Texas has exemptions for the primary caregivers for children under a
certain age or for those who provide care for someone who can't care for
themselves (my son Peter, who even at 14 can't be left alone for long,
elderly parents, etc.).

The problem with any argument about parents typically being away from their
children for work or school is that JURY DUTY sometimes involves being
sequestered.  Jury duty is NOT a Monday-Friday, 8-5 shift.  In some cases,
you have stay til a decision in reached, or even overnight.  In some cases,
juries are sequestered and live at a hotel for several weeks and cannot see
their families.  This imposes much more of a burden on the mother of a
young child (or the caretaker of a handicapped child or elderly parents)
than simply going to work 8-5 every day.  I am not aware of any day care
centers or even babysitters who would be willing to take 24-hour care of
the child (or elder, or whatever) for an unspecified length of time.  It
would be NICE if we all had spouses and extended families and networks of
kin and friends and neighbors and coworkers who would step into the breach
and help us out when we were called for jury duty, but some people simply
do not.




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Katherine A. Dettwyler, Ph.D.                         email:
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Anthropology Department                               phone: (409) 845-5256
Texas A&M University                                    fax: (409) 845-4070
College Station, TX  77843-4352
http://www.prairienet.org/laleche/dettwyler.html

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