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National News •Roe v.
Wade in Danger International News •Starhawk
on FTAA On the Lighter Side •Women
Superior? |
ON THE NATIONAL FRONT"UNBORN VICTIMS OF VIOLENCE ACT" COULD OUTLAW ABORTION With a 252 to 172 vote, the House of Representatives passed the Unborn Victims of Violence Act on April 26, which makes knowingly or unknowingly harming or killing a zygote, embryo or fetus while attacking a pregnant woman, during the commission of a federal crime, a separate and punishable crime. The bill also gives personhood and rights to a zygote, embryo or fetus at any stage of development, making this bill widely viewed as an anti-abortion rights vote. Introduced by Lindsey Graham (R-SC), the Unborn Victims of Violence Act passed by a similar margin in the House while President Clinton was in office, but died in the Senate because Clinton promised a veto. With an anti-woman, anti-choice president in office now, conservatives know President Bush will sign the Act if passed in the Senate. However, the split Senate may kill the bill before Bush has an opportunity to sign it. The goal of the bill is to elevate the status of the fetus, at any stage of development, to full personhood with rights distinct from the woman. Once legal rights are established, abortion can only be considered murder in the eyes of the law. This is a disingenuous attempt to circumvent a woman's right to choose as guaranteed in Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court decision which legalized abortion. Oppose it! email:
takeaction@act.actforchange.com ******************* BUSH CLOSES THE OFFICE ON WOMEN'S INITIATIVES AND OUTREACH The closing of this office established in 1995 was not announced, and a White House official declined to explain, except to say that it ''expired at the end of President Clinton's term.'' This office served as a liaison to outside organizations with ideas and questions about pending policies affecting women. Despite Bush's campaign statements supporting women's issues in general, his views on some specifics - including Title IX - have been nebulous. Some of his personnel moves have indicated a move away from the Clinton administration's views that won support from women's groups established since the emergence of feminism. Bush's appointees - several hired from conservative think tanks - reject the traditional feminist platform, especially what has been called the ''politics of female victimization.'' This is troubling news to many feminist organizations, which are closely watching the appointments and awaiting the outcome of the first Bush budget. Martha Burk, chair of the National Council of Women's Organizations, voiced her concern, acknowledging that the appointment of conservatives to high level positions is alarming from the perspective of gender equity and women's programs. **************** CALL-TO-ACTION AGAINST BUSHWHACKING Barbara Kingsolver, renowned author of The Poisonwood Bible and Prodigal Summer, recently wrote a letter expressing her concern for the Bush administration's position on the environment. Her letter has been circulating through the internet. In it she says: "…we now have a new administration that's hostile to the things I love most: human kindness, the dignity of diversity, and the wild glory of life on earth…the waters and wild lands devastated will never come back. So I've taken a vow to spend at least some part of every week protecting the truths and places I treasure. "I'm fairly confident you'll agree with my concerns, because we're the majority. Not only did most of us not vote for the guy, we also -- by a handy majority, the polls say -- oppose the assault he and Gale Norton hope to launch. "To choose an urgent example, their plan to drill for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is hugely unsupported by U.S. citizens, and has even met some opposition from his fellow Republicans. "Too many people must have assumed that the things we cherish are permanently protected. We underestimated the power of wealthy corporations to put a Petroleocracy into the White House." To participate in a crucial fax or email campaign, please visit the website: http://www.SaveBioGems.orghttp://www.SaveBioGems.org/ ******************** CHILD PROTECTIONS ENDANGERED BY BUDGET CUTS The Senate budget resolution passed April 6 (S. Con. Res. 83) with a vote of 65 to 35. Several amendments were adopted to increase investments in children's programs. However, there are many steps left in the budget process and plenty of time to make our voices heard! There is still much work to do to let Congress know that a huge tax cut will jeopardize future investments in programs for children and that any tax cut should include a refundable Child Tax Credit to lift 2 million children out of poverty and that significant increases are still needed for child care, Head Start, and after-school. Most programs assisting children were frozen at the 2001 funding levels and funding for some programs was actually reduced in order to shift funding to a similar program -- a shell game that results in no increase in the number of children assisted. A letter will soon be available on the Children's Defense Fund Action Council website. Visit http://capwiz.com/cdf/home/ to e-mail it directly, address and mail, or use it as a sample to draft your own letter. For in-depth coverage of all legislation affecting children and families, please visit the Children's Defence Fund at: http://www.childrensdefense.org/ ************ WAKE-UP AMERICA! PESTICIDES ARE BAD FOR OUR HEALTH On Wednesday, March 21, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released its National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals. The CDC's report pulls into the spotlight some of the most serious -- yet ignored -- health concerns facing Americans today. It provides data on actual levels of chemicals in humans. Toxics under scrutiny include: lead, mercury, and uranium; the breakdown products (or metabolites) of several organophosphate pesticides; phthalate metabolites (found in plastics, particularly PVCs); and cotinine (a breakdown product of nicotine). "This report should be a wake-up call for the American public. We've known for a long time that chemicals such as lead, mercury and organophosphate pesticides are among the most toxic on earth, but until now comprehensive data were missing," says Anne Platt McGinn. "I believe the new data will give us a much more complete picture of how these chemicals damage people." (Anne Platt McGinn is available for comment on the CDC National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals. Read more about her research paper, "Why Poison Ourselves: A Precautionary Approach to Synthetic Chemicals", at: http://www.worldwatch.org/alerts/001118.html/ A recent study by the National Academy of Sciences suggest that as many as one out of four developmental and behavioral problems in children today may be linked to genetic and environmental factors, including neurotoxic compounds such as lead, mercury, and organophosphate pesticides. Lead contamination is a well-recognized reproductive and developmental toxin. It reduces fertility and can cause miscarriage. Organophosphate pesticides account for about half of all insecticides used in the United States. They are sprayed on crops including corn, cotton, fruits, and vegetables, and used in household pest control products and lawn and garden sprays. They are derived from phosphoric acid and were developed as nerve agents during WWII. Last summer, the US Environmental Protection Agency canceled registrations of many uses of chlorpyrifos -- which was widely sprayed on fruits and vegetables to kill insects and is used in termite control and lawn care products-citing health risks to children. 77 million pounds of organophosphates are used annually. Phthalates are additives in plastics, particularly polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic, which give plastics a range of characteristics from flexibility to flame retardation. Because phthalates are not chemically bonded to the plastic, they can leak into the environment. In wildlife and laboratory animals, they have been linked to reproductive health effects including reduced fertility, miscarriage, birth defects, abnormal sperm counts, and testicular damage, as well as liver and kidney cancer. Over 1 billion pounds are produced in the US annually. Full report at: http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/dls/report ********************** ON THE INTERNATIONAL FRONTWhat's wrong with the FTAA? Starhawk puts it simply: it's a threat to the elements! Starhawk and the Reclaiming Community took part in creative non-violent actions at the WTO conference in Seattle in 1999 and have been active ever since in protesting the damaging effects of the global economy. They will be joining the protests against the FTAA, which is meeting in Quebec City April 20-21. In her words: "Earth: The FTAA would allow corporations to sue governments in corporate courts for loss of potential profits if governments attempt to ban genetically engineered crops, regulate unsafe foods, ban pesticides or chemicals, protect natural resources, regulate logging, or enforce safety standards. Small farmers and indigenous communities would be further undermined by the influx of cheap foods produced by agribusiness far away. "Air: Corporations have already sued governments for banning unsafe additives from gasoline. As the hole in the ozone layer grows, governments would lose the ability to effectively regulate ozone destroying chemicals, or to prod corporations to adopt and produce the already-existing technologies that would replace gasoline with renewable, clean alternatives. "Fire: The U.N. now estimates global warming is progressing much faster than anticipated, that the earth's temperature may rise by ten degrees. The FTAA would undermine efforts to control greenhouse emissions or shift to alternative technologies. It would also open the door to privatization of utilities and energy production and distribution, taking control away from communities and government. "Water: The FTAA would allow corporations to control the water resources and hydroelectric resources of the hemisphere. It would undercut attempts to protect water quality and fair water usage, and to preserve endangered species such as salmon. It would open the door to the privatization of water delivery services." For updates on this and other actions: http://www.indymedia.org ************ GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT REACHES DANGEROUS CROSSROADS Global environmental trends have reached a dangerous crossroads as the new century begins, according to State of the World 2001, which was released last month by the Worldwatch Institute, a Washington-based research organization. Signs of accelerated ecological decline have coincided with a loss of political momentum on environmental issues, as evidenced by the recent breakdown of global climate talks. New scientific evidence indicates that many global ecosystems are reaching dangerous thresholds that raise the stakes for policymakers. The Arctic ice cap has already thinned by 42 percent, and 27 percent of the world's coral reefs have been lost, suggesting that some of the planet's key ecological systems are in decline, say the Institute's researchers. Unless fossil fuel use slows dramatically, the Earth's temperature could rise as high as 6 degrees above the 1990 level by 2100, according to the latest climate models. Such an increase could lead to acute water shortages, declining food production, and the proliferation of deadly diseases such as malaria and dengue fever. "Mobilizing the worldwide response needed to bring destructive environmental trends under control is a daunting task," said Gary Gardner, coauthor of the report. "But people have surmounted great challenges before, from the abolition of slavery in the 19th century, to the enfranchisement of women in the early twentieth. Change can move quickly from impossible to inevitable." Some early signs of progress have emerged in the past year:
State of the World 2001 calls for stronger enforcement of treaties, and for increased North-South cooperation, particularly among the environmentally and economically influential E9 countries: China, India, the United States, Indonesia, Brazil, Russia, Japan, South Africa, and the European Union. "Globalization must go beyond commercial relationships to embrace strengthened political and civil-society ties between diverse nations if we are to avoid a shared catastrophe," according to the report. The question now is one of leadership. The United States can help lead the world to a sustainable economy in the twenty-first century, but will it? For a full report on the current state of the world, visit: worldwatch@worldwatch.org/ ************* International Women's Day was commemorated in Khayelitsha, South Africa, at the Oliver Tambo Center this year by dozens and dozens of women, most in their 20's-40's, who have survived wars, who have emerged as eloquent and courageous spokespeople against violence, ready to indict the soldiers or rebels who raped their way through country after country for personal pleasure using the ultimate weapon that destroys the fabric of society. The World Court of Women, against war and for peace, was begun in India and is currently headquartered in Tunis. Over the past ten years they have sponsored platforms for women to testify on human rights' abuses. Testimonies heard on March 8, 2001, went on from early morning until midnight. Each segment was preceded by experts discussing different kinds of violence, including Wars as Genocide, Wars without Borders, Wars against Civilizations, Wars against Women, and concluded with a Gathering of Spirit intended to offer some healing solution for the wounds bravely opened and souls bared. Archbishop Desmond Tutu made a surprise appearance early in the day, wearing his traditional crimson robe and cap. He virtually jumped for joy seeing all the women before him and said that, "We never would have gotten our freedom without the women." Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge, the Deputy Minister for Defense, educated the audience with a history of the nature of war, how it has changed, and the danger of the illicit trade in small arms. She called on women to play a bigger role in monitoring the good intentions of governments or regional bodies to ensure their implementation. She emphasized the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 which calls for more women to be engaged at every level of governance and especially at the negotiating tables. "I dream of a world where there is no war, no guns and no violence," she said. The opening panel included Winnie Mandela, now president of the Women's League of the African National Congress: "The culture of silence is a serious problem for women...I'm here to dream a dream with you of hope and resistance, where nationalistic ideologies are gone." Vandana Shiva, a Hague Appeal conference alumna, also spoke: "The brilliance of patriarchy is that holocausts, apartheids and genocides can happen again. The new apartheid planning is called globalization. Globalization is nothing less than genocide. There used to be peace times and war times. Now it is all war times...." The conference ended with hundreds of women singing down Herzog St., carrying banners and placards reading: No More Hiroshimas, We are Women who Dream of Peace, Globalization Promotes Poverty, People Want a Just Social Order, and more. For more information, contact: cweiss@igc.org ****************** MONSANTO SLAPS CANADIAN FARMER WITH BIG FINE On March 29, 2001, a Canadian judge ruled that Percy Schmeiser, a third generation Saskatchewan farmer, must pay Monsanto thousands of dollars for using genetically engineered canola seed without a license. on genetically engineered (GE) canola seed. But Schmeiser was not even using the seed. Nor did he obtain it illegally. He was found guilty of violating the corporation's monopoly patent when pollen from genetically engineered canola seeds blew onto his land from neighboring farms. Monsanto (acquired by Pharmacia last year) is the world's largest biotechnology corporation. Monsanto's name has became synonymous with GE seeds and corporate greed. The company has threatened to "vigorously prosecute" hundreds of cases against seed saving farmers, employing Draconian measures to prevent farmers from re-using patented seed, including the use of private police to root out seed-saving farmers, and toll-fee hotlines to encourage rural residents to snitch on their farm neighbors. But Schmeiser's was the first major case to reach the court. In North America, where many farmers have embraced GE technology, there are signs of resistance worth noting:
Percy Schmeiser has filed a counter-suit against Monsanto, but his family faces enormous legal costs that cannot be sustained without outside assistance. Help is desperately needed. For more information about Percy Schmeiser's case, go to: http://www.percyschmeiser.com/ ************ ON THE LIGHTER SIDEIn February, the Boston Globe published a small article titled "Male chromosome shown to pale next to female." Amongst the findings of the Human Genome Project was the relative weakness of the Y (male) chromosome, which is 3 times smaller than the X (female) and has 40 genes on it as opposed to 2000. The article went on to say that the Y chromosome is subject to many more mutations that the X, meaning that the father is responsible for most of the genetic mistakes that cause disease and malformation. That's what librarian Elizabeth Gould Davis wrote thirty years ago, in a book called The First Sex. The thesis of the book was the genetic and biological weakness of the male sex compared to the female. ****************** "WITCH" FIGHTS BACK TO END EXILE An 80-year-old Ghanaian woman is taking her village elders to court for accusing her of witchcraft. Janet Tibu was accused by a traditional village tribunal last year of bewitching a local herb doctor, who claimed she was the cause of his poverty and impotence. Declared a witch last August by the chief and elders her village in Peki-Avetile, she has taken pioneering steps toward ending an ancient practice which condemns dozens of women each year to a life of exile and misery as witches, the Ghanaian Times reported recently. Dozens of Ghanaian women suffer a similar fate each year. Some are stoned to death. Others are confined to camps where witchdoctors subject them to traditional exorcism rites after which they are forced to till the land as bonded laborers. Tibu was fined and cast out of her village, but is taking legal action against the men who condemned her. ****************** CELEBRATING REAL WOMEN -- IN REAL BODIESThe Real Women Project is a multi-media exploration and illumination of women in beautiful, nonstandard bodies, with lumps, lines and a grace all their own. The centerpiece is 13 bronze sculptures, some about 11 inches high, of assorted women's bodies, modeled on real women. The images are set to music and poetry, framed by the collected stories of women's lives. The three women who shaped the project are Cathy Conheim, a licensed social worker-therapist specializing in alcoholism and eating disorders in La Jolla; Barbara Levy, a obstetrician and gynecologist in Seattle, and Donna Brooks, a retired ob-gyn in La Jolla. The Real Women Project will be launched nationally on April 27 in Kansas City, Mo., site of the project's permanent headquarters. The project includes a collection of 82 women's stories, "A Waist Is a Terrible Thing to Mind: A Wake Up Call," by Jan Phillips, Christine Forester and Cathy Conheim, who also are the publishers. Like the subconsciously imbedded jingles of advertising campaigns, the ideas about women's body images have become part of the culture. These same ideas and images have been incorporated into women's own thinking without their conscious permission. "When it comes to women, self-hate is capitalism's love child. There is a lot of money to be made upon the backs of women not liking who they are and not valuing their diversity," said Conheim. The real women of the Real Women Project like to quote George Sand: " The beauty that addresses itself to the eye is only the spell of the moment; the eye of the body is not always that of the soul." For more information, visit: http://www.realwomenproject.com/ ************* A CHAMPION FOR WOMEN'S RIGHTS SPEAKS Yugoslav-born Ivanka Corti, former president and four-term member of the Committee on the Convention for the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), is now serving her last term. Corti looks back with pride on a committee that she calls the "most respected in the UN." "It's very difficult for women to reach a parliamentary position, men don't want to leave their seats," she said. "Women have to mobilize themselves on this issue. Dealing with issues like violence is important, but it's the second stage of our struggle, because who will push the issue of violence if we don't have enough women in parliament? Corti, now 68, has brought to the committee legal expertise, multilingualism and a dedication to fighting against injustice. She was born in Belgrade and came of age when Yugoslavia was under German occupation. At age 13, she was imprisoned for writing "Death to Hitler" on public walls, and spent five days in jail before being released through the intervention of her influential German schoolteacher. She continued working for the resistance movement, infuriating her father, a lawyer, who thought she was putting the whole family at danger. When the Communists occupied Yugoslavia after the war, Corti was deeply disappointed in them except for in one area. "The only positive sign of Communism was the emancipation of women," she said. "Women were allowed to go to universities and had access to jobs. It was a contrast from the patriarchal society that was throughout Europe, particularly in the Balkans." In 1960, she married an Italian and moved to his country, arriving in the midst of a national debate about divorce. Appalled at the sexism in this traditional Catholic country, Corti jumped into the women's movement. Corti became known to the international women's community after serving on the Italian delegation of the 1985 women's conference in Nairobi. Two years later she was elected to the CEDAW Committee. Corti became president of the CEDAW Committee from 1993-1996 and when she ran for her fourth term in 1998 received the second largest number of votes among 23 candidates. She has many admirers world wide. But not everyone likes Corti for her association with CEDAW. In the United States, the only industrialized nation that has failed to ratify CEDAW, she says she has been castigated by pro-life groups who claim that the treaty advocates abortion. "We are in favor of women's human rights. If you call that dirty feminists, so we are dirty feminists," she says. *********** NEW WEBSITESCheck out a visually beautiful new site featuring a gallery of menstrual paintings, interviews with scholars about the blood mysteries, workshop info, spiraling moon retreats, a live journal, and more: http://www.spiralingmoon.com/ HerCircle is dedicated to helping women through life's journeys and challenges through education, advocacy, support, resource referrals and connecting women to each other. HerCircle brings healing tools to women, providing inspiration and hope: http://www.hercircle.org/ A great sight for eco-friendly products, links and news: http://www.redjellyfish.com/ |