I was at a courthouse once, and saw an indigenous australian woman in a dressing gown very carefully and gingerly making her way down the steps outside the courthouse, surrounded by family who were helping her down the stairs. We asked if she was OK, because she looked awful. She looked like she should have been wrapped up in bed with blankets and hot soup, not on the steps of a courthouse.

One of her family told us that she had given birth yesterday evening, but that Child Protection services had taken her baby away with no warning, claiming that she wasnt prepared to look after him. What had happened, is that she'd literally only just given birth -- hadn't even passed the afterbirth yet, is holding her blood-coated, crying, newborn baby to her chest -- and a nurse asked what her feeding plan was. She was tired from the birth and distracted by the brand new baby in her arms and thrown off by the timing of the question, but still, she managed to answer, and said she planned to breastfeed him whenever he was hungry.

Well apparently that wasn't enough of a plan for the hospital staff, who reported her and claimed that she was unprepared to look after the child, and claimed that had no social supports, and that the baby was at risk if left with her. All because a brand new mother, 30 seconds after giving birth, didn't have a PowerPoint presentation ready to go that cited the timing cycle she would feed her kid on, and instead simply said that she would feed him when he was hungry.

Child Protection services showed up, took her kid, and she was told to show up to court the next day to contest custody if she wanted her baby back.

So a woman who had given birth less than 24 hours prior was forced to rally her family and show up to court to prove that she a) had a feeding plan for the child, and b) had enough social supports to justify reclaiming her baby.

It was one of the most appalling things I'd ever seen. I don't even know if she won her case. They didn't know at the time we saw them, and after that brief interaction on the stairs, i never saw them again. I sincerely hope she got her newborn baby back.

That was about 5 years ago. And the exact same kind of thing is still happening today.

News broke today from a South Australian whistle-blower of the appalling treatment new mothers frequently receive, including hospital staff taking the baby away from the mother "for medical tests," only for the mother to then be told, with absolutely no prior warning, that the baby was not going to be returned to her.

Here's the article, and here are some excerpts:

also a problem in Canada: https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/from-the-60s-scoop-to-now-canada-still-separating-indigenous-children-from-families-1.5606935

This is genocide! It is an effort to destroy culture by stealing children away from their parents.

ATTENTION

If you see this you are OBLIGATED to reblog w/ the song currently stuck in your head :)

LET me on the bed i promise i wont lay on top of you and squish u under my big dog weight please ple please please let me up i promise i'll lay only on a fair amount of bed for me and not take up all the space :3 please pleas (lying)

why do you live with the wolf from The Thing

Remember, if you haven't felt the first edible in 5-10 minutes eat two or three more

op tryna make bees come outta ppls bones

Thank you for appreciating my image cropping

“I don’t care about dumb weed jokes,” I said naively, before I saw this

This 420 is a palindrome!!!! 4/20/2024

Update Harvard students are walking out in solidarity with Columbia’s students

These are billion dollar for profit institutions that directly impact financial backing of Israel’s apartheid regime

MIT is walking out! Do you not understand how huge this is? Do you understand what holds Israel afloat?

In solidarity with Columbia Yale students have just constructed an encampment. Organizers say they won’t leave until Yale divests from all military weapons manufacturing.

[image description: a screenshot of a tweet by braxtonbrew96 that reads, "unc students right now starting an encampment outside of the university administration building in solidarity with columbia students and palestine 🇵🇸." below the tweet is a video showing the encampment. the tweet has been quote retweeted by aditilrao, who adds, "encampments on every campus until the cops are off them all!! reclamation ❤️‍🔥 abolition ❤️‍🔥 divestment now ❤️‍🔥." end description.]

unc-chapel hill students as well! this is as of 4/19/24.

goodbye forever you little fucking freak

happy goodbye forever friday everyone

[GIF description: A looping gif showing a cutscene from The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. It shows Link sitting in the basket of a large catapult. Groose stands at the machine’s lever. He says, “You stay safe out there!” and then pulls the lever, launching Link into the air. Link flies off until he is just a little speck in the sky. End GIF description.]

I've seen several sites mention this, it's real.

Do not make the MISTAKE of thinking you need to put your side forward. The Guardian is transphobic as fuck, and will twist your words. DO NOT ENGAGE.

By the way, this is in the aftermath of the Cass Report, and the goal will be to make Trans DIY something that needs to be regulated or stamped out. DO NOT ENGAGE.

He will be consumed just like his peers

the stuff going on at columbia campus rn is genuinely incredible

despite mass arrests by NYPD and several students (including rep ilhan omar’s daughter, isra hirsi) being suspended for their participation and having their university identification deactivated, the gaza solidarity encampment is still going strong well into its second day. def recommend following independent reporter talia jane who is taking part and providing live updates. (talia was the first reporter to break aaron bushnell’s self immolation in february; she was one of the reporters he contacted personally prior to the protest.)

thank you so much alexa @shivsblunt for mentioning it…..anyone who wants to contribute to their jail support fund can do so @ bcabolitioncollective on v*nmo. also, if anyone is in the area and available to join (via cssw4palestine on ig):

(x)

Neil!!!

Roxys abendliche Yogaatunde 😹😹😹❤️

Hooded Merganser

btw: if you reblog this poll, feel free to explain your answer in the tags or the reblog!