East Ben White Boulevard.
One of the two protesters reportedly stomped out the fire created by the device and quickly pulled out the wick to prevent the fire from touching the contents of the container, a Gumout Fuel Additive bottle.
Gumout is a “ignitable liquid that could ignite if it comes in contact with an ignition source such as a flame or burning wick,” said Detective Jesse Carrillo, who is assigned to the bomb squad, in the affadavit. “[…] In this case the gum out did not ignite due to the fact that it landed in a soft, grass area.”
Toney is currently facing the charge of aggravated Assault, a second-degree felony, but the charges could have been more severe if the device ignited.
Protester Ruth Allwein with the Texas Alliance for Life told police she thought she was targeted, the arrest affidavit said.
Allwein had been praying in a grassy area in front of Planned Parenthood when she saw a white vehicle driven by a woman slow down, the affidavit said.
The driver threw the bottle out of the car window and it landed on the ground next to Allwein, the affidavit said. Allwein told police her heart was racing as she stomped out the fire the bottle had caused and pulled out a wick to make sure the flame did not ignite the liquid in the bottle, the affidavit said.
Another witness said it appeared that the flaming bottle was thrown directly at two anti-abortion protesters near the Planned Parenthood facility, the affidavit said. The witness was pulling out of a driveway when she saw the bottle thrown from a BMW SUV, the affidavit said.
At the Weasel Zippers blog, a witness list was posted of whose who spoke in support of abortion during [state Rep. Wendy] Davis’ fight at the [Texas] legislature.
Listed was Melanie Toney, “Registered Nurse (also providing written testimony).”
She describes herself as mostly emergency room nurse for 23 years, and said, “Unwanted pregnancy occurs in victims of rape from the ages of 9 to 90.”
“Rape is a violent crime and the majority of the victims are physically abused as well,” she said, adding that women are killing themselves over an “unwanted pregnancies.”
Amid screaming accusations of discrimination and intolerance from homosexualists, bureaucrats and their comrades in business, Indiana Governor Mike Pence just signed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (SB 101) into law to protect citizens from the increasingly rampant lawless judiciary sweeping the American landscape. UPDATE 4/3/15: Indiana GOP Legislature & Governor Turn on Christians, Protect Homosexuals (see article excerpts below)
Governor Mike Pence today issued the following [excerpts from a] statement after signing the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (SEA 101) in a private ceremony.
“The Constitution of the United States and the Indiana Constitution both provide strong recognition of the freedom of religion but today, many people of faith feel their religious liberty is under attack by government action.
“Last year the Supreme Court of the United States upheld religious liberty in the Hobby Lobby case based on the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act, but that act does not apply to individual states or local government action. At present, nineteen states—including our neighbors in Illinois and Kentucky—have adopted Religious Freedom Restoration statutes. And in eleven additional states, the courts have interpreted their constitutions to provide a heightened standard for reviewing government action.
“In order to ensure that religious liberty is fully protected under Indiana law, this year our General Assembly joined those 30 states and the federal government to enshrine these principles in Indiana law, and I fully support that action.”
The measure could allow business owners to refuse services to same-sex couples and has set off a firestorm of controversy.
"This bill is not about discrimination, and if I thought it legalized discrimination in any way in Indiana, I would have vetoed it," the govenor added. "In fact, it does not even apply to disputes between private parties unless government action is involved. For more than twenty years, the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act has never undermined our nation's anti-discrimination laws, and it will not in Indiana."
The organizers of Gen Con, the city's largest convention, sent a letter to the governor Tuesday threatening to move the event elsewhere in future years if the bill becomes law. And the Disciples of Christ, a Christian denomination based in Indianapolis, said it would look to other cities for its annual convention if Pence signs the bill.
The proposal has drawn criticism from several business groups and convention planners who worry that it presents Indiana as an unwelcoming state and who are asking Pence to veto the measure.
Backers say the proposal is aimed at protecting religious freedom and preventing the government from compelling people to provide services for activities such as same-sex weddings that they consider objectionable.
Supporters also say discrimination concerns are overblown because the bill is modeled after a federal religious freedom law Congress passed in 1993 and similar laws are on the books in 19 states. However, the current political climate is far different than it was when most of those were approved because the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule this year on whether gay marriage bans violate the Constitution.
The bill has already passed the Indiana House 63-31 and the Senate 40-10. It would pass into law whether Pence signs it or not. He would have to veto the measure to stop it.
Republican Indiana Gov. Mike Pence is poised to sign into law a controversial religious religious freedoms bill that critics – including groups typically aligned with Republican interests – say is discriminatory towards gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.
"I don't believe this legislation truly represents our state or our capital city," [Indianapolis Mayor Greg] Ballard, a Republican, said Wednesday in a statement, according to the IndyStar. "We are a diverse city, and I want everyone who visits and lives in Indy to feel comfortable here."
Some of the Indiana's biggest employers – including global pharmaceutical firm Eli Lilly and Co., diesel engine manufacturing company Cummins, tech giant Salesforce and aluminum producer Alcoa Inc. – have come out in opposition to the bill, as has the Indiana Chamber of Commerce.
Adding more scrutiny to the bill is the upcoming NCAA men’s basketball Final Four championship, which will be held in Indianopolis. Jason Collins, the first openly gay athlete in the NBA, tweeted, “[I]s it going to be legal for someone to discriminate against me & others when we come to the #FinalFour?”
Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff late Wednesday joined a last-ditch effort by at least a dozen Indiana tech company executives to persuade Gov. Mike Pence to veto the controversial "religious freedom" bill, even as Pence made clear he planned to sign the measure Thursday.
Benioff, along with six other Indiana tech CEOs, co-signed a letter opposing the measure. When asked about his participation in the effort, Benioff said in an email to IBJ: "We will be forced to dramatically reduce our investment in Indiana based on our employees' and customers' outrage over the Indiana religious freedom bill."
The letter was authored by Jon Gilman, CEO of Indianapolis-based Clear Software, and addressed to Pence. It includes the signatures of Scott McCorkle, CEO of Salesforce Marketing Cloud, and John McDonald, CEO of CloudOne.
Several corporations, including Cummins Inc., have for weeks decried the measure as it advanced through the Legislature. But in recent days, tech executives in particular have gone public with their sentiments, many labeling it as damaging to their efforts to attract and retain tech talent in Indiana.
The [bill signing] comes as Pence considers a bid for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination — and just a year after Pence and socially conservative lawmakers lost their first policy battle against gay Hoosiers. In 2014 they had sought to amend Indiana’s constitution to ban same-sex marriages — but were beaten back by a highly-organized coalition of Democrats, traditionally right-leaning business organizations and fiscally focused supporters of Pence’s predecessor, former GOP Gov. Mitch Daniels.
If Pence decides to mount a dark horse presidential bid — which looks increasingly unlikely as candidates like Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker court the same supporters he would need — the “religious freedom” bill could give him a boost among GOP primary voters, especially in socially conservative states like Iowa.
The governors of Arkansas and Indiana on Thursday quickly signed revised versions of their respective religious freedom laws, hoping to quell a national uproar that united business leaders and gay rights activists who fought the measures as potentially discriminatory.
The amendment is “a very strong statement to [ensure] that every Hoosier’s right will be protected,” House Speaker Brian Bosma, an Indianapolis Republican, said at a news conference where the new language was unveiled. The law “cannot be used to discriminate against anyone.”
The amendment offers some protection against discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity, the first time an Indiana law has addressed the issue. But the amendment stops short of being a separate anti-discrimination law, which some critics of the law had sought. Indiana has anti-discrimination laws, but they do not cover cases involving sexual orientation.
The Human Rights Campaign, a national advocacy group for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people, said more battles would come.
. . . a lawyer for The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty says the proposed legislative “fix” is not only unnecessary, it would undermine the religious rights of Hoosiers and leave them vulnerable to criminal prosecution for following their religious beliefs, the opposite of what RFRA was intended to do.
“Individuals asked to be part of a same-sex wedding who decline because they feel it violates their religious beliefs would not be able to raise the RFRA under the ‘fix’,” [Becket legal counsel Daniel] Blomberg told CNSNews.com. “It would leave them defenseless. It also makes specific allowances for criminal prosecution. So not only is the ‘fix’ not helpful, it should not be accepted.
“We have a choice on how to handle these situations. We can allow government to drive religious people out of business, fine them and possibly imprison them, or we can allow religious people to have their day in court, and let the courts balance their religious claims against other competing values.”
“Nothing in this law would enable a small business to refuse to offer or provide services, facilities, use of a public accommodation, goods, etc.,” said Americans for Truth About Homosexuality President Peter LaBarbera, reading in part from the proposed changes before they were signed into law by Indiana Gov. Mike Pence Thursday evening.
“This language is unacceptable. It actually reverses the progress of the religious freedom law,” LaBarbera said. “No law would be better than eviscerating this religious freedom bill as it was with the new language.”
“The actions taken by the Indiana General Assembly do not clarify our Religious Freedom Restoration Act’s purposes or goals. Our legal advisers tell us that it actually changes our law in a way that could now erode religious freedom across Indiana. If this revised law does not adequately protect religious liberty for all, it is not really a religious freedom act,” said AFA of Indiana Executive Director Micah Clark in a statement.
Administrators at Chino (California) High School are remaining silent in response to an outcry by parents upset that neither they nor their children were notified in advance that upon leaving school on Friday, chemistry teacher Michael Swager would show up at school on Monday dressed as a woman. School officials say that gender appearance is the teacher's private matter, owing no explanation to the taxpayers.
For background, click headlines below to read previous articles:
Parents at an Inland Empire high school are raising concerns after they say they were left in the dark about a teacher’s decision to pursue gender reassignment, although many say they are supportive of her choice.
Viviana [Vasquez, student,] said school officials did not explain to her what was going on, leaving her and many other students uncertain on how to understand what was happening. They were especially surprised last week, when she said Swager starting dressing as a woman and calling herself Amanda.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the Chino Valley Unified School District said they couldn't comment because it’s a personal and private matter for the teacher.
Swager noted that his gender reassignment probably wasn’t a surprise for anyone paying the slightest bit of attention to his appearance. He said he hopes parents aren’t angry with the school district for failing to notify them.
Swager, whose name was Michael before he changed it to Amanda, said local school district officials have been tremendously supportive.
Swager’s Chino High webpage has been changed to add an image of Swager’s new feminine look. The page calls Swager “Ms. Swager.”
Amanda Swager, 32, known for the last six years as 6-foot, 6-inch Michael Swager at Chino High, made the decision this summer to stop presenting herself as a man at school.
Her students were informed of the impending change March 13 in the first few minutes of class. Ms. Swager explained the medical reasons behind the decision, and Chino High principal Felix Melendez reminded the students to be respectful, that the decision would not be talked about in class because class time is about academics, and that the conduct of the class will not change.
Mr. Melendez also said counselors would be available if students had questions or concerns.
“Chino High School is aware of the teacher’s decision,” district spokeswoman Julie Gobin said from a prepared statement. “It is a personal and private matter for the teacher. Therefore we cannot comment further.”
A pair of lesbians and their common male lover of Oakland, California who were "married" as a "poly fidelitous triad" last summer say that society needs to accept their definition of family because “in all honesty we think having two moms and one dad is the perfect way to raise a child, in a home full of love,” said Melinda Phoenix—lesbian, mother, and wife (of both a woman and a man).
“Even sex is great as if one person is not feeling up for it, then there are two other people to choose from.”
Of course, having three parents in one bedroom does present some unique challenges. “We just need a bigger bed,” Dani [Phoenix] said. “We are all co-sleeping with the babies as well and at the moment the only way Jonathan [Stein] fits is if he lays horizontally at the bottom of the bed.”
For background, click headlines below to read previous articles:
Melinda and Dani Phoenix became domestic partners in a 2010 California commitment ceremony, before gay marriage was legal in the state. A year later, the pair fell in love with a man, Jonathan Stein, and added him to their union in an unofficial marriage ceremony in 2014. Now Melinda and Dani are a polyamorous couple — both wives consider Jonathan their husband — and all three are in a romantic relationship.
Recently, the Oakland trio got two new additions to their family. In September 2014, Melinda gave birth to a son, Oliver, and one month later, Dani had a daughter, Ella Lynn; Jonathan is the father of each. “We just made sure we timed things correctly and prayed our wishes would come true,” Melinda said. “I found out I was pregnant on January 14th … and two weeks later we all let out a scream of pure delight when we found out Dani was expecting, too. It was just so special experiencing pregnancy with the woman I love going through it at the same time.”
Today, all three consider themselves parents to both Ella Lynn and Oliver.
Jonathan, Dani, and Melinda are a polyamorous family, which means that they all believe in having more than one partner.
The trio and their two children all live under the same roof, with all three parents sharing every aspect of parenthood, from nighttime feeds to diaper changes.
'It might seem strange to a lot of people, but to us it makes perfect sense,' Melinda, 28, who runs her own healing company, East-West Collaborative Health, told Daily Mail Online. 'We all love each other and it was our dream to fall pregnant at the same time.'
Until Dani met Melinda in 2008, Melinda had only been in monogamous relationships with men, while Dani had enjoyed relationships with both men and women.
'When Melinda first told me she was missing a man in her life I thought "Why aren't I enough?"' Dani confessed. 'But the more we spoke about it, the more I realized there could be huge advantages to having three of us in our marriage.
'The hard part was finding a man we could both fall in love with.'
Miraculously the girls didn't have to wait too long for their dream husband to come along.
. . . they’re sharing their story to raise awareness about polyamorous families and hope that some day these arrangements can be widely accepted and legally recognized. With children entering their picture, they feel gaining support from the community is more important than ever.
Polyamory is a term used to define people who love multiple partners at the same time. A polyamorous relationship can range from a married person with multiple love interests to an informal group marriage. Some engage in group sex while others have one-on-one sexual relationships with multiple partners.
Polygamy falls under the polyamory umbrella and refers to a structure with one man who dominates over two or more wives. In a polygamous relationship the wives don’t have an intimate relationship. The Stein-Phoenix clan is different because Melinda and Dani are romantically involved and all three partners are viewed as equals.
A 2009 Newsweek article reported that more than a half-million people prefer a more populous relationship over the traditional two-person one, but some researchers say the numbers could be much higher due to underreporting.
Schools have turned to local police across America to deal with a reportedly widespread addiction to an overtly sexualized culture within public schools.
"It is not surprising. I feel like it is all they talk about. It is all they ever think about." -- Cord Ratliff, graduate of Michigan City (Indiana) High School
"We spend a lot of time on educating students on the use of technology, and we will continue to educate them." -- Jennifer Kelsall, Superintendent, Ridgewood High School (Norridge, IL)
"This social media stuff is going to tank this whole generation if somebody doesn’t do something about this. It’s just crazy. I see what’s going on with these younger kids, and yeah, I think I can believe it. They’re just out of control. There’s nobody stopping them." -- Bill Papish, Ridgewood grandparent
Michigan City Police say they are making a concerted effort to locate and destroy sexually explicit images being sent from one teen to another and they are seizing cell phones to do that.
Bob Modesto, a former high school administrator and his high school age daughter Meg are aware of the consequences.
“They want to be accepted and be liked and so they do whatever they need to do,” Bob said. “Unfortunately, it is not the right way to be liked.”
Police are investigating four students from Ridgewood High School in Norridge after nude photos of two students went out to some classmates.
Two girls and two boys between the ages of 15 and 17 are now facing charges for disseminating child pornography.
Officials say sexting is a big problem, because once the photos are out there, they can go anywhere worldwide. The school's superintendent told FOX 32's Anita Padilla administrators are working to educate the students on the use of technology.
About 25 students at the school were interviewed during a police investigation that spanned several weeks and ended last week with four students — two girls and two boys — facing possible charges in Cook County's juvenile court division with dissemination of harmful material to a minor.
Police interviews revealed another female student, a 17-year-old Ridgewood junior — allegedly sent out nude self portraits to several classmates.
The four facing charges include the two girls, who police said took and sent the inappropriate selfies, along with a 15-year-old boy and a 17-year-old boy who distributed the photos. The photos were seen by "more than a few kids," according to [Norridge Police Det. Chuck] Tortorello.
The 17-year-olds could have faced more serious charges — possibly felonies — if they had been 18 when they distributed the photos, Tortorello said.
"For an adult who sends a nude photo of a juvenile, it could have been serious — serious enough that you could end up in a penitentiary," Tortorello said.
When Courtney Schmackers, proprietor of Next Door Stories in Bexley, Ohio (a suburb of Columbus) was asked by Jenn Moffitt, 33, and Jerra Knicely, 34, to video their "wedding" ceremony, Schmackers declined the work citing her Christian beliefs. Not surprisingly, the lesbian couple took to the Internet to trash Schmackers' business and then asked the Bexley Chamber of Commerce to enjoin the battle. The Chamber promptly agreed to devise a new sexual-orientation policy that would deny religious liberty to area businesses.
Ohio currently does not allow same-sex marriage, and its anti-discrimination law does not include sexual orientation. However, a number of municipalities and cities, including Columbus, have ordinances that prohibit sexual-orientation discrimination. Bexley is not among them.
In Bexley, [homosexualists'] criticism also has been directed at the Bexley Area Chamber of Commerce, where President Colleen Krupp said the organization is “like the vast majority of chamber organizations nationwide” in not having a non-discrimination policy that applies to membership.
However, she said, the chamber board “believes that discrimination in any form is wrong and should not be tolerated” and is working to implement an anti-discrimination policy that would include sexual orientation.
Schmackers has refused to comment publicly on the issue but posted her version of events on Facebook.
'I made a business decision based on my spiritual beliefs and the biblical definition of a marriage because I thought I had a right to that. Unfortunately I gave the wrong answer to the wrong person, who decided to make a private issue into a public platform,' she wrote.
In a statement, Bexley Mayor Ben Kessler said: 'Bexley, Ohio is a community that embraces diversity and welcomes businesses, families and individuals of ALL sexual orientation, race, religion, age, nationality, ethnicity, disabilities, socio-economic levels, etc. As an employer and a provider of services to our residents, we extend that same openness and inclusivity.'
Moffitt and Kincely reached out to the Bexley Area Chamber of Commerce through its Facebook page about five weeks ago to file a complaint against the business. They also shared their story on Facebook to raise awareness and get the attention of local officials.
The Bexley Area Chamber of Commerce addressed the incident on its Facebook page. Even though it does not have a nondiscrimination policy that applies to membership, the organization said it does not tolerate discrimination "in any form."
After reviewing the situation, the organization sent a letter to its members saying its board is in the process of rewriting its policy to forbid applicants and current members "from discriminating on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, gender, gender expression, age, ancestry, disability, marital status, sexual orientation or military status."
"The Chamber Board believes that discrimination in any form is wrong and should not be tolerated," the board said in the letter, which it shared on its Facebook page. "As we revise this policy, we plan to seek input from our membership as well. We hope to have these new policies in place very soon."
Although the [lesbian] couple filed the complaint, Ohio is one of 13 states that does not allow same-sex marriages, and Bexley is also a municipality that does not prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation. Additionally, the Bexley Chamber of Commerce does not prohibit its members from discriminating based on sexual orientation.
The Bexley Chamber of Commerce issued a statement through Facebook on Monday condemning Schmackers' refusal of service. The post continued by stating that board members have decided that the chamber's policy must be changed so that this type of "discrimination" does not happen again.
"At our Feb. 11 board meeting, we discussed in detail how the Bexley Area Chamber of Commerce could ensure this does not happen again. The Chamber Board believes that discrimination in any form is wrong and should not be tolerated. At this meeting, the board agreed that our membership policy must be revised to reflect this. We began the process of re-writing [sic] our policies and guidelines."
