by Merry Armentrout
Jennifer Aniston's new movie "The Switch" will be in theaters on August 20th. The plot revolves around Kassie, a 40 year-old, single woman in New York, who decides she wants to have a baby. She does so with the help of a sperm donor, but the story takes a turn when her best friend, Wally, switches the sperm, and replaces it with his own. It seems Hollywood women are showing their independence when it comes to getting pregnant and raising a child.
Jennifer Aniston follows Jennifer Lopez, who starred in The Back- Up Plan, also a movie about a single women in her forties taking charge of her own life, and using a sperm donor to have a child. The face of the American family is undoubtedly changing. Jennifer Aniston told reporters during a press conference, "Women are realizing it more and more knowing that they don't have to settle with a man just to have that child. Times have changed and that is also what is amazing is that we do have so many options these days, as opposed to our parents' days when you can't have children because you have waited too long."
Bill O'Reilly made his feelings very clear about this new face of the American family on his talk show, saying Jennifer Aniston's "destructive to our society." He says he knows there are many single mothers who are doing a wonderful job, but Aniston is sending the wrong message to young women- that father's aren't important.
I work for an organization that is committed to helping everyone become parents- to help spread the joy of family to everyone. The key word is everyone. A single women has every right to be a parent as does a married one. Let's face it- the last time I checked, the divorce rate in America is around 50%- so getting married and having children doesn't always equal a happy ending. I think Jennifer Aniston is sending out a great message to women- you don't have to depend on a man to have the family you want. The fact is, fertility declines with age. The AFA is focusing efforts on preventing infertility, but there's only so much a woman can do- age is a huge factor. Some women literally don't have the time to find a partner so they can have a child.
I wish every child in the world had a loving father, but unfortunately we all know that is far from the case. There are many successful single mothers out there right now, and I'm sure they would all love some help, but they would never regret being a mother. I picture a single woman, loving, caring, hard-working, and all she wants in this world is to be a mother, but she hasn't met a man she wants to share her life with, and because of this she shouldn't have children? There's a reason the face of the American family is changing, because people want it to, not everyone, but enough do to make a difference.
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