To me family, has never been blood related, but love related, nurture rather than nature, care over something that whilst was not theirs originally is theirs now. It’s a real family, one that I have been lucky to be given, one I am truly thankful for. But, although nurture has always nurtured me well, I have no shame in admitting that having a real family is something I have always desired, dreamed of; to have someone one day looking back at me and saying, mum you’re mine. But to one day have that family taken away from me is inconceivable.

Let me state this for the record – both mothers and fathers have rights to their children. In making a child you sign up for joint responsibility for life. One of you can’t be bought out of the hire-purchase agreement or sell your share. One of you can’t buy the other out from underneath. One of you can’t sit pretty, holding all the papers, forcing the other to bend to your will

But even though religion and the lack of a husband can no longer force women to let go of their children (as was with my mother); it seems that our rights to our children as mothers can be bought or still taken away from us through lying, deceit and down right dirty tricks. It seems that the some men feel they have the right to marry, to have a child, and then for that child to not be used as a pawn and out-dated anarchic law the game.

In an age of equal opportunity, where gay rights, black rights, animal rights (and anti-everythingism) you would think that after we finally won the right for women to have rights, well, we would have rights. But I guess the EU and particularly the Irish Government doesn’t recognise that along with the rest of us.

This post is part of the Save One Mammy campaign. Mammy is fighting for the permission to leave Ireland together with her English-born daughter and return home to England; something her estranged husband is trying to prevent by all means and for seemingly egotistical reasons only. Parental alienation, unfair hearings and a clear and blatant violation of every EU citizen’s right to free movement are just a few of the hurdles she has to overcome. Please help us to raise awareness and visit her blog to support her in her campaign.

Visit the Save one Mammy campaign!

Kx