In family law we are discussing parental kidnapping. Apparently back in the late 70s / early 80s a guy by the last name of Fagan kidnapped his two daughters and ran off with them. He raised them, took care of them, and the women still stand by him (I was going to say girls but they are grown now). He went to trial in the late 90s and was sentence to like a $100k fine to the charity of the mother's choice. We had to read an editorial about this guy and it pretty much blasted him. The dad claimed that his ex-wife was an alcoholic and neglected the girls.
Now I am not saying that what he did was right, but I am saying that if my kids were being neglected I wouldn't hesitate to do the same (but I'm a woman and the courts love women). The editorial never mentioned whether or not the mom was or was not an alcoholic or whether or not she did neglect the girls. It only focused on what a bad guy this dude was for kidnapping his daughters....even though his daughters (grown) said he was the best parent they could have ever wanted. He took care of them, got up at 3:50 AM to take them to swim practice, and frankly the only "good cause" most of the people in this class could come up with is that he denied the girls their mother.
No one really considered the fact (except for one or two others besides me) that he did what he thought he had to do. Guys don't get a fair shot in court. Sure, the courts will tell you they do...but they don't. Even though we've supposedly left the tender years doctrine, courts still use it. For the most part, that's fine. Most guys don't know what to do with a screaming baby, but they could figure it out if they had to.
What if she was an alcoholic? What if she was neglectful? What if he went through the system and was ignored?
To top it off, our other discussion thread this week is on the Hague Convention. Most of the class is made up of women...and almost everyone of them said that they'd run if they had too (like in instances of living in Saudi Arabia or Egypt...and even Mexico that has signed the Convention but doesn't really honor it). Yet this guy is being downed.
Can you say, "Double standard"? Sure... I knew you could.
