Britney's Case is Not Rare

Celebrity media tends to be presented in a vaccum. Even common issues like drug abuse and alcoholism are presented like they are the sole property of the rich and famous, without any extension to the general public.

Britney Spears' divorce and custody case--with the double standard around "good mother" and "good father," and the consequent stripping of the mother of her children-- is no exception. It's presented as a rarity, a cautious judge just taking the best interests of the children to heart in deciding the post-divorce custody.

The fact is, like Sandra Kobrin of Women's eNews points out, custody injustice goes way beyond Britney. There is an epidemic in our country's family courts. Perfectly fit mothers lose custody to abusive men, children's allegations are ignored, protective mothers are punished and corruption is rampant. It is but one symptom of a broken judicial system (as we point out in a letter to editor in today's San Francisco Chronicle.)

CA NOW has collected hundred of cases where mothers are discriminated against in family court, usually when a father demands custody, and the court ignores laws, logic and evidence to give it to him. It's part of the failure of the system to adequately protect women from violence, and it is deeply grounded in good ole fashioned sexism.

Family courts fail to see the forest through the trees when they get a father saying he wants his "rights" to his child, regardless of a history of domestic violence, child abuse or sexual abuse. They believe that alone this is enough to grant him access, despite the fact that it puts the child at risk, and denies women due process and access to justice in the process.

Comments

[norcal]

Britney Spears is a victim? I don't think so! She lost custody because of her own actions. Actions that were witnessed by a court appointed parenting coach. And this parenting might be sexist, but that would be odd, because she's a woman by the name of Lisa Hacker. Yes, another woman gave her poor marks as a parent. And, she's a professional parenting coach.

I've heard so many stories of people who have been wronged by the courts, both males and females. If you're looking for a woman who has been wronged by the courts in a parenting case, Britney Spears is a very poor example. If anything, she's been given more second and third chances than most people get.

[mmminteresting]

Yeah, I don't agree that Britney is much of an example for the injustice of family courts. I mean, there's pictures of the girl driving with her baby on her lap for god's sake.

But both issues are important. I went to a workshop on the Men's Rights and Wrongs movement at a National NOW Conference and was greatly educated. The family court system is indeed incredibly biased and corrupt. It really has me dismayed, a family friend is going through the family courts right now after seperating from an abusive husband and sees that her kids are slipping through her hands. What can we do?

The Britney case seems to me more of a warning of the trappings of fame.

Two different but important issues.