Comments Policy

The First Amendment protects your right to say what you want without government interference. It does not protect your right to post whatever you want on my blog. I'm talking about my kid, my family, and my pregnancy here, so I reserve the right to remove anything at all.

I'm a human being. Like other human beings, threats scare me. Condescension upsets me. Name-calling is hurtful. Please remember there's a human being trying to better understand the world on the other side of your comments. Please understand that, even if you hate me for something I've said here, there's probably much we agree on. I tend not to fit neatly into any specific political boxes. 

Here are my rules:

• If you want to argue about feminism, about whether women are actually oppressed, or are a Men's Rights Activist, this is not the place for you. Your comments will be deleted, and I may troll you on the Internet.
• We don't play Oppression Olympics here. If your comment tells me that your group is more oppressed than another group, it won't be approved. 
• Racism is real. If you want to lecture me about how "not all white people" are racist, or tell me that I'm being mean to white people by talking about racism, don't bother. Your comment won't make it onto the blog. 
• If you believe that women do not have a right to bodily autonomy, you are not welcome here. Don't think I should hire a midwife? Cool. But don't expect me to let you bombard me with harassment about it.
• No threats or bullying, of me or any other commenters. Threaten someone with physical violence and I'll take your threats to the police.
• If you are a man and want to make an assertion about what pregnancy or life as a woman is like, you must preface your comment with “In my experience as a woman...” No exceptions. You are welcome to ask questions or share differing opinions, but if you're here to explain to other women what being a woman is like, then you need to disavow your manhood. 
• If you have never been pregnant, please carefully consider whether your experience is relevant or helpful to pregnant women. Just as men struggle to understand the experiences of women--and often offer harmful advice based on no experience--women who have never been pregnant may not understand what it's like to be a pregnant woman. 
• If someone bullies you on this blog, or tracks you to another space based on something you said on this blog, please let me know and I'll do my best to help.   
• This is not the place to demean other women's choices. I had a natural, midwife-attended home birth. I also think epidurals should be available on demand and without apology. It's fine to discuss your reasons for your choices, the social norms that push women into unhealthy choices, or the evidence for one choice or another. But tell another woman she's weak or anti-feminist because she got an epidural or is supplementing with formula, and you're out of here. 

For more details on the level of discourse I expect on this blog, click here. 

I do not delete comments solely because I disagree with them, and I welcome vigorous debate and dissenting opinions. I do not welcome sociopaths.