GC, my experience in living in the Triangle is some years ago. Though I've kept up to some extent.

It's probably as good as you're going to find in NC. Especially if you can afford to live in Chapel Hill/Carrboro. (Note: Carrboro has elected -- and re-elected -- an openly gay male mayor.) However, it's an island in a very hostile sea -- you don't have to venture far out of town before things get very scary.

Hey, be grateful you all live in a country where abortion is legal at all. Telling people you're going on a quick trip to England always gets a raised eyebrow here, regardless.

Divorce hasn't even been legal there for 10 years yet, has it Jars?

There, see.

My doubts about whether I'd stand up to the fire hoses have more to do with abortion-rights related issues. For example, I am for parental notification. I will not support the government removing my right (and responsibility) to parent, and to see to the medical care of my child, because some parents abuse their children, and because when some minors say, "My parents will kill me," what they mean is, "My parents will restrict my freedoms, and will not be happy, and will be disappointed and talk to me, and I am afraid and ashamed."

The above is not an expression of doubt that there are abusive parents. I know there are. And they are out there, whether my right to responsibly parent my child is denied me or not, and they are abusive before the children conceive, not only after. So anyone who wants to deny me my rights, when I am law-abiding and responsible is in for a hell of a fight.

I will not support the government removing my right (and responsibility) to parent, and to see to the medical care of my child, because some parents abuse their children

I completely understand your wanting parental notification (for one thing, it is a medical procedure), but what about the cases where the child's fear of abuse/retribution is founded? Should a claim of "my parents will kill me!" automatically be investigated in those cases? (I'd think that at least examining the kid for signs of abuse would be called for in that case.)

I'm totally against parental notification, which has a lot to do with hearing one of my exes talk about her experience getting an abortion when she was 16.

Ahhh, here comes the rain in downtown. Thunder, lightening...... I dig thunderstorms.

Me too. We're all clustered around the windows.

For example, I am for parental notification. I will not support the government removing my right (and responsibility) to parent, and to see to the medical care of my child, because some parents abuse their children, and because when some minors say, "My parents will kill me," what they mean is, "My parents will restrict my freedoms, and will not be happy, and will be disappointed and talk to me, and I am afraid and ashamed."

Is parental notification worth it to you, knowing that there are real life examples, post-Roe, of children in non-abusive middle-class families taking matters into their own hands and dying as a result?

I don't think the government should interfere with my parenting. They can stay right the fuck out of my choices, thank you kindly.

I also don't want, should my child for some reason wind up pregnant at 16, to have her die because she was afraid to tell me she'd screwed up.