Suffraging on in the 21st century

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-12T00:12:00.001-07:00

Yes, I know I'm late. Get over it.

What kind of women's blogger would I be if I didn't mention Mother's Day?!?

Mother's Day has roots in fighting for rights, which continues today.

So I'm putting up this video for my mum, Mama McBlogger, just a small thanks for everything she does day in and day out, for me, Sister McBlogger, Papa McBlogger, and the rest of the Family McBlogger.

(When that guy mentions peacekeeping, he is NOT kidding. Sister McBlogger and I are exactly two years apart, and we've spent most of our lives together.)

While the Mother's Day is for relaxing with your favorite mom, there's always a little room for activism, no?

This is the text in the crawl on the bottom of the screen in the video link, via Lisa Belkin at NYTBlogs:

Moms in this country are way undervalued – Mothers make 73 cents to every dollar an equally qualified man makes at the same job – Single mothers make only about 60 cents to a man’s dollar – Those two facts, it should be noted, really suck – especially because men aren’t making much these days either – Over a lifetime mothers are paid anywhere from $400,000 to $2 million less than men doing the same work due to gender wage disparity. That’s a ridiculous “Mommy Tax.” A full quarter of US families with children less than 6 years old live in poverty – Well duh, all these other statistics would lead to this likely outcome – Motherhood is one of the hardest full-time jobs that does not come with Social Security or health benefits – It does however come with a lot of labor as well as love.

Make sure you tell your mother you love her!

White House Council for Women and girls leads to the most random post.

2009-05-11T23:59:00.000-07:00

In March, President Obama launched the White House Council on Women and Girls.

The council is a part of a renewed initiative "to ensure that American women and girls are treated fairly in all matters of public policy," said President Obama."

The press release included a list of the inaugural members of the council (I've added their names. It makes me feel close to them). Do you think this is enough people?

The Cabinet
The Secretary of State - Hillary Clinton
The Secretary of the Treasury - Timothy Geithner
The Secretary of Defense - Robert Gates
The Attorney General - Eric Holder
The Secretary of Interior - Ken Salazar
The Secretary of Agriculture - Tom Vilsack
The Secretary of Commerce - Gary Locke
The Secretary of Labor - Hilda Solis
The Secretary of Health and Human Services - Kathleen Sebelius
The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development - Shaun Donovan
The Secretary of Transportation - Ray LaHood
The Secretary of Energy - Steven Chu
The Secretary of Education - Arne Duncan
The Secretary of Veterans Affairs - Eric Shinseki
The Secretary of Homeland Security - Janet Napolitano

So that was just the Cabinet. The council also includes independent agencies:

The United States Ambassador to the United Nations - Susan Rice
The United States Trade Representative - Ron Kirk
The Director of the Office of Management and Budget - Peter Orszag
The Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency - Lisa P. Jackson
The Administrator of the Small Business Administration - Karen Mills
The Director of the Office of Personnel Management - John Berry

And finally it includes these departments I've never heard of:
The Chair of the Council of Economic Advisors - Christina Romer
The Director of the National Economic Council - *Lawrence Summers* (Remember this for later!)

The Director of the Domestic Policy Council - Melody Barnes

Reaction of women:

NOW loved it.

Jezebel talked about criticism, specifically that of the "Clintonistas."

Feminist Majority approved.

Lisa Belkin of NYT was cautious, but positive.

Basically, everyone loved it, except people who are bitter about something that is over and done with. I have no idea if it's actually done anything since inception.

I also think that the representation of women on a council for women (Do you think you'd see that during Dubya?), and many racial and ethnic minorities, is great.

Okay, so most of these Cabinet members and advisor people having been flying under the mainstream's radar (not you, P.Fal). But while Lawrence Summers is now disliked for accepting perks from Citigroup pre-bailout, he used to be hated for something completely different. You see, Summers is a former president of Hah-vaahd College, a little school out in Cambridge, Mass.

So back in 2005, Summers was a speaker at the National Bureau of Economic Research Conference on Diversifying the Science & Engineering Workforce. He was speaking about the pronounced dearth of women represented in academia, specifically the sciences. He had three hypotheses, but the one that stirred the most crap up was the one that basically said women are innately inferior to men in some fields, in this instance, intelligence.

While he was told by the conference he was supposed to be inciteful, the problem was he was presented information like it was his personal opinion, rather than academic-based theory. He later clarified that (not apologized). His remarks inspired a conference member to pack up and leave. (She was a Hah-vaahd grad.)

Now, Larry, as someone who, as the boss, was a minority in most places he worked (He was the first Jewish president of Hah-vaahd), don't you think you should be a little more supportive of all minorities, including women, in academia? He said that it was inexcusable that only 4 women were offered tenure at the institution, out of 32 offers in school year 2003-4, but wasn't supremely committed to fixing that, according to faculty. So does he really need to be on a council that, based on past statements, he doesn't hold in the highest esteem>

Oh, yeah, he also has a thing for Cornel West.

Oh, and Obama just made a little dig at Larry in his speech at the White House Correspondents' Dinner on Saturday:

We've also begun to change the culture in Washington. We've even made the White House a place where people can learn and can grow. Just recently, Larry Summers asked if he could chair the White House Council on Women and Girls.

You'll never escape it, Lar.

Good Lord. This was like four posts in one. What say you?

Update on Kenyan sex strike!

2009-05-08T20:59:00.000-07:00

Last week, I discussed a protest by the women of Kenya, who rallied against the combative national government, by withholding sex from their husbands until peace is embraced. Crazy, right? They even asked the president and prime minister's wives to join.

If you saw my little edit at the bottom of that post, the PM's wife endorsed the strike on 1 May.

On 3 May, a bunch of religious leaders and groups condemned the strike. Muslim Women Groups of Mombasa (home of Fort Jesus, haha) called the strike "Un-Godly."

The strike ended on Wednesday, 6 May.

Well. it just got crazier.

A Kenyan man has sued the organizers of the boycott for giving him "anxiety and sleepless nights," ailments spurred by his wife's refusal to participate in, as Steve Urkel would say, "the horizontal polka."

According to the Kenyan Broadcasting Corporation (KBC), James Kimondo is seeking "damages" from the G10 group, a syndicate of women's groups in Kenya. G10 organized the protest.

"Through his lawyer Wanjohi Gichuhi, he says his wife Teresia Wanjiku denied him his conjugal rights resulting to mental anguish, stress, backaches and lack of concentration and sleep," said KBC.

Seriously, while this may not have worked exactly as they intended, I think these women did a great job of thinking outside the box. No one would have paid them any attention, especially in the West, if they had held a march or a prayer service. This got attention, and demanded action from political leaders.

Nice work, ladies.

What say you?

Yikes, when did Europe become America?

2009-05-07T14:36:00.000-07:00

Today, European Union Members of European Parliament (MEPs) failed to pass a proposal that would have extended the minimum maternity leave to 20 weeks, and provided at least two weeks of paternity leave. Six weeks of the new maternity leave would have included full pay.

The paternity leave part specifically was an issue, the pet project of proposal writer Edite Estrela, a Portuguese MEP. Sadly, it was also the pet peeve of employment, social affairs and equal opportunities commissioner Vladimír Špidla, a Czech MEP.

The European Parliament is comprised of 27 member nations, and convenes in Strasbourg, Brussels, and Luxembourg. Today’s proceedings took place in Strasbourg.

Fingers were pointed in all directions, by Liberals, Conservatives, and Others.

European People’s Party (EPP) MEP Edit Bauer said, "There are countries, such as Germany, where the maternity leave is paid by the employer.” Basically, she thinks these rules will deter employers from hiring women. The EPP are a conservative group, with alternate names that include the term “Christian Democrats.” They are the current majority in European Parliament.

Estrela said the European Parliament was attempting to “modernize legislation that is 17 years old and really out of date.” She also said she “introduced a new concept of paternity leave because I think it's very important for women and men to share parental responsibilities.”

Personal favorite quote of the day, by Green MEP and vice president of the women's rights committee Raül Romeva:

Conservatives and Liberals in the European parliament apparently don't think it is a priority to support mothers and fathers and address their difficulties in reconciling work and family responsibilities… I hope that voters will be aware of where the political groups truly stand on family issues when they go to the polls next month.

Yeee-owch! Suck on that, Conservatives and Liberals!

Maternity leave was kind of a huge part of why I was going to move to Europe. What an I gonna do now?

What say you?

Oh, Catholic Church, you’re just going out of your way to find followers, aren’t you? /sarcasm

2009-05-07T12:45:00.000-07:00

Special thanks to Robert for helping me find this.

On 4 March 2009, a nine-year-old girl from the city of Recife, Brazil, had to undergo an abortion. She was a victim of rape, the alleged perpetrator her stepfather. This had been going on for quite sometime (Police say since she was six), and culminated in her pregnancy. She was carrying twins. Her pregnancy was discovered after she came to the hospital with stomach pains. Some reports said she was four months pregnant.

Brazilian law states that abortion is allowed only when the mother’s life is at risk, and in cases of rape. According to Olimpio Moraes, one of her doctors, her case met both of the criteria. After an aborted [Sorry!] attempt to stop the procedure, a Jose Cardoso Sobrinho, the archbishop of Olinda and Recife, decided that this was a perfectly suitable way for a nine year old to get pregnant (let alone the appropriateness of a nine year old being pregnant), and called for the excommunication of her mother, her doctors, and any others who played a part in this incident. He did not excommunicate the girl because of her age. (He later said he was just following the teaching of the Church. He didn't say if he was personally in agreement with those tenets.)

He also did not excommunicate her stepfather, who attempted escape to another area of Brazil, but was caught and jailed. He is also suspected of abusing the girl 14-year-old sister. Oh yeah, she’s physically handicapped!

[Kay, I just need to interject real quickly: I can’t even describe what kind of an ASSHOLE the stepfather is. There’s a special place in hell for you, buddy. Enjoy it.]

On the 5 March, Brazialian President and self-identified Catholic President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva openly disagreed with the Church’s ruling. He told the Agence France Presse (AFP),

As a Christian and a Catholic I deeply regret that a bishop of the Catholic Church has such a conservative attitude. The doctors did what had to be done: save the life of a girl nine years old. In this case, the medical profession was more right than the Church.

Oh snap, son! Its about to get crazy!

On 6 March 2009, the Vatican announced its full support of Archbishop Sobrinho. Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, who is the head of the Roman Catholic Church's Congregation for Bishops and the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, said the following to La Stampa, and Italian newspaper:

It is a sad case but the real problem is that the twins conceived were two innocent persons, who had the right to live and could not be eliminated. Life must always be protected, the attack on the Brazilian Church is unjustified.

Um, with respect, Cardinal Re, what about the nine year old girl’s life?!? Doctors said that her uterus wasn’t big enough to carry ONE child, let alone two! Would you have been so ready to speak out if she had died? Something tells me no, you would have pretended nothing happened, while her family mourns.

Oh, you want my sympathy because people have rallied against the Church? Nope, not going to happen.

Also, why have you ignored her stepfather? In my mind, running away = admission of guilt. Granted, he is only accused at this time, but should he be found guilty, will you be so quick to excommunicate him? Oh that's right, I forgot, you guys are okay with that kind of stuff. Yeah, that was a low blow. I'm sorry.

What say you?

Photo credit: www.tldm.org

Map credit: www.robstacy.info

Dude, I love being African just for this.

2009-04-30T12:41:00.000-07:00

What am I talking about? This.

Relying on the old adage that men think with their penises, women in Kenya have been encouraged to withhold sex from their husbands until fighting in the national unity government is ended. Quite a few activist groups are involved, including the Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA). Another group, the Women’s Development Organization, has committed to paying off sex workers to keep the movement alive.

Rukia Subow, chairman of the Women's Development Organization, said, "We have looked at all issues which can bring people to talk and we have seen that sex is the answer. It does not know tribe, it does not have a (political) party and it happens in the lowest households." (MSNBC)

Patricia Nyaundi said that representatives have been sent to inform Ida Odinga and Lucy Kibaki of the protests, and to encourage them to join. Odinga is wife to Prime Minister Raila Odinga, and Lucy Kibaki is married to President Mwai Kibaki. The president and the prime minister are coalition leaders. Nyaundi summed it up nicely:

"Great decisions are made during pillow talk, so we are asking the two ladies at that intimate moment to ask their husbands: 'Darling can you do something for Kenya?'"

According to BBC correspondent Anne Waithera, it’s about to get crazy in Kenya, where apparently, men can’t go more than two days without some lovin’.

Wow, just wow. Hit ‘em where it hurts, ladies!

EDIT 1 May 2009:

The Kenyan PM's wife is backing the "sex-out!"

South of the Equator...

2009-04-20T10:36:00.000-07:00

My next continent is South America.

I have searched for a news article, website, angry, ranting blog, ANYTHING. I have found nothing. NOTHING!

I have a few hypotheses on this. Join me.

1. The Church has control over everything there. Including the Internet. Very China-esque.

2. They have no Internet.

3. They have no pregnancy.

4. You see where I’m going with this.

If you find something, please forward it to me.

Don’t worry P-Fal, I will be covering this continent, as soon as I find something.

EDIT: The ever helpful Robert found me a story via Reuters. Look out for it soon.

Philippines: Woah son!

2009-04-09T15:39:00.000-07:00

The Philippines House of Representatives is currently arguing over House Bill 5043 also known as the Reproductive Health Bill. The arguments center around whether or not the bill will help those living in poverty (good) and whether or no the bill is “immoral” (not the point).

An article from the Pinoy Press cites the National Statistics Office, which illustrates the need for family planning with these statistics (start these out with “In the Philippines”):

* There are three babies born every minute

* Almost two thousand babies born every hour

* Almost four thousand babies born every day.

* This year, the National Statistics Office projects the population to balloon at 92 million people, making the Philippines one of the most populous countries in Asia (Twelfth most populous in the world).

* The population density is 277 per square kilometer.

Woah, slow down Filipinos! It’s not even that serious!

A short time ago, the 2009 national budget was approved at P 1.414 trillion (US $ 29,559,672,243.76). How much of that do you think is going to organizations that offer social services, including those like family planning and abortion counseling?

Department of Health: P 27.9 billion ($583,249,721.36)

Department of Social Welfare and Development: P 10.5 billion ($219,544,501.32)

Apparently, the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s budget has had a 177% increase from last year, which was a paltry 4.8 billion ($100,367,808.02), but most of this money will be going to “dole-out programs, such as donations and subsidies.”

Did I mention that the military was given P 56.5 billion ($1,181,414,548.04), and “debt servicing programs” will receive P 252 billion ($5,269,319,596,831.62)! I agree that debt is awful and sometimes people need help, but you’re ignoring basic social services, not just my pet project!

The article, written by the Council for Health and Development, ends with this:

Reproductive health must be viewed and not separated from the overall context of people’s health. As the economy worsens, the state of the public health system also deteriorates. And with it, women’s health, especially those belonging to the marginalized sectors become all the more at stake. Year in and year out, the government continues to fail in its efforts to address people’s health problems. Consequently, many women’s and children’s lives are endangered.

Moreover, the government’s hell-bent efforts to push for the privatization of public health facilities have made matters worse (e.g. collection of out-of-pocket fees in public hospitals) for poor women’s access to a comprehensive health care including reproductive health.

The debate on reproductive health vis a vis population can go on and on. But at the end of the day, it is the government’s responsibility to ensure accessible health services including reproductive health services. In particular, women should be provided with necessary information regarding reproductive health including all types of family planning methods to guide them in their decisions.

I’m afraid we’ll continue to see this as the global economic meltdown continues. “This” being governments that forget about basic health needs to try and “solve” debt. Um, just so you guys know, when people get bored/have no entertainment/little information by way of family planning, something big happens. It comes out nine months later, and you’re back at square one.

What say you?

Currency conversion by Xe.com

ungagged and giving abortions...Go America!

2009-04-09T14:21:00.000-07:00

On January 23, 2009, President Obama repealed the “global gag rule,” a rule that made it prohibited any foreign aid organizations from receiving money for family planning from the U.S., if they used any money, including money from non-U.S. sources, for abortion planning, counseling, or other resources.

According to the Guttmacher Institute, the Dubya administration blocked $244 million dollars in funding over seven years. Dubya also denied support to the UNFPA, which promoted voluntary family planning instead of abortion!

Rather than preventing abortion use all together, which I assume was the intended goal, these policies instead drove women to seek unsafe alternatives, which resulted in premature death, among other awful consequences.

Please check out these awful stats from the Guttmacher Institute:

* Filling the unmet need for contraceptives would further reduce global rates of maternal mortality by 35% and would lower the overall number of abortions by 64%, many of which would have been unsafe abortions.

* More than 95% of abortions in Africa and Latin America are performed under unsafe circumstances, as are about 60% of abortions in Asia.

* Almost 70,000 women die each year from complications following unsafe abortions, and thousands more suffer serious, permanent injuries.

Hooray for the Obama administration!

What say you?

This is sad and disturbing, but needs to be discussed.

2009-03-26T04:57:00.000-07:00

Female genital mutilation (FGM), also known as female circumcision or female genital cutting, is an internationally recognized violation of human rights. Because some women take offense to the term mutilation, the more neutral “genital cutting” has been adopted by some.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), between 100 and 140 million girls and women worldwide are living with the consequences of FGM. In Africa, nearly 92 million females over age 10 have undergone FGM, and about three million girls are at risk for one of the procedures annually.

Of the 53 nations that make up Africa, 25 have ratified The Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa, or the Maputo Protocol, which calls for women’s rights, including an end to FGM practices. Eighteen African countries have FGM prevalence rates of 50% or higher.

There are four types of FGM, as determined by the WHO:

Type I – a clitoridectomy: the partial or total removal of the clitoris and/or the prepuce

Type II – an excision: partial or total removal of the clitoris and the labia minora, with or without excision of the labia majora

Type III – an infibulation: narrowing of the vaginal orifice with creation of a covering seal by cutting and appositioning the labia minora and/or the labia majora, with or without excision of the clitoris

Type IV – All other harmful procedures to the female genitalia for non-medical purposes, for example: pricking, piercing, incising, scraping, and cauterization

All of these practices are irreversible.

FGM has no health benefits for girls or women. In fact, these procedures can cause uncontrollable bleeding and difficulty with urination, and eventually, can develop into potential childbirth complications and newborn deaths.

According to the WHO:

FGM is often motivated by beliefs about what is considered proper sexual behavior, linking procedures to premarital virginity and marital fidelity. FGM is believed by some to reduce a woman's libido and help her resist "illicit" sexual acts.

FGM is associated with cultural ideals of femininity and modesty, which include the notion that girls are “clean” and "beautiful" after removal of body parts that are considered "male" or "unclean."

It is also incorrectly believed to be a religious obligation. It is not mentioned in the Koran or the Bible, though there are some religious leaders who support the practice. It is a completely indigenous tradition.

It’s a wonder that it is rarely discussed in the United States, because it's even become an issue here.

From 1997 to 2003, a model named Waris Dirie was the UNFPA Special Ambassador for the Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation.

Born to a nomadic family in Somalia around 1965, Dirie underwent Type III at the age of five. This was seen as a fail-safe way to get her married. Her marriage was arranged when she was 13, to an old man in her village. She chose to escape, first to Mogadishu, then to London, where she worker as a cleaner at McDonald’s, where she was discovered by a fashion photographer.

Since 1997, Dirie has campaigned tirelessly to eradicate this senseless act. She is now focused on eliminating FGC in the European Union, an increasing issue as more and more Africans emigrate to the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and elsewhere.

On February 6, 2007, in observance of International Day against Female Genital Mutilation, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) released a statement, part of which is below:

Today, UNFPA calls for stronger government commitment to fund and implement programes to prevent female genital mutilation or cutting. At UNFPA, we have learned that to make greater progress, laws need to be enforced, people need to be educated, and communities must be engaged. We are guided by the knowledge that social change cannot be imposed from the outside. It needs to be supported from within the community. Through interventions that foster dialogue, an increasing number of communities have fully or partially abandoned the practice in favor of alternative initiation ceremonies, which is a positive trend.
Nonetheless, there are new emerging concerns arising from increased awareness of the associated health risks that need to be addressed if progress is to be sustained. They include medicalization of the practice as more and more parents try to minimize health hazards by turning to health-care providers to perform the cutting. There is also a trend of subjecting younger and younger girls to the practice to avoid their complaints or refusal to participate. And we also see some communities performing lesser cuts rather than abandoning the practice altogether.

I've made a video highlighting this heinous practice. It might be a bit graphic for some, but I think FGM needs to be pushed to the forefront, so I won't apologize for it. Check it out.

Click here for first person accounts of victims and those who performed the act.

What say you?

Getting sprog in Victoria is hard yakka!

2009-03-12T14:19:00.000-07:00

In the southeast state of Victoria, hospitals have been receiving tons of requests to harvest sperm from dying or recently deceased men, for their female partners to use with in vitro fertilization (IVF). In response, authorities have asked for men to create “sperm wills,” legal documents that spell out the plans for the sperm in case of the owner’s death.

In an article he co-wrote for the Medical Journal of Australia, Michael Buist, director of intensive care at Dandenong Hospital, wrote of a huge snag in Victorian law: harvesting sperm for implantation through IVF is not permitted without explicit written consent of the man involved. So many women are choosing to take the sperm to places where implied consent is considered enough for implantation.

This is not to say that harvesting sperm is illegal in Victoria. Sperm can be harvested legally with the consent of the coroner, or of the next of kin if the man in question is unconscious, as long as it is not used for IVF.

Critics of the procedure say that the motivations of the woman requesting the service should be closely examined, as well as the presumed wishes of the man and the future of the child in question.

I like how this kind of sounds like women are just so baby crazy, they have to steal sperm. However, I can see why this is such an issue. The law, especially in terms of parental rights, has not caught up with technology or with changes in family makeup.

All the same, it's hilarious. I don't have a significant other, but I'm pretty sure that if he lay dying in front of me, I wouldn't be in the frame of mind to ask, "Oh, hey, could you get one of those long needles, and get me some of that baby batter real quick?"

What say you?

Second time's the charm!

2009-03-05T14:06:00.000-08:00

I’ve decided to change some things around my blog. I’m still Elizabeth, and I’m still working on this blog in order to get an awesome grade in JOUR 353 – The Alternative Media (This is where you come in, Dr. Fallon.)

This is what has changed: my topic.

The social issue I’ve chosen to focus on is reproductive rights in the world, and how this interacts with religion, culture, government, and impacts individuals.

For my first six entries, I'm going to highlight a recent news story concerning reproductive rights from each continent.

First up, Australia!

Ok, real FIRST!

2009-02-19T15:45:00.000-08:00

A little introduction: My name is Elizabeth, and I’ve started this blog for a class, The Alternative Media. My focus? Look up. It’s the separation of (or lack thereof) church and state.

A little background on me: I’m a born and raised Episcopalian (not from one of the splinter churches). I’m still a believer and attend pretty frequently. Does this automatically nullify my opinion? I hope not. I think it is imperative that Americans understand

I think a great place to start is President Obama’s introduction of his faith-based initiative plan at the National Prayer Breakfast on February 5, 2009. He signed an executive order, which created the Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. But, coming off the extreme favoritism of the Bush administration towards specific religious groups, many on the right and left sides of the aisle are concerned that funding will be again sent to favorite groups, and that it will be a replay of the Bush Administration’s Policies.

Key points to this executive order and new office:

* Unlike Bush’s office, which focused primarily on funding rligioes charities, Obama’s office will spark an

* The office will work with the National Security Council on interfaith matters, specifically “the needs of women, children, and “responsible fathers [a little judgmental, don‘t you think?]””

* Joshua Dubois, who worked on religious outreach during Obama’s presidential bid, will be the executive director of the new office

* The new office will also collaborate with both the White House counsel and the Justice Department to avoid conflicts between the funding and the Constitution

Hmm...Let's sit back and think about this for a second.

First!

2009-02-05T17:55:00.000-08:00

This is my first post, part of an assignment for JOUR 353 - The Alternative Media.