Women have begun to wake up to the issue of the heart breaking treatment of children and fathers by the so called, Family Law system. I am amazed at the percentage of women seeking help for their loved ones (male) in their involvement with the legal system. They express shock and disgust at the behavior they see in the courts.

The liberal bias of the media is only equaled by the Courts. Unfortunately, liberal editors who support feminism do not wish to be on the wrong side of the issues. Unless it is absolutely sensationalistic like Susan Smith killing her children, they don't want to report negative stories about women or the Court’s favoritism toward women. We are at the beginnings of a equal rights movement that considers all people including men as a group who need protection from discrimination perpetrated by government institutions. Our greatest need is public exposure to get people demanding a change. In the meantime, the people who run the Courts, prey upon the beliefs of the general population that the current system is fair. Most people don't know there is a problem until it is too late when they get embroiled in the legal system. Men, who are out of favor, are only looked upon as sore losers on the issues.

Some politicians are willing to listen, however, the influence of NOW is very threatening and they are fearful of NOW's influence. We had one judge in Maryland a couple of years back that didn't quite measure up to their line of thinking and local members of NOW filed complaints to get him dismissed. This is why it is essential that women take the lead to defend their loved ones by being vocal as a group to the media, legislators and judges.

History teaches us that it is only when those who are in power are willing to extend the hand to the powerless, that change comes. Blacks did not receive their freedom from slavery by themselves, it was whites who granted that freedom. Women did not get the right to vote from women, but from men who granted it. To be sure both blacks and women protested for a long time, but ultimately it was those in power for whom the system benefited had to make the change. So it is now, women who receive the benefit of the current system have to make the change happen. The lesson of past civil rights movements is that the group in power must be convinced to share their power.

It is essential for women to do letter writing and email campaigns to their legislature complaining about the behavior of the Courts. Men can write all they want, but whatever they say is automatically discounted as self-serving. What we need are women who have the courage to speak up. Dare to write articles for the OP/ED sections and do so with conviction. We are asking women to be apart of the solution, talk with your friends and family, get them to lobby their state and federal representatives via email for Family Law Reform. Go to your state's web page to get their email addresses and specifically that of the judicial over site committees for the House and Senate.