False allegations land grieving mother in jail

If you follow my blog, you’ll know that I try to counter the propaganda that women make false allegations. First, this is a myth, a lie and a stereotype.  Research (see: Bala & Schumann) finds that men make more false allegations in family court than women and that the majority of claims women make in court are made in good faith. Second, you rarely read about men’s false allegations – even this article ignores the issue. Third, as a result of this lie, women and children are denied justice and can be further harmed or killed.

Here is an article about a mother jailed for killing her infant (blunt force trauma, torn intestines, vaginal damage, etc.). The judge bashes her and throws her into jail. A few years later, the lawyer admits that her then-boyfriend admitted HE DENIED the assault and falsely accused her instead…

Eight years later, new evidence surfaces in R.I.’s toddler’s murder 

Scientific bias

It really should come as no surprise that journals would have bias, but whenever I happen upon it, it’s still unnerving. In Parents Who Kill, the title is really a misnomer. If I counted correctly, there are 22 mentions of mother and only 11 references to fathers. It’s very apparent just a few paragraphs in that these researchers only want to talk about women that commit child abuse. However, men do, too. According to Health & Human Services data, they commit 40% of child abuse, which is high considering women provide more child care. Moreover, the rates of child abuse don’t factor whether the homes are single parents or married couples. When you compare males to females directly, males commit more child abuse. On top of this, 95% of child sexual abuse is committed by men. My point? This article should include both genders and provide recommendations for both parents – as the title would suggest – both parents kill. You can’t treat half of a problem – it will only fester and grow.