A Message For Mississippi -- If You Truly Cared About Children...

So now you plan to pass legislation to outlaw a woman's right to abortion, even in cases of rape or incest. Presumably those of you who are supporting this legislation are pounding the fiery pulpit with the rhetoric of being pro-life, of protecting the unborn who -- if forcifully carried to term -- are to become the future generations of Mississippians. Perhaps in that convoluted logic unique to hypocrisy you can explain to me how forcing more women and children into poverty by taking away reproductive choice will absolve you from your real responsibility to the already born! I've got a message for you, Mississippi -- the best, most effective way to reduce the number of abortions is to eliminate POVERTY, provide HEALTH CARE and JOBS, and insure that every child receives an adequate EDUCATION.

And while you're hiding your hypocrisy behind the covers of the Holy Bible, I suggest you review the real message of pro-life and peruse the Sermon on the Mount in the book of Matthew. Jesus had a lot to say about caring for the poor and the special place in hell reserved for religious hypocrites. You ought to be ashamed.

(Information courtesy of the Children's Defense Fund)

Children in Mississippi

761,268 children live in Mississippi
A child in Mississippi is born into poverty every 46 minutes
A child in Mississippi is abused or neglected every 2 hours
A child in Mississippi dies before his or her first birthday every 20 hours
A child or teen in Mississippi is killed by gunfire every 6 days

Mississippi Rankings*
Mississippi ranks 28 among states in the percent of babies born to mothers who received early prenatal care.

Mississippi ranks 49 among states in infant mortality.

Mississippi ranks 49 among states in per pupil expenditures.

Mississippi ranks 50 among states in the percent of children who are poor.

Mississippi ranks 50 among states in percent of babies born at low birthweight.

Child Poverty in Mississippi

Number of poor children
214,156

Percent of children who are poor
28.8%

Number of adults and children receiving cash assistance from Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
45,152

Maximum monthly TANF cash assistance for a family of three $170

Child Hunger in Mississippi

Number of children who receive food stamps 172,150

Percent of eligible persons who receive food stamps 57%

Number of children in School Lunch Program 397,076

Number of women and children receiving WIC (Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children)
102,272

Early Childhood Development in Mississippi

Percent of children under age six with all parents in the labor force
70.2%

Number of children served by Head Start
26,742

Number of children served by the Child Care and Development Block Grant
8,400

Average annual cost of child care for a four-year-old in a center
$3,380

Child Welfare in Mississippi

Number of children who were victims of abuse and neglect
4,003

Number of children in foster care
2,746

Number of children adopted from foster care
216

Number of grandparents raising their grandchildren
54,518

Education in Mississippi

Amount spent per pupil in public school
$5,014

Percent of fourth graders reading below grade level
82%

Percent of fourth graders below grade level in math
83%

Average class size in public elementary schools
20.3

Average class size in public secondary schools
22.3

Child Health in Mississippi

Number of children without health insurance
87,000

Percent of children without health insurance
10.8%

Percent of two-year-olds who are not fully immunized
24.3%

Youth At Risk in Mississippi

Percent of 16- to 19-year-olds who are not enrolled in school and are not high
school graduates
12.4%

High school completion rate
82.3%

Percent of 16- to 19-year-olds who are unemployed
24.9%

Number of juveniles arrested
14,003

Number of children and teens in juvenile or adult correctional facilities
1,800

Number of children and teens killed by firearms:
34
14 homicides; 13 suicides; 5 accidents; and 2 undetermined

Compiled from the most up-to-date data available.
For more information on the state of America's children contact:
Children's Defense Fund
25 E Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001
(202) 628-8787
www.childrensdefense.org

Other info:
The Bureau of Economic Analysis estimates that Mississippi's total state product in 2003 was $72 billion. Per capita personal income in 2003 was $23,466, 51st in the nation (ranking includes the District of Columbia).

• Of the 757,000 children in Mississippi, 175,000, or 23.1%, are living in poverty.<14> Among the 50 states and the District of Columbia, Mississippi ranks 7th in percentage of children living in poverty.<15>

• 41% of Mississippi’s children live with parents who do not have full-time, year-round employment (the national average is 33%).<16>

• 12% of teens in Mississippi do not attend school and do not work (the national average is 9%).<17>

• Mississippi residents aged 20-24 have an unemployment rate of 15.2% (the state unemployment rate for all ages is 6.2%).<18>

(October 2005)

America's Health Rankings: Mississippi, 50th
http://www.unitedhealthfoundation.org/shr2005/component...
http://www.unitedhealthfoundation.org/shr2005/states/Mi...

Related links to articles on women and children in poverty in the U.S. :
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0CYZ/is_2_32/ai_...
http://plsc.uark.edu/csr/projects/women/index.htm

helps those who help themselves!

It's all their own fault, doncha know. How dare you blame those righteous people?




:sarcasm:

:spank:

A large segment of the population loves living in poverty. bubba loves having sex with his daughter in the trailor before momma gets home. They love the big sales at wal-mart. They get drunk on Saturday night and deal drugs and make meth in the woods, then they get dressed up on Sunday and go to one of the trillions of baptist churchs that dot the landscape and praise the lord. While there, they get their weekly instructions on which group of Americans to hate. They beat their wives and vote for republicans and will tell anyone who will listen they are patriotic and love their country. And they could not possibly give a flying dog fuck about legislating away professional health care to their womens. In any other state I'd be barely middle class; here I'm rich.

If these asshole legislators would spend even a fraction of the time and energy on the families and children devastated by Katrina as they do fixating on abortion and gays, think of the lives they could truly save. Think of the children who are going to bed every night without a home, without hope, without a future.

Pro-Life? What a joke.

the lawmakers are getting a great deal of pressure from "preachers." Those preachers also do a great job of letting the flock know that their suffering is warranted; its what God wants. After the hurricane, I heard a thousand times how lucky we (citizens of the gulf coast) were. I didn't feel very lucky. The preachers also have a vested interest in keeping the flock ignorant, because that guarantees the money flow. Yes, it would be great if every effort were made from those in Jackson to aid and abet those who need assistance than cutting off legitimate medical treatment. The wish of the preachers is their top priority.

can barely afford to feed their kids. Trust me, they don't love it. Yes there are many religious fundamentalists here, but your characterization of Mississippians was elitist, unfair and insulting, imo, even if you are from Mississippi. To assume because someone is poor they are incestuous morons who know nothing more than drinking at shopping at the local wal-mart, that's elitist crap.

The people you speak of, beating their wives, molesting their daughters, selling drugs etc. are a minority not "A large segment of the population" and they're in every state, not just Mississippi.

I love how the democratic party totally ignores Mississippi until something like this happens, they we're insulted and painted as backwoods rednecks. Apparently even by people who live here. So unhelpful.

I'm more likely to know what's going on around here than, say, Minnesota, therefore I don't comment on Minnesota. I read three newspapers a day, I check out the crime section, I observe my fellow Mississipians on a daily basis. If it were not for Stennis Space Center brought to the State by Senator Stennis back in the 60's this part of the state would be more backwoods than it is today. And I do love the DNA and Drug Testing signs all over the place. There must be a market.

I'm more likely to know what's going on around here than, say, Minnesota, therefore I don't comment on Minnesota. I read three newspapers a day, I check out the crime section, I observe my fellow Mississipians on a daily basis. If it were not for Stennis Space Center brought to the State by Senator Stennis back in the 60's this part of the state would be more backwoods than it is today. And I do love the DNA and Drug Testing signs all over the place. There must be a market.

:shrug:

for themselves.

freaks use pix of fetuses.

Whereas posting pics of fetuses is not. Once you're born, the law doesn't give a damn about you.

I just don't understand how people can be so misguided. They aren't really mean folks they really don't know any better, they're uneducated. Many, if not most are actually, darn nice people, which makes it all the more baffling.

to manipulate the uneducated. You are right. Many of these folk are nice but they are ignorant (and often unwashed) and will remain that way because that's what the "preachers" want.

But in some places, misguided people run the show and have been doing so for centuries. We need to have compassion for the people who are suffering under this cycle of ignorance, deprivation, violence, and self-deception.

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

SD did pass a similar law, RIGHT???????????

more to be born into a HORRIBLE situation'

:thumbsup: EXCELLENT post!

as the state's one abortion clinic is closed down.

as far as i know there is only one abortion provider in mississippi and i'd be willing to bet dollars to doughnuts that its services are mostly used by middle class women, college women, etc.

i do not know if many women in poverty, esp. in the delta region, would even have the knowledge of the provider's existence much less the ability to travel and pay for the termination, in some areas you are talking abt medical services and availability already on a par w. bangladesh -- and infant mortality rates are also on a par w. bangladesh

i support choice but feel that choice is already non-existent for most poor women in the state so i don't think making abortion illegal in the state would change the poverty statistics, as the educated and the middle class women will just travel to another state, while the poor women have already been doing without for many years, this is just putting a legal footnote to the reality that is already happening

fighting poverty in mississippi is just such a huge job that requires better education, more jobs, and, yeah, more doctors in all regions of the state, including the delta

sorry to be so gloomy, it is most discouraging that we still have to fight these battles, isn't it?

... that all this "show" about being pro-life is just that -- for SHOW, to cater to fundamentalists and their votes. Smoke and mirrors. Whether there is one abortion provider or twenty makes no difference to those in the statehouse. If these lawmakers gave one whit about the lives of mothers and children they would be tackling the real problems of life: poverty and the lack of health care, jobs and education. The same goes for any state now trying to cram anti-choice legislation down the throats of their citizens. A collection of hypocrites.

it just seems like mississippi has more important things to do at the moment than screw with a woman's right to choose, sigh

even before the catastrophe the situation in many parts of the delta was dire and on a par with the third or fourth world

Mind you, not all poor folks are dumbasses. But in the red states it's the poor folks that are voting for these ruling republican elite to rule them, specifically poor white trash. Too stupid to actually learn a little bit about the candidate before they vote for them but dangerous enough to still be voting and putting dangerous people into office that does this stuff.

So I'm finding it a bit difficult that there are poor people in Mississippi who can't feed their kids because those are the people that helped put these assholes in office. Maybe they want to go back to the feudal society where they live 'hand-to-mouth' existance on the property of the feudal lords. I can't figured it out.

HOWEVER

I do realize that there are poor in these states who are trying their best to get new leaders that actually give a shit about them and would help create a government that provides every citizen of their state the opportunity to live the american dream. Unfortunately they're outnumbered by the dumbass poor, white, trash who I guess just think if they vote for a rich, fundie republican that somehow it'll make it all better. It hasn't, it just gets fricking worse.

So I guess what we need to do is re-open a new underground railroad where we can get help to those people who need help. People who were smart enough to take a few minutes to learn about the candidate before they voted and realized that rich, ruling elite republicans DO NOT GIVE A RATS ASS about them.

I've started another post in General Discussion about stocking up on Birth Control Pills because certain brands, in a pinch, can be used as emergency contraceptives and can be a much better option that a damn back-alley coat hanger.

This thread is really bothering me. The insults are wrong. I thought the Democratic party was the party of the little guy, but listen to yourselves. . .

Ok, yes, it makes no sense whatsoever that poor southerners vote for people who put big business/the wealthy ahead of their needs, but it makes sense if you take just a few minutes to look at things from their point of view.

These people do not believe that they will ever make it out of poverty. Their parents were poor, they are poor, their children will most likely be poor. They feel they can't control it. And to many of them, religion is more important than money anyway. . . rewards in the next life for the suffering of this life etc.

Yes they are undereducated, yes the way they vote makes no sense from a financial perspective, but to them it makes deep sense from a religious/moral perspective. And whether we like it or not, they are entitled to feel that way.

And every time the Left starts talking about how stupid and uneducated they are, we push them further into the clutches of the Right.

I, an atheist, find the fundamentalists every bit as irritating as the next person, but most of these people are not bad people. I understand the frustration about this, I am a woman who lives in Mississippi. This affects me very much, should I experience an unwanted pregnancy. But that doesn't make the insults right. Rail against the politicians, rail against the people who voted for them, but don't insult them personally, its not helpful, its not kind, and to me, to blast the poor and uneducated for being poor and uneducated when in many cases it is not their fault is not very Democratic.

I'm sure I'll get flamed for this, but whatever. It really disgusts me the way you people are talking about Mississippians. The way you are talking about the very people that we are supposed to want to help. I guess all I want is a little understanding. You don't have to agree with someone to be sympathetic to their plight. The name calling and insults won't stop this bill from passing. It won't get more dem votes in red states, it just makes us look like hypocrites who are using the poor because we believe they should vote our way. And when they don't, we throw them out with the trash.


Long pointless post, but I feel better now.