In my previous post I proposed one explanation for a possible decision by Barack Obama's mother, Stanley Ann Dunham, to give birth to Barack in Canada. I pointed out that she had political opinions that were rather critical toward the United States, and I suggested that she might have believed that her mixed-race baby might have a better future with Canadian citizenship.
In today's post I will suggest another explanation, which involves Barack's father, Barack Obama, Sr. The father was a native of Kenya, which was part of the British Commonwealth until December 12, 1963, when Kenya became independent. If the father foresaw that his relationship with the mother might not last and if he foresaw that he eventually might want to take his son to Kenya against the mother's will, then he might have recognized future legal advantages in arranging for the birth to take place in Canada, which was likewise part of the British Commonwealth (until 1982).
If the baby were born in Canada, then the father simply would have to take the baby across into Canada, present the Canadian birth certificate, and then fly away with the baby to Kenya. In such a situation, the mother's legal ability to impede the father's travel with the baby would be significantly reduced. |