Roundup: Uganda to Outlaw Female Genital Mutilation
by Amy Dempsey, RH Reality Check
July 8, 2009 - 10:39am (Print)
Uganda to Outlaw Female Genital Mutilation
Uganda's
President Yoweri Museveni asked a crowd, "God knew what he was doing
when he created us. Do you think you are more intelligent than God?"
referring to the practice of female genital mutilation when he launched a campaign
to outlaw FGM, writes Lynn Harris in Salon.com.
"The president also dismissed any defense of FGM as a "cultural" practice, calling it dangerous not only to women but also to the babies they may later have trouble bearing. According to the Guardian, he also 'pledged to help provide an alternative source of income for women who earn a living circumcising girls.'"
Pope and Obama May Find Common Ground
Pope Benedict XVI's new social teaching, called Charity in Truth, was released Tuesday. According to USA Today, it calls for creation of a new worldwide economic authority, for redistribution of
the world's wealth, protections of workers, respect for the
environment, and a refusal to accept an "anti-birth" mentality that
promotes birth control or abortion.
Although
some Catholic bishops were upset that Obama received an honorary degree
by the University of Notre Dame, a Catholic school, Benedict and
President Obama will meet for the first time Friday afternoon, the article said.
Abortion
rights group Catholics for Choice's president, Jon O'Brien, came out
with a statement giving praise for the pope's economic message, but
condemned his opposition to birth control and condoms for AIDS
prevention.
According to the article, O'Brien said:
"... Because of the hierarchy's opposition to modern methods of family planning, the means to exercise responsible procreation and sexuality are not mentioned except in a condemnatory way. Given this distorted perspective, some of Pope Benedict's words on development aid miss the mark...It is time for Pope Benedict to hear from fellow world leaders that the church hierarchy's stance on sexual and reproductive health and development aid is causing those living in poverty more pain. Certainly, President Obama could be the one to deliver that message."
Pro-Life Groups Rally to Keep Abortion Illegal in Ireland
The Catholic News Agency reported that anti-abortion groups organized a rally that took place Saturday to promote keeping Ireland "abortion free."
Niamh Uí Bhriain of the Life Institute who told the crowd "We
will not falter and we will not fail, not while our children's lives
depend on it. We will stand together, work together, and pray together
and we will keep Ireland abortion-free."
According to the article, Norma McCorvey, the American plaintiff in the U.S. Supreme Court
pro-abortion decision Roe v. Wade, told the Celebrate Life event that
she was now seeking to overturn her case, which made abortion legal
across the United States.
Currently, abortion is illegal in Ireland, but the pro-life advocates
were fighting against an attempt by the Department of Health to allow
abortions under certain guidelines, and the push for embryo research.
OTHER NEWS TO NOTE:
July 7: Journal Gazette & Times Courier: Teutopolis resident has led anti-abortion efforts for more than three decades
July 7: Missouri Family: Teen pregnancy in the Latino community
July 7: Holland Sentinel: (Letter) Reforms shouldn't fund abortion
July 7: LifeSiteNews: Pro-life Groups Ask for Comprehensive Investigation of Nebraska Late-term Abortionist LeRoy Carhart
July 7: Las Vegas Sun: Alleged unsafe abortion prompts warning from state
July 7: USA Today: Pope, Obama may find common ground in 'Charity in Truth'
July 7: Psychology Today: That Movie Again: Genetic Influences in Adoption
July 7: SmarTrend: Teva Stops Shipments on Generic Birth Control Pending Infringement Case
July 7: Lusaka Times:Abortion on the rise in Zambia
July 7: Alternet: My First Abortion Party
July 7: Yglesias/ThinkProgress: NARAL President Nancy Keenan on Abortion and Health Reform
July 7: LifeNews: Ohio Poll: Majority Oppose Abortion, Tax-Funding, Say Abortions Hurt Women
July 7: Feministing: Randall Terry Launches "Defeat Sotomayor" Tour
July 7: Choice USA: Remarks from This Years Generation Celebration
July 8: LifeSiteNews:Some Quotes from Pope Benedict XVI's New Encyclical
July 8: State News:State bill introduced that could make birth control more affordable
July 7: Christian NewsWire: Pro-Life Action League Sponsors 2009 'Face the Truth' Tour
July 7: LifeNews: Pro-Life Group: Nebraska Regents Should Discuss Embryonic Stem Cell Research
July 7: Feminists for Choice: Who Will Pick Up the Slack in El Paso?
July 7: Examiner: What IF abortion were outlawed in Alabama tomorrow?
July 7: Cleveland Plain Dealer: Anti-abortion Democrats in Congress vow to oppose health care packages that don't exclude procedure
July 7: NRO: Sotomayor and PRLDEF's Extreme Abortion Record
July 7: LifeNews: Senate Democratic Leaders Want Party to Stop Filibusters of Abortion Advocates
July 7: Pro Woman Pro Life:The first ever PWPL colloquium
July 7: Southern California Public Radio:Some Docs Resist Repeal Of Bush-Era Abortion Regs
July 7: BeliefNet: Would Pro-Lifers Accept More Premarital Sex If It Meant Fewer Abortions?
July 7: Feministing: (Not so) Feel-Good of the Day: First Women-Run Pharmacy in North America Excludes Trans Women
July 7: Buzzflash: Should We Sell Choice to Get Change? Conservatives Use the Abortion Issue to Kill Healthcare Reform
July 7: American Spectator: Obama's Conscience Claws
July 7: Catholic News Agency: Pope highlights 'strong link' between life issues and social ethics in new encyclical
July 7: American Prospect: NARAL PREZ NANCY KEENAN ON HEALTH REFORM AND ABORTION RIGHTS
July 7: Wausau Daily Herald: (Letter) Sex ed. needs abstinence, contraception
July 7: Boston Herald:FDA approves Hologic birth-control system
July 6: Womensphere:Dutch abortion medics protest violence against clinics and women
July 6: Catholic News Agency: Irish hold large rally to keep their nation ‘abortion-free'
July 7: USA Today:Pope calls for 'God-centered' global economy
July 7: Washington Independent: Palin Still Finds Fans in Anti-Abortion Movement
July 6: Feministing: Anti-choice Dems trying to keep abortion out of health care reform
July 7: Pajamas Media: America's Abortion Headache
July 6: CQ Politics: Why Abortion Rights Groups Back Gillibrand Over Maloney
July 7: Philly Daily News: Lawsuit fans flames of N.J. debate on adoption privacy
Nothing in tradition is remote to this horror..
It was long due to take action and outlaw it.
Although, I am not a women, I think that the pain is less physical but remains in the mind forever.
How many more stories have we to listen to about women treated like that?
Enough is enough.
May this initiative be duplicated wherever such practices are still taking place
You have to realize, when practising FGM, the older women who do it are not medically trained, nor are they using sterile tools or anasthesia. The procedure is basically this:
1) hold the girl down by both arms
2) find a sharp rock, nail, piece of glass
3) cut off clitoris, labia, ANY part of the female genitals that establish sensations of sexual pleasure
4) tell her to stop screaming and crying
A lot of the "culture" aspects are more or less superstitious and misogynistic; men are afraid of the clitoris because they think it is a small penis, therefore accursed, and must be removed. Also, they feel they are in complete control of their wives if their wives do not feel sexual pleasure. A wife who experiences no sexual pleasure will not be tempted to cheat, even though, you know, the husbands cheat ALL the time.
I believe part of the practice is also sewing up the vagina to prevent infidelity; the small hole that is left is just barely large enough for basic fluids like urine and menstrual blood to pass through. A sewn-woman is expected to have sex with her husband as well, through that small hole. The only time the thread is removed is when she is having a baby, and even then, the vagina is sewn up right after delivery.
Women live in a cycle of pain and misogyny over there... But all the men care about is getting their sexual gratification.
It still needs a bit of work, but it looks pretty sweet so far. You cant see all the blemishes though :P. Still not decided if were going to be buying a new case or not, but if not, I still want something decent looking! Ill have to cut some fan holes, and I plan
I could not have put it better than Mr. Museveni. I believe in God and I believe He created us the way He did for a specific reason. This is a wicked practice that needs to be stopped everywhere. Sadly, it seem so intertwined in culture and traditions that it will be difficult.
