Labor Policy and the Social Meaning of Parenthood
The article explores an aspect of the debate over the place of women in the paid labor force. Focusing on disputes over “protective” labor policies, “fetal protection” policies in particular, the essay discusses the implications of such policies for the social meaning of parenthood. Using data from interviews with 49 mothers and 37 fathers of children in neonatal intensive care units, the essay presents evidence suggesting that traditional social values inherent in female-exclusive labor policies are inadequate when one is dealing with the practical needs of parents. A policy that views women as nurturing and men as economically active resides in assumptions that women have the sole biological connection to children and overly determines a narrow conception of parenthood. The parents in this sample demonstrate the ongoing and complex negotiations involved in parenting, negotiations that labor policies have often ignored.
Selective Nontreatment of Handicapped Newborns
Some 15 years ago, I was asked by my department chairman to teach a course on "Ethical Dilemmas in Pediatrics." At that time there were few reference sources available, particularly with regard to handicapped newborns. I found then that the following two factors loomed large in the treatment of these infants: (1) decisions were sometimes made before all the facts were known, and (2) decisions were, in some instances, strongly influenced by emotion rather than sound medical judgment. The recent "Baby Doe" furor has shown that both these problems remain. This book is divided into seven basic areas, beginning with a review of infanticide. It continues with a description of the neonatal intensive care unit, pediatricians' views on selective nontreatment, the potential criminal liability involved in selective nontreatment, ethical options and criteria, clinical applications, and concludes with procedural recommendations. The book is, in general, fair, balanced, and accurate. It offers
Black Women in Families: From Field to Factory@@@Labor of Love, Labor of Sorrow: Black Women, Work, and the Family from Slavery to the Present.
The forces that shaped the institution of slavery in the American South endured, albeit in altered form, long after slavery was abolished. Toiling in sweltering Virginia tobacco factories or in the kitchens of white families in Chicago, black women felt a stultifying combination of racial discrimination and sexual prejudice. And yet, in their efforts to sustain family ties, they shared a common purpose with wives and mothers of all classes. In Labor of Love, Labor of Sorrow, historian Jacqueline Jones offers a powerful account of the changing role of black women, lending a voice to an unsung struggle from the depths of slavery to the ongoing fight for civil rights.