Blog Action Day: Poverty & Choice

Poverty. There are countless ways to address the subject. But what sticks out in my mind most of all are the ways poverty is a morality issue, especially for women.

Years ago, when I lived in Wisconsin, I ran a single mother support group. One of the issues that reared its ugly head was the matter of choice and poverty; specifically as it related to those receiving government assistance.

"Welfare" is a dirty word, loaded with connotations about "laziness", "sexual promiscuity", "race", "stupidity" -- and "evil manipulation". As a white woman on welfare at the time I'd seen it first hand. It was horrifically ugly. And I was white. Which put me the majority or welfare women, by the way -- not that such little things as facts had anything to do with the reality of welfare or the discussions about it.

My first experience occurred when I had just been in the system for a few months. I had decided that retail, with its low wages, poor benefits, and weekly schedules posted on the Friday before the Sunday on which the new week began, was not going to be realistic employment for a single mother of one who needed first find child care on such short notice (and be able to pay it). I decided I needed to return to finish my college degree -- and I went to see my social worker about it.

I sat in the cubicle, with dozens of persons passing by, and told him flatly how I was going to return to college; what did I need to do? First he poo-pooed the idea; saying, "I don't think so," as he shook his head.

Now this was back at the time when a woman on welfare could in fact attend college and earn a four year degree. I knew it was possible. So I pressed. I stated firmly & clearly that I would be returning to college and to tell me what paperwork etc. needed to be done for this.

He again shook his head, this time sucking his teeth before he spoke -- and this is his exact quote: "No, I don't think you want to return to school; your baby is getting near to a year and it's time to pop out another one."

In shock, I looked past the cubicle 'doorway' and into the carpeted hall, hoping someone had heard and would testify to his rude and horrific comment. Apparently no one had. Or, at least no one who heard cared. The ladies chatting two feet away just kept chatting, others just kept walking by as if this was all normal.

I now became angry -- and I worried how many other woman had heard this and, either because they didn't know better or wouldn't dare to go against 'the authority', would just accept such bullshit?

I did, as mentioned, return to college and start the single parent support group. There, in the circle of safety and understanding, even worse stories were told. But none more offensive to me than the matter of what happens to a woman on welfare who becomes pregnant.

At that time anyway (I have not bothered to see if this still exists in Wisconsin, but *do* know that it still exists in other states), a woman on welfare usually received health insurance through the state. It was the same insurance state employees had -- but with one special, dirty, caveat: women on welfare did not have the right to choice.

Women on welfare were not allowed abortion services/coverage.

State employees would have them covered, but not the poor, lazy, sexually promiscuous welfare women.

Why? Because women on welfare lack the moral fiber to make such decisions.

Further angering me, is the fact that the media, and Tommy Thompson, went on & on about how the fine people of the state of Wisconsin were tired of paying for the free-loading welfare queens. They bitched about having to pay for someone else's brats. They bitched we didn't work enough. But mainly they bitched about how we got filthy rich off the system, sucking at the state's teat as we popped out more & more babies for the extra $17 a month.

OK, I can no longer swear it was exactly $17 -- but I did do the math at the time and the 'extra' amount didn't even cover diapers (which, by the way, are like condoms and cannot be purchased with food stamps).

But in any case, and despite 'everyone' wanting us off welfare, women on welfare were not allowed abortions unless they themselves came up with the $300-$700 the procedure cost. When you can't afford what you have, how are you supposed to come up with that amount cash? From the guy? :snort: Are you serious? The whole welfare system, and the majority of our society, does not hold men accountable for such things as a woman's pregnancy. While you debate, insist, demand and cry, the fetus grows... And your window of a safe procedure closes.

Now, if you can't afford the abortion, imagine how well you do supporting another child.

It's poverty by entrapment.

Just when you might see light at the end of a day care required tunnel, just when you might have thought you could turn this corner and be the next Horatio Alger story, you realize you're back where you started. No. You're back where you started minus 100 steps.

And 'society' isn't just requiring mothers to sacrifice themselves for a new child, but to sacrifice their other children as well.

While uppity citizens like to deny the realities of what happens to a woman in this country when she 'finds herself pregnant' and condemn her to her scarlet letters (an 'A' for adultery and a 'W' for welfare), the fact remains that the woman who finds herself pregnant is at the mercy of their wickedness. While religious groups like to scream that they won't pay for the 'murder of an unborn innocent', they do so for government workers.

Poverty is more than an economic line, it's a barrier to choice. And what's worse, at the root of all this evil is the false preaching & mean-spirited perpetuation of the stereotype that all poor women are dumb, loose, and morally bankrupt.

No one can pretend they do not know the realties of being pregnant here in the US. No one can feign ignorance to the ties between parenting and poverty. Yet they willingly turn their blind-eyes, let moral-deafness protect their delicate ears, and continue to abuse the poor women and families of this country.