Women and children first!

by David Safier

"Women and children first!"  That's the cry you hear on a sinking ship. As the Titanic was going down, women and children were moved to a lower deck so they could board the waiting lifeboats. The men waited above.

But the Republicans captaining the good ship Arizona are determined to throw women and children overboard, lifeboats be damned. Meanwhile, the tuxedo-clad men making business deals in the dining room are assured they'll soon be getting their dinners at a discount.

Eliminating KidsCare. Gutting AHCCCS. Cutting social services to the bone. Women and children feel the major burden of all these cuts.

Draconian proposed immigration laws that institute immigration checks in schools, along with statewide arrests and deportations that rip children from their mothers' arms.

Republicans. The Family Values party.

In a Guest Opinion in the Weekly, Sarah Jones, CEO of the Emerge! Center Against Domestic Abuse, calls out some of our legislators by name for sweeping up funds that help her agency serve women and children.

Senator Melvin: Today there are 14 women and 10 children in our shelter from your district. Can I send them to your house to heal from domestic abuse, and can you be sure to provide them with 24-hour support and safety?

Representative Antenori: Today there are seven women and nine children in our shelter from your district. Can I send them to your house tonight? Please be sure to provide them with referrals for employment training so they can gain the needed skills to create a fully self-sufficient life. Also, the children will need some one-to-one work to process the abuse they just left.

Representative Williams: Today there are an additional 11 women and five children (out of our 120 in shelter) that need a safe place to sleep. Can I send them to your house tonight? They will need a bed, clean sheets and a pillow, food, shampoo and deodorant. When they left their homes they literally only had what they could carry in one bag.

To all three of you: While they are at your home, can you share with them your plan to ensure safety for them in our community? The state has cut more than $500,000 from domestic-violence funding for Tucson in the last seven months, and there is no clear direction for our state budget.

Whew, that gets us through tonight. Thanks for your help. Let's hope that the police don't have anyone else that they need to drop off after responding to one of the 20 domestic violence calls they average each night.