Mary Cheney Pregnant, Dick And Lynne "Thrilled"

[BruceChris]

Mary Cheney, the openly gay daughter of Vice President Dick Cheney and wife Lynne, is pregnant, according to a published report.

Mary Cheney, 37, and her partner of 15 years, Heather Poe, 45, are "ecstatic" about the baby, due in late spring, The Washington Post reported in Wednesday's editions, quoting an unnamed source close to the couple.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/06/AR2006120600221_pf.html

http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=2705001&page=1
Be sure to click on the video here

http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=2704853&page=1

Peace and Love, Bruce Chris

[Vanessa White]

That is very exciting news, and I know from first hand experience that babies seem to bring understanding and healing no matter what the circumstances are. I hope so for her and her partner.

[BruceChris]

I'm going to "bump" this, as it will very soon be very old news. -- BC

http://www.salon.com/mwt/broadsheet/2006/12/06/cheney/index.html

http://www.truthdig.com/eartotheground/item/20061207_critics_have_no_love_for_grandpa_cheney/

[Bearnabas]

This will be nice to watch how a pregnancy may bring a change in the family, maybe a change in policy. As the salon article brings out, it may necessitate a change in location to a state more affirmative of same-sex parents and their rights. I wonder if along the way, Cheney will be asked to comment on the pregnancy, or if there will be tension along conservative lines for him or others in the administration to make their statements for their own family match their policy for the country.

"As for me and my house"...has a whole new meaning.

Course, maybe I'm idealistic to believe that a well-timed, well-positioned pregnancy within this administration might bring change...but as Vanessa said: children bring understanding and healing. Will be interesting to watch.

[pnggrad79]

I am excited for Mary and Heather, but it was Mary's work for Bush that will not allow her wonderful partner to share in equal parenting under the law. They may consider Heather a full parent, but the administration that Mary supported will not support her or her right to parent with her partner. Under the law she and Heather will no doubt face uphill battles in legitimizing this baby's parentage. I am hoping that Cheney (Dick) will change his tune when his own grandchild is the product of a gay couple, and hopefully he will see that two lesbians can parent just a lovingly and just as well as a man and a woman. I also hope that Bush will get a first hand view of this interchange and will change his tune although I don't think it will come too soon. Soon enough, that is for the thousands of other gay and lesbian couples who struggle with legalities while their children have to endure a bigoted, narrow minded administration that considers them a mistake and the product of an abomination.

[BruceChris]

Your comments pretty much sum up the TruthDig link, above. -- BC

[Daniel]

Saw CNN last night with Dan Savage and an arch conservative who's name escapes me at the moment. They duked it out over Mary Cheney. Dan did well, stayed pretty calm throughout, asserting good information against the outright LIES of the woman set up against him (someone from DC). She kept saying blatantly false things like "all studies show that" and "everyone agrees that".

Interestingly, I can't find a link to a CNN video to post. Either it isn't up yet or CNN doesn't want to court the ire of those who didn't come off so well. And least that's what I'd like to think! :D

Well. This is the season for Mary and her baby, right? We'll see if there's room in the conservative wing for them.

[suzer1013]

Article from Salon.com (wonderful source of news, by the way). This had just enough snide snarkiness to make my day...

What Mary Cheney should expect while she's expecting
Forget morning sickness and weight gain and get ready for nine months of right-wing hand-wringing and embarrassed silence.
By Louis Bayard

Dec. 07, 2006 |

Now That You're Pregnant

Congratulations -- and welcome to your politically inconvenient pregnancy! Though you may not look pregnant yet, chances are you're starting to feel it -- from every side. Whether it's just bruised emotions you're experiencing, or every silent stab of hypocrisy, your body is gearing up for the months of evasion, pulpit thumping and embarrassed silence to come. Try not to think too far ahead. For now, just sit back, relax and enjoy the beginning of one of the most intellectually upending adventures of your life.

What You Can Expect at This Month's Checkup

The day you first announce your pregnancy to the world will probably be the longest you have experienced since you were outed by the Democratic presidential candidate. Your first prenatal visit, by contrast, will be a piece of cake. You can expect tests, procedures and data gathering. You can also expect plenty of questions -- for example, "Who's the dad?" "No, really, who's the dad?" "Did it hurt?" "I'm not turning you on, am I?" "Does your mother have to be in the room, too?"

What You May Be Feeling

It's important to keep in mind that every woman's pregnancy is different. Yours is more different than others.

Physically


Fatigue and sleepiness
Food aversions
Absence of menstruation
Nausea, often triggered by the sight of Nancy Pelosi

Emotionally

Many first-time lesbian mothers who are daughters of right-wing zealots report feeling subtle ostracism and alienation from once-loyal friends. Their reactions will almost certainly vary, but may take the form of "They're deliberately bringing a child into the world without a father, leaving a great gaping hole" or "They're shortchanging this child from the start" or "Love can't replace a mother and a father" or "Mary and Heather can believe what they want ... but what they're seeking is to force others to bless their nonmarital relationship as marriage [and to] create a culture that is based on sexual anarchy instead of marriage and family values." In certain cases, you may be accused of conceiving a child "with the express purpose of denying it a father."

Relax. These reactions, in addition to being verbatim, are normal and fully to be expected from the community you have been slavishly courting for so much of your life.

What You May Be Concerned About

My mother used to write lesbian love scenes in novels, but now she's embarrassed by the thought of women getting it on or even holding hands. She does not laugh at jokes like "Heather Is One of Two Mommies."

Every parent of a parent brings his or her "issues" to the grand adventure of pregnancy. Suffice it to say when your mother holds that little bundle of joy in her hands and slips on the pink tutu she has personally picked out for her, all her qualms about you and your athleticism will vanish.

My morning sickness lasts several hours and is eased only when I throw up on pictures of Hillary Clinton. Is this normal?

First-time mothers must seek solace where they find it. Most doctors frown on coating actual people in vomit, unless it is purely involuntary.

My partner wants to build our own crib using two-by-fours she personally portaged from Home Depot. She's extremely strong and handy, but I worry about splinters.

It is common for the nonpregnant half of a same-sex couple, who is often relegated to the role of baster holder, to feel left out, "a third ovary" during these exciting months of pregnancy. Encourage her, as much as possible, to take on whatever home-improvement projects catch her fancy. Closets are a safe bet.

My dad's boss, whose election and reelection I worked for quite strenuously, says he believes "children ought to be adopted in families with a woman and a man who are married." He also said that "studies have shown that the ideal is where a child is raised in a married family with a man and a woman." Should his comments concern me?

Only if you were thinking of Dad's boss while you were earning your $100,000 salary stumping for him. If you were just thinking about Dad and all the good he would do for America, there is no reason whatsoever to take his employer's remarks personally.

Ann Coulter wants to be my doula.

No.

What It's Important to Know

You and your partner live in Virginia, which, thanks to the legislators of your own party, does not recognize the legal status of same-sex couples. If you decide that at some point your partner should have a legal relationship to your child -- i.e., something more formally binding than "There's Mommy Heather!" -- you might consider moving to one of the handful of jurisdictions that acknowledge your legal rights as a couple and family.

Caution! These jurisdictions tend to be under the sway of "blue" legislators. Approach individual residents of these jurisdictions with care. They may appear sympathetic (unless they have read your book -- small risk of that). They may refer to you and your partner as a "couple" and regard your child as "your child." As a price for their tolerance, however, they may expect you to reexamine certain issues -- e.g., your implicit countenancing of same-sex-marriage amendments, your silence in the face of outrageous discrimination against gay parents, your collusion with some of the most virulent homophobes in America's history, etc. Feel free to abstain from this soul-searching, which is a hazardous exercise during any stage of a pregnancy and should not be rushed into without proper medical consultation. If necessary, consult Dr. Frist.

Above all, avoid unduly negative feelings about yourself. Live optimistically. A recent study found that seeing the bright side reduces the chance of delivering a preterm or low-birth-weight baby.

What's the bright side?

Your baby will be too young to serve in Iraq.

Really?

Probably.

[Bearnabas]

To Suzer1013: I laughed so hard. I passed that on to friends. That's the best. Thanks for submitting that.

[sammy1980]

I understand that Mary Cheney must be very happy expecting a child and be so eager to raise him or her in a very special kind of family. But, I am just wondering, what would she say to her kid, when he or she reaches a certain age and asks her a very serious quesion dealing with how his or her child entered this world. The kid might also want to know WHY his or her entrance into the world was so unusual. Also, what would be the best response that would not hurt the child's feelings, considering all duly sensitive circumstances?

Sammy

[keltic63]

I understand that Mary Cheney must be very happy expecting a child and be so eager to raise him or her in a very special kind of family. But, I am just wondering, what would she say to her kid, when he or she reaches a certain age and asks her a very serious quesion dealing with how his or her child entered this world.

I imagine the truth would be a good thing to tell the child.

The kid might also want to know WHY his or her entrance into the world was so unusual. Also, what would be the best response that would not hurt the child's feelings, considering all duly sensitive circumstances?

Sammy

How would the child's feelings be hurt by learning that his/her parents had so much love for each other that they wanted to share that love with the child? Babies enter the world in all kinds of ways, what about this circumstance would make the child feel less loved?

[NathanATX]

Babies enter the world in all kinds of ways, what about this circumstance would make the child feel less loved?

I think his/her mother supporting his/her illegitimization by advocating for Bush's homophobia might make him/her feel less loved.

[keltic63]

I think his/her mother supporting his/her illegitimization by advocating for Bush's homophobia might make him/her feel less loved.


Maybe the child can call a family meeting when s/he is older and ask Mom, and Grandpap Cheney those questions!

[sammy1980]

Maybe the child can call a family meeting when s/he is older and ask Mom, and Grandpap Cheney those questions!

Should the child's biological father be allowed in this family meeting, for the child's sake, of course?