Why Is California Penalizing Poor Women for Wanting to Be Parents?

[DebJ]

141. It's not difficult here to be in a situation where adequate child care can't be found.

We have some, but the number of openings are limited and there are waiting lists. I used to be on one of those lists (a long time ago). You can get bumped up on the list if you violate the law and go to work and leave your children without the legally-required supervision.

In this country, children are the last thing we take care of.

Since the link is to an About.com site, perhaps it isn't expressed clearly there to adequately explain the law, but this doesn't say that you can only get less, not more than, 60 months. it only speaks of maximums.

Are There Limits to How Long I Can Receive TANF Benefits?:
Yes. In most cases, you can only receive TANF benefits for a maximum of 5 years (or 60 months).

I guess the puzzling thing, if you are right and you may well be, is why then would this woman be running around telling people that this is why she has the babies? It's not a matter of people presuming that, it is a matter of it is her own perception that this is what has helped to get her by. Same with the high school students, who openly say this to their friends and then yes indeed, show up with swelled bellies (when they already have one child in the nursery in the high school). That is THEIR understanding, not mine. I don't see the assistance they receive; I only know of their comprehension of that system. But as I learned from my son, social services is a complicated patchwork of many different agencies and charities doing their best to serve the public. It's not just one program.

Anyway, my point was just that the system isn't serving the needs of these people or the public as it currently stands. (Big surprise there) and I wish we could change it.