While many claim that being a mom is the most important job in the world, in reality motherhood in the United States is growing harder and harder. From preconception, through pregnancy, and while parenting, women are held to ever-higher standards and are finding themselves punished – both socially and criminally – for failing to live up to these norms. In Caitlin Killian’s new book, Failing Moms, she uncovers how women of all ethnic backgrounds and socioeconomic statuses have been interrogated, held against their will, and jailed for a rapidly expanding list of offenses such as falling down the stairs while pregnant or letting a child spend time alone in a park, actions that were not considered criminal a generation ago. While poor mothers and moms of color are targeted the most, all moms are in jeopardy, whether they realize it or not. Women and mothers are disproportionately held accountable compared to men and fathers who do not see their reproduction policed and almost never incur charges for “failure to protect.” The gendered inequality of prosecutions reveals them to be more about controlling women than protecting children. Using a reproductive justice lens, Killian analyzes how and why mothers are on a precipice and what must change to prevent mass penalization and instead support mothers and their children.
While many claim that being a mom is the most important job in the world, in reality motherhood in the United States is growing harder and harder. From preconception, through pregnancy, and while parenting, women are held to ever-higher standards and are finding themselves punished – both socially and criminally – for failing to live up to these norms. In Caitlin Killian’s new book, Failing Moms, she uncovers how women of all ethnic backgrounds and socioeconomic statuses have been interrogated, held against their will, and jailed for a rapidly expanding list of offenses such as falling down the stairs while pregnant or letting a child spend time alone in a park, actions that were not considered criminal a generation ago. While poor mothers and moms of color are targeted the most, all moms are in jeopardy, whether they realize it or not. Women and mothers are disproportionately held accountable compared to men and fathers who do not see their reproduction policed and almost never incur charges for “failure to protect.” The gendered inequality of prosecutions reveals them to be more about controlling women than protecting children. Using a reproductive justice lens, Killian analyzes how and why mothers are on a precipice and what must change to prevent mass penalization and instead support mothers and their children.
Please join the Texas Federalist Society on Wednesday, March 6, 2024 at 12:00 in TNH 2.139 for a discussion on the philosophical approaches federal judges take on the bench, and how they view the role they play in the judiciary. We'll be pleased to host actual Article III judges as our speakers for this enlightening event.
On Wednesday, March 6, the Strauss Center and the Alexander Hamilton Society UT chapter will host Alex Velez-Green, Senior Policy Advisor at the Heritage Foundation’s Allison Center for National Security, for a conversation on “Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan: Can the United States be Everywhere at Once?”
Within this conversation, Velez-Green will discuss the competing demands on American military and defense-industrial power in today’s world. He will address questions including: Which regions are the most important for future U.S. security? Does the United States need to prioritize or can we handle several major regional crises at once? How can policymakers best posture and equip the U.S. military to keep America’s promises? What role do U.S. allies and partners have to play in resourcing collective security?
This talk will be held at the LBJ School of Public Affairs and lunch will be provided. For more information about this event, please contact Brittany Horton at brittany.horton@austin.utexas.edu.
