fwd: monitoring of women in poland

Posted on September 13, 2008 by Administrator

Please circulate widely!

Dear Women,

Poland’s Minister of Health, Ewa Kopacz, has just announced the government’s plan to establish a database of all pregnancies in Poland in an effort to eliminate illegal abortions.

If this idea becomes law, every pregnant woman will be registered by her physician. Her pregnancy will remain under state surveillance, so that she cannot terminate it.

We consider this a shocking violation of women’s human rights, the right to privacy, as well as a blatant breach of patient-doctor confidentiality.

We encourage you to join Polish women in responding to the Minister with letters and used tampons/ sanitary napkins (a tampon soiled with red ink or juice will do just fine) proving that you are NOT pregnant.

Here is the address and a sample letter you may enclose with the evidence:

Minister Ewa Kopacz
ul. Miodowa 15
00-952 Warszawa
Poland

Dear Minister Kopacz,
I know that you are planning to build a database of pregnancies in Poland.
I am not a Polish citizen, but I too would like to be registered in your
system. I thought you may be interested to know that I am not pregnant, and
therefore unlikely to have an abortion. I send you my towel/ tampon as proof. I
will be glad to keep you up to date on the state of my reproductive system.

yours sincerely,
(name, address)

If you decide to support Polish women in this effort to respond to our government’s curiosity, please contact the Feminoteka Foundation, the inventors of the action, send e-mail to: info [at] feminoteka [dot] pl

you can also see the Feminoteka website (English):
http://www.feminoteka.pl/viewpage.php?page_id=10

target women episodes

Posted on August 24, 2008 by ruxi

un show despre diverse chestii absurde din mass media si publicitate despre/”pentru” femei [en]:

“yogurt edition”

“feeding your f*ing family”

“suffrage”

“wedding shows”

“birth control”

prezentatoarea este comediana sarah haskins

si apropos de feminism si umor:

from the anti-women stupidity knows no bounds files

Posted on August 21, 2008 by ruxi

“Lawyer Files Antifeminist Suit Against Columbia”

“Mini-skirts banned to stop “provoking” rape in Mexico”

“How the Left censored the blindingly obvious truth about rape” (Peter Hitchens, Daily Mail, 16.08.08) a.k.a.
“Geez, When Will Women Stop Getting Themselves Raped Already?”

vulnerability to trafficking and exploitation… and solutions

Posted on August 12, 2008 by ruxi

2 presentations about the vulnerability to sex trafficking and exploitation, one focused on moldova and one on the u.s.:

—

slideshow: “MOLDOVA: The Price of Sex” (by PBS FRONTLINE/World) [an older post on “countertraffickers” here]

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film: “The Making of a Girl” (by GEMS – Girls Education & Mentoring Services)

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h/t londonfeministnetwork & discussion about organizations, like GEMS (whose mission is “to empower young women, ages 12-21 years, who have experienced sexual exploitation and violence to exit unsafe and abusive lifestyles and to develop their full potential”), that provide the most vulnerable girls and women “with empathetic, consistent support and viable opportunities for positive change” – which arose as a reaction to the news about the “Guide to Brothels” from the Women’s Institute in UK: “Women’s Institute ladies toured the world in search of the perfect brothel” (story also in romanian: “Doua bunici, reprezentante ale Institutului Femeilor din Marea Britanie, au facut turul pamantului pentru a gasi bordelul perfect”)

hartuirea sexuala interzisa

Posted on July 22, 2008 by ruxi

“Hărţuirea sexuală în Spitalul Universitar, interzisă prin regulament”

Invitaţiile compromiţătoare şi gesturile indecente vor fi pedepsite
Asistentele din unitatea sanitară, încurajate să depună plângeri

(articol din 21 iulie in Gandul, cu o ilustratie absurda) – h/t c.

ps: legislatie contra hartuirii sexuale la locul de munca exista deja (desi nu multi stiu acest lucru, iar primul caz a aparut abia anul trecut)… o resursa utila (de la centrul parteneriat pentru egalitate): managementuldiversitatii.ro

Feminist Midwifery Zine call out

Posted on July 3, 2008 by Administrator

A feminist midwifery ‘zine’:
Is midwifery a feminist issue? How do feminists practice midwifery? What are feminists currently thinking about childbearing? What do feminists think about midwives?

This is a ‘call out’ to feminists who would like to contribute to an upcoming ‘zine’ about feminism, midwifery, pregnancy and birthing. A ‘zine’ is an informally published / DIY magazine. If you’ve never seen one then imagine a cross between a leaflet for a local jumble sale, a comic and a text book.

This particular zine will be distributed free or for donations – via free PDF documents and cheap printed copies… contributors will retain original copyright but agree for ‘copy-left’. This means anyone is welcome to copy the zine as long as it’s not for profit and says where the info comes from.

[*Contributions deadline – first draft = 30th August 2008]

You can contribute anything printable to the zine – writing, rants, poems, cartoons, drawings, photos, quizzes and crosswords, origami birth plans, cut out and keep guide to your womb, birth in the NHS self defence tip cards… anything flat!

Please think about making your writing understandable to a wide audience – how you write is up to you, but it might be useful to avoid midwifery jargon or writing in a very academic style.

We are interested in the views of student and qualified midwives; doulas; mums and other parents; birth activists and feminist health folk – if you don’t want to use your name you’re welcome to use a nickname.

Some ideas so far…feminist midwifery: birth without borders? – refugee women birthing in the NHS; queer parenting; freebirthing; trans-men birthing; techno-birth ‘v’ ecofeminism; independent midwifery radical or elitist?; dykes midwives and homosexual panic; earth-mother consumerism; birth as power; birth crisis and birth trauma; sexuality and breastfeeding; dads in the labour room; babybonding – myth and reality; Where are the male midwives?; midwifery, horizontal violence and sexism… Continue reading →

penalizari criminale pentru avort respinse in toata lumea

Posted on June 20, 2008 by ruxi

“Criminal Penalties for Abortion Rejected Across the Globe” (Alternet)

Cand traiesti intr-o tara in care dreptul la avort ramine o problema dezbatuta la fiecare alegere si activistii contra dreptului-de-a-alege se simt destul de incurajati incat sa demonstreze impotriva pastilei contraceptive, avem multe motive sa fim pesimisti in privinta viitorului libertatii reproductive. Dar la nivel international, sunt si cateva stiri bune: peste tot in lume, cetatenii sustin personal dreptul la avort, chiar atunci cand propriile lor guverne criminalizeaza avortul.

Programul privind Atitudini asupra Politicilor Internationale (The Program on International Policy Attitudes) a efectuat un sondaj cu barbati si femei in 18 tari care impreuna alcatuiesc 59% din populatia planetei. In 17 din aceste 18 tari, majoritatea participantilor la sondaj au raspuns ca resping penalizarile criminale pentru avort. In 9 din 18 tari, majoritatea a raspuns ca avortul este o decizie individuala in care guvernul nu ar trebui sa intervina. Din cele 9 tari unde se crede ca guvernul ar trebui sa aiba un cuvant de spus despre dreptul la avort, numai intr-una – Indonesia – majoritatea sustine sanctiuni criminale pentru femei care intrerup o sarcina.

Sunt valorile “pro-choice” imbratisate peste tot? Nu. Dar e greu sa negi efectele politicilor “anti-choice” asupra sanatatii publice si vietii de familie peste tot in lume. Mai este clar ca statutul legal al avortului nu este corelat cu rata avorturilor in nici o tara anume – mai exact, interzicerea avortului nu inseamna ca avortul se practica mai putin. De fapt, unele din tarile cu cele mai ridicate rate de avort din lume sunt locuri in care procedura este cu desavarsire interzisa prin lege. Pe de alta parte, tarile cu cea mai scazuta rata de avort au cateva lucruri in comun: Avortul si metodele contraceptive sigure, legale si accesibile (si deseori gratuite, acoperite de un sistem national de ingrijire medicala), plus educatie sexuala comprehensiva si un mediu socio-cultural in care sexul este vazut ca o placere si o responsabilitate, nu un act rusinos. Alte lucruri care sunt corelate: Faptul ca lipsa de acces la contraceptie creste rata de avort si faptul ca avortul ilegal inseamna de cele mai multe ori avorturi nesigure, ceea ce duce la cresterea semnificativa a ratelor de boli si morti materne.
— de la feministe

(linkuri in engleza)

Oppose attempts to ban abortion in Lithuania

Posted on April 21, 2008 by Administrator

An appeal to solidarity from January 2008:

Dear European feminists,

On behalf of the parliamentary group on Population and Development, Reproductive Health and Rights of the Lithuanian Republic and on behalf of all educated and progressively thinking women and men of Lithuania I address you and ask for a moral support and solidarity in stopping the attempt of the conservative parliamentarians and social organizations to ban abortion in our country. The project of the law to safeguard an unborn life, to force women give birth even to an abnormal child, to criminalize abortion is backed up by the Lithuanian Catholic Church, which negates women reproductive rights.

read the open letter (francais)

Now, there is increased need for action. More at the f-word and feministing.