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Cash Fears Put Many Northern Ireland Couples off Tying Knot

The report sums up the issue of marriage in Northern Ireland. People are becoming more reluctant to marriage because they prefer cohabitation over marriage due to which divorce rate has also been increased. In 1970 the marriage rate was 8.1 marriages per thousand whereas in 2013 it had fallen to 4.4. The Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) show that just over 60% of upper professional workers are married compared to less than a third of unskilled workers. Which means marriage is highly dependent on the success of a person. Eventually, the low salary person can’t afford to get married. Marriage itself is not an easy task to do nowadays it requires a lot of money and social status. Arrangements of function not only require money but the final arrangement should be good enough because it’s a matter of respect. The one having high social status sets the standard high for all others. The poor ones can’t afford to match these high standards which in turns become difficult for the one having a dream of walking down the aisle can never become a reality (McNeilly, 2018).

According to my observation, marriage has become difficult for everyone in this world because we have made it difficult. The rising costs of marriage and the arrangements required along with rising housing costs and costs of living are one factor. Then there is pressure to conform to social pressures where the wedding must have expensive cards, bridal showers, excessive family traditions, good food, and expensive designer dresses and high charging photographers. I still missed out a lot of things but let’s focus on main things right now which have restricted couples to get married. Why I chose this topic? Because of it not the issue of Ireland, marriage has become the issue of the whole world. Let’s set the trend to marry simply and decently without creating so much mess; we should set a standard of decent weddings so that marriage should be natural rather than cohabitation.

Rising Number of Grandparents Going to Court

Some relations in this world are most important and genuine relations, and these are “Blood Relations,” which none including parents, children, and grandparents, neither nature nor even science can break them because they are held in unbreakable bond. But unfortunately, sometimes the disputes, break-ups, and norms of society can take them far away from you. The news item explains the urge and wish of grandparents to see their grandchildren, which leads them to court to file a lawsuit against parents who limit their child‘s get-together with grandparents. In 2014, the applications given by grandparents to see their grandchildren were 1,617 had been increased by 1,000 more applications by the year 2017. This means the divorce/separation rate has been increased in the society which leads to increase in applications submitted by people. Most of the time when parents separate they cut the entire connection with each other’s families.

In this case scenario, people who suffer the most are children and then grandparents because they are unable to meet each other. Meanwhile, the child needs the support of family when parents are getting divorcée they need someone by their side who could understand them and calm them down. To secure the future of child grandparent’s appeal for their right to meet with children but this action is of no use for them because parents own the right to custody of children. They have every right on their child to whom they should meet or to whom they shouldn’t do so without the involvement of either mother/father grandparents can’t get the right to see them which is very sad and unacceptable for them. The reporter explains the cases where grandparents know they can’t get the right to see their grandchild but still they keep on giving money for the case just to maintain the contact. But according to lawyers: “Going to court isn’t necessarily the answer – it can be very expensive, and there’s no guarantee of success.” (Rudgard, 2018)

According to me, the rights should be reserved for grandparents and children to see each other. As every human has his level relation with every other human being, no one can take a right and impose any restriction on him/her. If parents separate that doesn’t mean the family is separated too, they should keep this separation to themselves without indulging family or children in it. They should part their ways happily and don’t let others face consequences of your decisions. This topic was itself so shocking to me because I have never heard or read that grandparents are giving application to see their grandchildren. From when do they need a right to see their family member?

Interracial Couple Says Vandals Left Racist Messages

The report is about a newlywed interracial couple who was the target of racist attacks. Kelsey and Nick Brinson were new to the Sardis Woods neighborhood in southeast Charlotte. Someone wrote ruthless comments on their fence at first the couple ignored it because they thought children would have done that (Lundberg, 2018). And they tried to remove those comments from white fence written with a black marker which was not an easy thing to do, but it came off after a lot of struggle. After that 3rd time, someone wrote the offensive comment for them again, “F*** don’t low my property value” which was very depressing. Then they reported to police and described the entire scenario. They told them they were thinking about an opening gym in society to connect with people, but after this incident, they become reluctant and feared by people of Charlotte. Police still didn’t catch the person, but they said they are active in this case and finding that person.

I am shocked that this racism act is still practiced in our society. Everyone has right to marry whomever they wish without thinking about color, race or sect. People should give space to others and let them be a free citizen. Everyone should be treated equally and given equal rights. If you can have all the right, then blacks can also have all the rights to it their land too as much as it yours.

Ex-Cop Accused of Not Telling Woman He Has HIV

In a court decision in Palm Beach country, a former police officer was found guilty of having sexual intercourse with multiple women, failing to mention to them that he had been tested HIV positive since 2007. Evans Saintclair was a Greenacres city policeman who had tested positive even before he joined the police force (Freeman, 2018). Before joining the force, a jury allowed him on the pretext that it would not impact his work and he could contribute positively to society even with the disease. In many states, having uninformed sexual intercourse if one is HIV infected is a major first-degree felony that leads to a 30-year sentence. During this period, Officer Saintclair had sex multiple times with the woman he dated, according to the victim’s testimony and there had been three other cases where the suspect was guilty of being intimate with women without informing them of his condition. The victim who testified in the court reported that she had so far not tested positive for HIV. The defense tried to argue in his favor to demonstrate that Saintclair was unaware of his condition but since he had already disclosed that to his ex-wife, the claim was not accepted, and due to being reported after a long number of years, the prosecutors could not bring charges.

As is known that HIV is a serious medical condition that is transferable by sexual contact. The particular news item was interesting to me because over the years; I had been presented with a one-sided view of how HIV positive people must be supported for them to lead normal lives ahead. But I think Saintclair took the definition of normal too far. It is highly unethical to have unprotected sexual intercourse for one’s gratification knowing that it could cause a life-threatening condition for the other partner. If one truly loves, his or her partner, it is understandable that one would try to hurt the partner with such a condition. In this regard, I highly agree with the jury’s verdict and am of the opinion that this matter needs to be repeatedly brought up in the media as several women could become victims unknowingly. Society must in the general sense seek sexual relations within the confines of marriage to save themselves from acquiring such life-threatening STDs, and blood screening should be made mandatory before that. Consensual sex with a new dating partner complicates the matter, as it is not possible during that phase to identify any symptoms before consenting to be intimate. Prevention is better than cure.

The family of Slain Mother, Advocate Speak Out about Domestic Violence

Sharika Bowman had become a victim of family violence when she met Keitran Foots. Foots had shot his partner after she dropped the children off at school. The family of Sharika Bowman thought him to be a nice person and were shocked when they heard the details although they could notice that Sharika became more distanced and closed herself off from people when earlier she was known to be outgoing, smart and artistic (WGCL, 2018). Sharika had five children out of which two of them were from Foots who she had met in 2016. She was a licensed practical nurse who moved to Michigan to seek better economic opportunities for her children and self. Foots had a criminal history, but there was no instance when the police were called to their home for an incident of domestic violence. The relationship was abusive, but Sharika could not get out of it as sometimes power and controlling tactics act efficiently leading the victim to contemplate whether leaving the relationship would invite more harm. ‘Georgia Commission on Family Violence’ reported more than 1671 people who had become a victim of family violence in just a year. For victims of family violence, the center stresses that that must share with someone what goes on and should keep emergency contacts on the phone for that purpose.

Family violence according to my analysis of daily news is becoming an epidemic in America. The statistics for one state on average are higher than many full countries combined. In my opinion, we as a society, the state and law enforcement must all contemplate where we went wrong and why is our country becoming an unsafe space for people, where people have to strive and struggle just to survive and live normal and peaceful lives. There must be a psychological or sociological problem we are collectively facing that is not being appropriately addressed. To see five children suffer as a result of the incident, and the effects this crime could have in their future lives is heart-shattering. Moreover, it increases the likelihood of these children to turn towards crime or delinquency or carry a perpetual hatred for people or men in power because of it. It is essential to educate women on how to deal with incidents of family violence and to timely report it, despite the fact that it is not they but the abusers who should be held responsible. Furthermore, this is not a problem for law enforcement alone as there are certain limits in-laws and prosecution. This is a sociological and a psychological problem for which researchers must gather to ponder over collectively.

Indonesia looks set to make sex outside of marriage illegal

The Indonesian parliament is set to pass a bill that would criminalize all sexual relations before marriage whether forced or consensual. Indonesia is a new democracy whose constitution guarantees equality and rights for all groups. Lawmakers from Islamic political parties are rallying together to have the bill passed not only against sex outside marriage, but any form of homosexual relations since that corrupts the morality of the nation. In Indonesia, Islamic parties have been gaining strength gradually and despite the fact that many secular parties hold a more significant vote bank, but the ideas of the Islamic parties resonate with the public (Malm, 2018). Other conservative groups back the bill since young unmarried couples are on the rise in Indonesia that harms family values and encourages immoral behavior. The opponents of the bill see that it violates some privacy rights and human rights and marginalizes the gay community that is already faced with arrests, frequent raids and hateful rhetoric from different sections of the society and government. Fornication, homosexuality, and adultery are already banned and punishable in the Indonesia province of Aceh, where Shariah law is implemented. If the bill is passed, it could extend those laws to other parts of Indonesia as well, thereby criminalizing sexual relations between unmarried couples.

Searching through different news on extramarital sexuality, I found this news piece to be particularly interesting, and the apparent angle the news item took while reporting the developments in Indonesia. Despite the fact that in the United States, sexual promiscuity is leading to the many social or mental health problems we observe today, and contributing towards a break down of the family system and a large number of children being born outside of marriage, and a significant amount of children being brought up by single mothers who are struggling to provide for them, the Western media seems to act as a judge when analyzing developments in other parts of the World. Having laws that promote family, criminalize promiscuity and immorality is understandable when the overall positive social effects they can have are known. The reporting seems to suggest everything fine and ideal at home whereas everything wrong with the Eastern part of the world is not adopting western notions of individual or social values enough. I find myself agreeing to the move that the Indonesia parliament is contemplating towards, and can objectively argue that having similar laws over here in the US could solve a lot of problems we are faced with as a community.

Alaska ‘Anti-Transgender Bathroom Bill’

In Anchorage, Alaska a bill was presented in the legislature that sought to bar transgenders from using the bathrooms or changing rooms belonging to the gender they identify with and be forced to use changing rooms or toilets that aligns with their listed sex at birth as mentioned on their birth certificates (Silva, 2018). The bill that was presented with the efforts and lobbying of a Christian policy advocacy group was only defeated by a low margin. Anchorage city has a nondiscrimination ordinance that provides access to the restrooms conforming to people’s gender identity in the name of preserving equal rights for LGBTQ. Civil rights organizations termed the defeat of the bill as a victory, and transgender activists hailed the move as they see it a threat to their equal and fair treatment. The 47% people who voted for the bill were termed as merchants of inequality who may try again. Non-discrimination laws that protect transgender rights are becoming another contention between conservative Christian groups and rights groups. The ‘Bathroom Bill’ was hailed as a victory for LGBTQ equality.

It was interesting to see that all the furor and media headlines were over which bathroom does one person choose to relieve himself or herself in. As I read the news in a popular magazine that covers a broad range of issues, I feel a bit appalled at their blatant bias and choice of words. Afterall, it was a 47% vote that supported the bill. Terming all these people as merchants of inequality that hate freedom and civil rights, without giving the opposing view any space is reflective of how consent and views can be manufactured by the media in the garb of political correctness. Anyone can claim to be a transgender, who is in favor of or opposed to gender reassignment. In a women’s changing room at the pool, where mothers are bathing their little girls, the question is, should a naked man be allowed to enter the same space in front of the child, claiming to be a transgender woman? The misuse of these so-called equality laws could lead to wide-scale implications. If transgender truly believes in equality, they can be as equal when using the changing room of their birth sex and tolerate any uncomfortable feelings, just as they expect families to tolerate their misplaced notions of gender identity.

References

Freeman, M. (2018, April 11). Guilty verdict in case of ex-cop accused of not telling the woman he has HIV. Retrieved April 13, 2018, from Sun-Sentinel: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/g00/local/palm-beach/fl-pn-hiv-former-cop-verdict-20180411-story.html?i10c.encReferrer=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5zdW4tc2VudGluZWwuY29tL2xvY2FsL3BhbG0tYmVhY2gvZmwtcG4taGl2LWZvcm1lci1jb3AtdmVyZGljdC0yMDE4MDQxMS1zdG9yeS5odG1s&i10c.ua=1&i10c.dv=14

Lundberg, R. (2018, April 4). NC Interracial Couple Says Vandals Left Racist Messages On Their Fence. Retrieved April 18, 2018, from WFMY News 2: http://www.wfmynews2.com/article/news/crime/nc-interracial-couple-says-vandals-left-racist-messages-on-their-fence/83-535268625

Malm, S. (2018, February 1). Indonesia looks set to make sex outside of marriage illegal, punishable by up to five years in jail, in victory for country’s hardline Islamic politicians. Retrieved April 13, 2018, from The Daily Mail: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5337929/Revisions-Indonesia-law-outlaw-sex-outside-marriage.html

McNeilly, C. (2018, February 14). Cash fears put many Northern Ireland couples off the tying knot, the survey reveals. Retrieved April 13, 2018, from Belfast Telegraph: https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/cash-fears-put-many-northern-ireland-couples-off-tying-knot-survey-reveals-36599730.html

Rudgard, O. (2018, April 8). Rising number of grandparents going to court to win right to see their grandchildren. Retrieved April 13, 2018, from The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/04/08/grandparents-go-court-custody-battles-grandchildren/

Silva, C. D. (2018, April 9). Alaska ‘Anti-Transgender Bathroom Bill’ Proposed By Christian Nonprofit Narrowly Defeated. Retrieved April 13, 2018, from Newsweek: http://www.newsweek.com/alaska-transgender-bathroom-bill-proposed-christian-nonprofit-narrowly-876676

WGCL. (2018, April 3). The family of Slain Mother Speaks Out About Domestic Violence. Retrieved April 13, 2018, from CBS46: http://www.cbs46.com/story/37865665/family-of-slain-mother-advocate-speak-out-about-domestic-violence

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