Fair Courts

When our lives as women go reasonably well, we don't often think of the importance of courts in our personal lives. But when life seems unfair and we feel the most vulnerable, we count on the American right to fair courts to protect us.

When women turn to the courts it is usually because we are in an unequal relationship in our personal lives and our own and our children's well-being is threatened. We may hate to talk about power, but not to have it when our lives end up in court is serious.

Why is proving rape so difficult? How are assets divided during a divorce? What happens when my husband leaves me after he receives a degree? Does a degree constitute marital property? I don't like the idea of abortion, but I don't want any outsiders, including the government, telling me what I can do in my personal life. Will abortion continue to be a legally protected right? Will it be about my health, my privacy, my right to make decisions? Can I be punished for the crimes committed by a husband or boyfriend? What power do I have to choose my child's school? I am a lesbian mother. Will I have problems receiving custody of my children? If someone who is more powerful than I am does me wrong, either on purpose or through negligence, what can I do to join with others to make sure my complaint is heard. Since life has been historically unfair for me as a woman, what can I do?

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