Mother troubles : rethinking contemporary maternal dilemmas /

Hanigsberg and Ruddick have assembled an insightful, stimulating collection of essays by women, mostly legal theorists and scholars, who write from a feminist perspective about the ways societal and cultural beliefs concerning mothering and mothers are reflected in law and public policy. The inclusion of essays by religious theorists demonstrates the profound influence of religion not only on the thinking and behavior of mothers in fulfillment of their role but in the formation of cultural expectations and social standards. The essays demonstrate that there is a standard for mothers to which fathers are not held. Mothers are expected to be perfect and are punished when they fail to achieve perfection; yet there are few programs in place to support mothers in providing adequate care for their children. The inclusion of contributors from various disciplines allows a multifaceted look at a pervasive aspect of society. The essays are thoughtful and provocative, scholarly yet reflective of the experience of the authors. The first and last essays, reflective "bookends" for the interior essays, are intensely personal accounts. --Grace Fill

Abusive mothers, divorced mothers, lesbian mothers, immigrant mothers, plus adoption, work, theology, and reinventing ``new'' mothers are among the maternal issues discussed in this wide-ranging collection of essays. Most of the women who have contributed to this volume, including editor Hanigsberg, are distinguished legal scholars. The others, including editor Ruddick (New School for Social Research), have backgrounds in political science, ethics, and theology. Each writer addresses an aspect of how women in their roles as mothers are profoundly and directly affected by law, politics, and the often conflicting mores of North American culture. Ranging from the moving, as in the opening section by Eva Feder Kittay (Philosophy/SUNY, Stony Brook) on raising her disabled daughter, to the muddy'a chapter in the last section from Lisa Ikemoto (Law/Loyola Law School) that links tougher immigration policies and attitudes toward immigrant mothers with the ``women and children first'' survivors of the Titanic'the authors address often familiar material (such as Columbia law professor Carol Sanger's comments on mothers who work), as well as provocative questions on judging pregnant women who use drugs (from lawyer Lynn Paltrow of the Women's Law Project). Paltrow illuminates the debate over fetal rights vs. women's rights among others and questions the dearth of programs available to treat addicted women, before or after delivery. Why not multiple mothers (birth mother and adoptive mother) is a question posed by Drucilla Cornell (Law, Women's Studies, and Political Science/Rutgers) in one of several essays that advocate the ``it-takes-a-village'' model of raising children. Although many of the quandaries described fall in the ``same old, same old'' category, the concise arguments and descriptions of conflicts of law vs. culture often cast new light on familiar darkness.