The Family In-Depth

Chris Hafner-Eaton and Laurie K. Pearce’s article “Balancing Individual Freedoms and Protection of the Public Health” discusses the idea of midwifes. One of the reasons discussed about why some women prefer the assistance of a midwife is because today midwives express their new philosophy and “teach women how to give birth (pg.819).” It is also discussed that women have said they would of preferred a non-hospital birth but there was “no medical backup available (pg.814).” Personally, I believe child birth should take place in a hospital because if there are any complications, the tools and medicine is on hand. Also, with technology becoming more advanced, along with modern medicine, I believe child birth will become easier for women and will become less risky.
Lawrence Friedman’s article “Who are our Children? Adoption, Past, and Present,” talks about adoption and its development. It is stated in the article that parents “at one time, parental control over children continued as long as children lived (pg.273).” In 1851, the first adoption law was passed and eventually formal adoption was formed (pg. 273). “The changes in family life we have seen over the past century are relative changes (pg.273).” This thought lead to the idea that, “The government has no right to tell parents how to raise their children (pg.273).” And that this changed the purpose of formal adoptions.
Sharon Hays’s article, “Money and Morality," drives into the discussion of welfare. Conservative and liberal views of welfare differ. “The conservative critics of welfare offered the primary fuel for negative public sentiment. They accused welfare participants of being lazy, promiscuous, and pathologically dependent, and they argue that the welfare system encouraged those bad values (pg.12).” “Liberal scholars have agreed that there were problems in the old system and among the poor. They have argued that any problems of morality that existed among poor families were primarily the result, rather of economic hardship (pg.12).” TANF “established the absolute demand that mother’s participate in the full labor force (pg. 15).” “Mothers must be prepared to leave the home to find paying jobs that will support themselves and their children (pg.15).” When I think about the values of our society in relation to welfare, I think our values have shifted. It was once not expect for a woman to work to help support her family, her job was to take care of the home and the children. Today, I believe a woman is expected to carry her weight and help provide for the family financially. I do not see this as being a bad thing but simply as a change in society.
Block, Korteweg and Woodward also discuss poverty. A country such as Norway is remarkable because of how the government improves the lives of its citizens. It is difficult for countries such as Norway to understand poverty because it is not the same experience there as it is in the United States. Inflation and the economy as well as lack of jobs have contributed to poverty and its theories. Block, Korteweg and Woodward believe that the government cannot solve poverty. “True Compassion” is what the authors believe can help make the American Dream come true (pg.19).”
Clawson and Gerstel believe US child care could be approve if regulations and paperwork were stricter (pg. 34). The idea of ‘core programs’ would also assist in the improvement. Centers and after school programs regulated would be an extreme help (pg.35). I agree that child care needs to be improved. I also feel it is improving and soon the government will make stronger regulations.