Mothers Rights

In my own life I have had the unfortunate chance to be in the presence of many women who, in my opinion, should not have the right to be a mother. Whether it be women I worked with who made horrible decisions when it came to their children, or women I have known personally who were abominations as mothers. This got me thinking, should it always be the mother who has the most rights?

Within the court system in most states mothers have the majority of rights. In some cases the mother has rights above and beyond their children's rights. This is one of the few facets of our country that are a more matriarchal setup than patriarchal. This should be something that we are proud of, but in fact, I am not. Should a "mother" who has beaten her child time and time again have unlimited rights and unlimited chances to "be a mother"? Should a child who has been raised by a grandmother or aunt or sibling in peace and love their whole life be uprooted because suddenly their "mother" decides to act like one? Should the courts continue to award mothers custody of their children on the simple fact that they contributed 50% of this child's genetic makeup?

Don't get me wrong, in 95% of the cases Mom is probably the best person for a child. But what about that 5% where she is the WORST thing. Shouldn't the courts become more attuned to finding ways to tease apart the good ones from the bad ones? I have watched the court system up close and personal and I know what I am asking of it. It is a system that is broken, tattered and over-ridden. I have seen countless rapists become free men. I have seen abusive mothers awarded full custody despite the fact that grand mom has kept the kids in school, healthy and out of trouble. I have watched as people who are in no way shape or form a mother act as if this is a right and not a privilege.

Who is it that we are looking out for here? Is it really the rights and safety of the children above all else or is it she who supplies the womb gets rights above all else?