Category Archives: bodily autonomy

Feminist Midwifery Zine call out

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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 →

carte si articole interesante: “tovarase de drum”

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@ Observator Cultural:
O carte in dezbatere: Tovarase de drum. Experienta feminina in comunism.

Despre „epoca de aur“ au apărut, mai ales în ultimul deceniu, mai multe cărţi – fie documente istorice, fie istorii personale, subiective, care reconstituie, retrospectiv, viaţa cotidiană într-o lume din care intimitatea, individualitatea şi, nu în ultimul rînd, feminitatea fuseseră extirpate sistematic. Volumul coordonat de Radu Pavel Gheo şi Dan Lungu aduce în prim-plan o serie de istorii „despre lucrurile aparent fără însemnătate care trec, în timp, printr-o viaţă de om“ (apud Adriana Babeţi). Relatate de scriitoare din generaţii şi medii sociale diferite, istorioarele din Tovarăşe de drum sînt mărturii despre efectele nocive pe care regimul comunist le-a avut asupra destinelor individuale, dar şi radiografii tulburătoare ale procesului de naţionalizare a corpurilor femeilor, iniţiat de partidul unic. (C.M.)

Detalii si discutii in jurul cartii:
“Cum a pornit proiectul, ce spun coordonatorii volumului?”
“Cît de relevantă e diferenţa?” de Bianca Burta-Cernat
“Rîsul şi (r)Estul” de Theodora-Eliza Vacarescu
“Femeia din spatele Cortinei de Fier” de Şerban Axinte
“Ce mişto ar fi fost să fim femei!” de Ovidiu Şimonica
“Radu Pavel Gheo: „Am avut senzaţia că textele erau gata scrise şi abia aşteptau să iasă la iveală“”
“Dan Lungu: „O lumină nouă asupra totalitarismului, dintr-un unghi prea puţin explorat“”
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Info de la editura polirom:

“Lucrurile stau in felul urmator: se da o tara plina de betoane, fonta si salopete, se adauga magazine doldora de conserve de peste si cozi la orice, un sef timpit, plus doua-trei culori, destul de terne. Nu, nici vorba de pantofiori pastelati, ciorapi fini, tocuri sofisticate, sampoane si rujuri de firma sau, ma scuzati, sanitary pads. Nu, nici urma de mall-uri. Aaa, neaparat trebuie adaugate croitoresele de cartier, mici vrajitoare intr-ale modei, tragind cu ochiul in revista Burda. Ei bine, in aceasta tara se da drumul unor sufletele sensibile si li se spune: Fiti femei!. Va intrebati cum se descurca? Hmmm, greu de povestit, trebuie citita cartea.” (Dan Lungu)

Volumul cuprinde texte semnate de: Adriana Babeti – Sarsanela; Anamaria Beligan – Halatul Veronicai; Carmen Bendovski – Lungul drum al comunismului catre sfirsit; Rodica Binder – Chiar asa?; Adriana Bittel – Servus, Reghina; Mariana Codrut – “Atunci am invatat sa renunt”; Sanda Cordos – Din umbra viitorului luminos; Nora Iuga – Scrisoare catre un prieten; Cerasela Nistor – Cerul negru-rozaliu; Ioana Ocneanu-Thierry – Eu, una, n-am suferit!; Simona Popescu – HoRor! Cool!; Iulia Popovici – X si Y; Alina Radu – O zi din viata Alinei Viktorovna; Doina Rusti – Ginecologii mei; Simona Sora – Bibliotecile spitalelor mele; Mihaela Ursa – O poveste de fata; Otilia Vieru-Baraboi – Aha.

ps: eu n-am citit cartea inca si nu stiu cum e, ma ingrijoreaza putin treaba cu “feminitatea” si “sufletele sensibile” (sper sa fie ironie), dar abia astept sa vad. [momentan recomand calduros textul de sus al theodorei vacarescu.] ceva ce scriam in 2004:

“Ne amintim, cantarim si analizam prea putin din ce a insemnat viata noastra inainte de ’89… Dar acea istorie ne influenteaza pe toti la nivel individual si la nivel societal — este o greseala sa continuam sa nu vorbim de experientele noastre, ce au insemnat si cum ne leaga de lumea (lumile) in care traim astazi. Nu pot sa nu vad o paralela intre aceasta tacere si tacerea — pe care ca problema la scara globala am ajuns totusi s-o constientizam si s-o analizam — creata istoric (deci impusa) si in acelasi timp “aleasa” de femei drept modus operandi in cadrul sistemului patriarhal. Cand e vorba de vietile femeilor in societatea romaneasca din perioada comunista, atunci, nevoia de a rupe aceasta tacere are o dubla importanta. …”

Unde poate duce etica medicala “pro-life”

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[http://protv.ro/stiri/eveniment/fetita-de-11-ani-din-neamt-va-pastra-sarcina.html – ro]

[http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gN5evrcNbeqDJWPqBOfmfTJQ4soQ – en]

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“O comisie de etica medicala din Romania a refuzat vineri aprobarea avortului, in cazul fetitei de 11 ani care a fost violata de unchiul sau”, a declarat purtatorul de cuvant al spitalului.

“Conform Codului Penal, dupa a paisprezecea saptamana de sarcina, avortul este permis doar daca viata mamei se afla in pericol sau daca fatul sufera malformatii” a declarat Vica Todosiciuc, director al maternitatii din Iasi .

In urma examinarii, comisia a decis ca sarcina decurge normal, iar avortul nu ar trebui impus.

Parintii fetitei au aflat de sarcina in urma unui control medical la doua saptamani dupa ce aceasta a semnalat dureri abdominale. Politia il cauta pe unchiul acesteia care se pare ca a fugit de acasa.

“Faptul ca sarcina a rezultat in urma violului nu a fost luta in calcul de comisie din 2 motive: primul, deoarece violul nu a fost dovedit; iar al doilea deoarece codul penal nu permite nici o exceptie” a declarat Todosiciuc.

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[http://www.feministe.us/blog/archives/2008/06/20/pro-life-ethics/]

Ce sa spunem?! Adevarate valori pro-viata, sa fortezi o victima de 11 ani a unui viol si incest sa dea nastere impotriva vointei sale.

De notat cateva lucruri: In primul rand, violul nu a fost luat in calcul pentru ca nu a putut fi dovedit. Pentru ca da, bineinteles, fetita de 11 ani s-ar putea sa fi intretinut relatii cu unchiul sau consensual.

In al doilea rand, tot ceea ce conteaza este faptul ca sarcina decurge normal. Nu conteaza faptul ca fetita va fi traumatizata psihic si emotional datorita faptului ca este obligata sa pastreze sarcina si sa dea nastere. Nici ca ar mai fi si alti factori de luat in considerare – ca de exemplu fetita in sine. Numai ca incubatorul isi face datoria. Chiar daca si ea este la randul ei un copil. Chiar daca ea e dispusa sa se umileasca in fata consiliului pentru a avea permisiunea sa intrerupa sarcina provenita de pe urma violului de catre unchiul sau.

De asta ma aprind eu atat de tare din cauza problemelor “mai minore”, de exemplu farmaciile care refuza sa prescrie retete contraceptive in SUA. [http://www.feministe.us/blog/archives/2008/06/20/anti-choice-pharmacies-help-to-increase-the-abortion-rate/] Este o intreaga gama de control si abuz in jurul sistemului reproductiv al femeilor. Si nu este acceptabil. Nu e vorba de un exercitiu religios, nici de unul comercial. Nu e vorba de simple certuri politice in care putem cadea de acord ca nu suntem de acord cu ceva deoarece toti suntem oameni buni, sau unde putem sa discutam libertatea reproductiva ca si cum ar fi doar un alt subiect de dezbatere din punct de vedere legal si filosofic.

E vorba de controlul sistematic asupra corpului femeii. E vorba de abuzul fizic asupra corpului femeii in numele unei ideologii. E vorba de dorinta atat de puternica de a controla si de a a face rau femeilor incat pana si fetele de 11 ani care au suferit violul si incestul devin victime colaterale.

Dorinta asta de control si de a face rau e atat de acceptata, incat, din pacate, singurul caz in care incepe sa devina clar cat de mult poate dauna e cand i se intampla unei fete de 11 ani care e victima violului si incestului. O femeie “tipica” nu merita atata simpatie.

penalizari criminale pentru avort respinse in toata lumea

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“Criminal Penalties for Abortion Rejected Across the Globe” (Alternet)wpo_abortion_jun08_graph1.jpg

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)

on feminism, violence, patriarchal culture, religion (& more)

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REFLECTIONS ON ‘ARTEMIS’ – A ROMANIAN FEMINIST PROJECT (PDF)
by Maria Diaconescu

… Even so, with these East-West differences, violence and sexual abuse against children and women is a reality in Eastern European countries, as it is in the Western countries. The East and the West share the same patriarchal ground that makes possible the cultural and structural violence that we live in. Violence of any kind means taking advantage of the power difference. The societal/ cultural or structural violence refers to all actions, attitudes and values of a society which block or delay the development of the other who has no “voice” in society, or who is not heard (children, women, people from a different ethnic or religious background, etc.). This kind of values and attitudes are responsible for inequalities of chances, and violence against women, children, Roma people, etc.

What do I want to highlight in this paper? There is a high support of patriarchal culture via the educational environment, the political environment, and the church. In the name of the so-called national and traditional values, strongly supported by the church, there is a high support of patriarchal culture. In my opinion, patriarchal values have to do a lot with the skin of religion – the temporal and social norms, known in Romania as “the national and traditional Christian values.” The patriarchal values have nothing to do with the core of spiritual and religious meanings. The spiritual, transcendent, essential part of any religion of the world has to do with the essence of the human being which transcends any skin: gender, culture and religion differences; this is the core part of any religion. According to Peseschkian, the religious externals that are influenced by time, the rituals and dogmas – the skin – are put in the foreground, while the actual religious contents – the core – are put aside. This produces a shift in form and content, misunderstanding and confusion because of the lack of differentiation between faith – religion – church.

My hypothesis is that the religious skin ideology – put in the foreground – patterns in a paradoxical way any other subsequent ideology/ politics or philosophy of life, even if (and especially when) people reject or ignore the core religion. This is what happens after any revolution. Subsequently, the revolution patterns the relationships in the same way: another form of patriarchal, changed roles. …

the SAGE project / great statement re: legalizing prostitution

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fwd sarah l., londonfeministnetwork list

Standing Against Global Exploitation (SAGE)

“The mission of the SAGE Project is to improve the lives of individuals victimized by, or at risk for sexual exploitation, violence and prostitution through trauma recovery services, substance abuse treatment, vocational training, housing assistance and legal advocacy.”

SAGE was founded by Norma Hotaling, a woman who had experienced homelessness, addiction and prostitution, and in their own words: “Many of the STAR Center staff are survivors of sexual exploitation and/or are recovering addicts. Some of us also have incarceration experiences.”

Q: Does SAGE support legalizing prostitution?
Continue reading →

must reads

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“Who determines our ‘most important ideas’?” (on marketing, propaganda, anti-racism, and conversations about social justice) @ Theriomorph

… Marketing is selling ideas/products (you sell the product by selling the idea). It is advertising; manipulation and fundamental brainwashing to achieve an end. The insertion into the minds of the masses the ‘spin’ on reality we want them to take to benefit our wallets, our status, our social power, or our issue.

As more and more social-justice-oriented and political activists of whatever-labeled progressive stripes begin to embrace the tools of marketing to fight back against the increasing destructive power of extreme conservatism and fundamentalism and Nationalism in this country, I’ve been thinking a lot about whether or not this tactic can be made to work well for the ‘Left.’

Propaganda in and of itself is a value-neutral word.

The history of propaganda in usage, however, is anything but value neutral, as any number of examples from global history show (I will use this example not for shock value or direct conflation, but because the propaganda of this era shows the clearest quick-reference link I know of between the marketing of ideas, socio-behavioral modification, the rewards for collaboration, and the punishments for resistance, which is also how marketing works).

I continue to feel profound unease about this adoption of marketing/propaganda strategies even as – perhaps especially as – more and more people who identify as politically progressive are doing it. …

On the pure-mind level, it’s not complicated at all. Propaganda = defocusing manipulation to achieve and retain power. Marketing = lying. Lying and abusing power becomes a self-perpetuating habit.

On the actual-life and solutions level, it gets complicated fast.

I want to see progressive people concerned with social justice in positions of power to effect change.

I want to see feminists publishing feminist books that a lot of people read.

I want to see members of targeted and oppressed groups achieving professional and personal success, and using their newfound social power to become institutional ‘gatekeepers’ – active allies to those who have not yet had the boot taken off their throat. …

[But] The big payoff comes in more for more, not more for few. …

Maybe that’s what we should be marketing, if we really think marketing can work: if we really are so dumbed-down all we can navigate are propaganda slogans, let’s do ‘More For More.’ …

…we live in a deeply damaged world which has shown very little capacity for handling complexity. In some very basic ways, just getting out the incredible notion that women are human is the major triumph.

But which women? The ones with the most privilege already?

If the 3% of feminism the people get continues to perpetuate disunity and active destruction of the alliances essential to real change, if ‘palatable’ means the same people saying the same things in the same way they have always been said, pocketing the pay, and leaving the majority to die, I want no part of it, and I do not call it social justice.

“One simple thing” @ A View from A Broad

… You won’t be popular as a feminist. You can’t prettify its message, make it palatable to those who use and abuse women, or convince people who don’t want to be bothered. Feminism is action instead of reaction, movement instead of cultural inertia, and thought instead of rote acceptance. Merely by demanding action it is threatening. Cultures by their nature, once established, tend to roll along until stopped. Feminism is the mechanism that stops a culture in its tracks and changes its direction.

Don’t expect to be liked for it. And don’t expect to educate people who claim to be looking for information. While feminism is a lot of things, they’re all very simple. Start at the bottom of the pyramid and look at the centuries of oppression and excuses and see how those inform today’s thought on women. Go to the next level. It all builds on itself. You can’t demand to jump ahead when you haven’t mastered the source material. Even so, the concept remains simple and threatening: Women have been denied their humanity too long. Women have been the scapegoats of society forever. If this threatens someone or confuses them, ask yourself why. But don’t expect it to be easy or popular.

“feeling like a macho man” @ la chola

Bloggers are in a position of relative privilege. … We have the time and the money to slow down and create a type of media justice movement that not only will last, but will center the needs of those who are the most marginalized in our communities. We have our history that teaches us we were at our strongest and our best when we were working in the community as a part of the community–that things went all to fucked up hell shit and back when we left OUR job as community builders in the hands of political advocates and interest groups. That things went to hell because political advocates and interest groups are not a part of our community no matter who they are or where they come from. They have a job that is dependent on finding ways to best market human beings to a mass consumer base.

We have all this knowledge, and yet over and over again we insist that the only way to go is up–even when we’ve been shown by people who know and have way more experience than us that from the bottom and to the left is a better road to follow.

… Whether it’s from spite or ignorance or hatefulness or fear, our communities are always looking in the wrong direction when it comes to women of color. And in turning our heads towards the power, we turn our hearts away from the woman in the corner–we leave her so alone the only thing she has left is her taunt, her macho man taunt.

Why is it so easy for us to look the other way? …

also see the rest of the texts Femostroppo Awards for 2007 @ Hoyden About Town

despre solutii care agraveaza problema – si solutii reale

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intr-un caz recent de violenta domestica din canada, o tanara agresata de partenerul ei a fost retinuta de politie in momentul in care a refuzat sa depuna marturie impotriva agresorului. despre caz – si felul in care in numele “protectiei” victimelor sistemul abuzeaza, in loc sa ajute, persoanele cele mai vulnerabile – la: “stop abuse with abuse” @ woc phd.

este doar un exemplu de esec al legilor contra violentei domestice si implementarii lor, atata timp cat se acorda prea putina atentie factorilor multipli ce intervin in vietile femeilor ne-majoritare. mai multe informatii (si resurse) in acest post mai vechi despre istoria si criticile aduse miscarii contra violentei de gen (en).

o alta ilustratie a aceleiasi probleme e data de alexandra oprea (in textul ei despre necesitatea integrarii experientelor femeilor rome in orice activism “feminist”, ca si in orice activism antirasist):

In Romania exista numeroase bariere in orice proces ce implica violenta domestica; spre exemplu: victimei ii revine sarcina de a inainta o plangere preliminara inainte ca agresorul sa fie arestat, un certificat medical eliberat in conditiile legii este necesar pentru a inregistra o plangere, nu exista reprezentare legala gratuita, de multe ori politia impiedica aducerea in instanta a cazurilor si este o mare criza de adaposturi in toata tara. In 2002, in Romania erau in total sapte adaposturi pentru victime ale violentei domestice.
Aceste bariere afecteaza femeile rome in mod disproportionat din cauza pozitiei lor la intersectia intre rasism, saracie si sexism. Cerinta de a obtine un certificat medico-legal inseamna o mare greutate pentru femeile rome carora deseori le sunt refuzate tratamentele medicale in spitale din cauza rasismului. Problema inregistrarii unei plangeri fara a avea acces la reprezentare legala gratuita inseamna o alta bariera pentru femei rome sarace, multe dintre care, pe langa faptul ca nu au o stabilitate financiara, nu detin nici capitalul social necesar pentru a naviga sistemul legal. Pe langa faptul ca sunt atat de putine adaposturi in Romania in general, numarul de adaposturi care sa fie accesibile femeilor rome este probabil zero, din cauza atitudinilor rasiste prevalente in societatea romaneasca. In plus, apelarea la politie inseamna o bariera cat se poate de serioasa, data fiind brutalitatea epidemica a politiei impotriva comunitatilor rome. Cand femeile rome suna la politie, de multe ori politia refuza sa vina in zone populate de romi – mai ales in ghetto-uri…

… O abordare de jos in sus a acestei probleme ne-ar obliga sa luam in considerare femeile rome sarace, care de multe ori se tem sa dea telefon la politie din cauza brutalitatii acesteia fata de comunitati rome, carora de multe ori le este refuzat tratamentul medical la spitale si care nu au acces la tribunal si la sistemul legal, sau slujbe care sa le permita sa paraseasca situatii abuzive. Folosirea acestor experiente ca fundatie pentru cercetarea pe violenta domestica din Romania ar avea ca rezultat un discurs mai aproape de realitate.

din pacate, chiar informatiile-stas oferite ca ajutor de organizatii altfel pozitive ca artemis (si chiar si aceasta brosura in care noi am preluat acele informatii) se fac vinovate de trecerea cu vederea a diverselor circumstante in care se pot afla persoanele agresate. subiectul este de maxima importanta si actualitate: pe langa faptul ca aplicarea legii 217/2003 privind combaterea violentei domestice lasa in continuare foarte mult de dorit, anul acesta asteptam imbunatatiri si sa fie introdus ordinul de restrictie [ca fapt divers, Moldova tocmai a promulgat si ea o lege anti-violenta] si in acelasi timp “deputatii cer masuri europene pentru stoparea discriminarii romilor”. insa asa cum arata alexandra, numai o abordare de jos in sus si luand in considerare factori ca genul, etnia, statutul economic etc. impreuna ne poate fi de vreun folos daca vrem sa rezolvam ceva si sa existe ajutoare reale pentru toti cei care se gasesc in situatii vulnerabile!

(un articol recent, de asemenea util aici: “Rom European – Discriminare la medic?”)

Oppose attempts to ban abortion in Lithuania

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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.