Comments on: The Handmaid’s Tale Comes To Life http://www.feministpeacenetwork.org/2010/01/04/the-handmaids-tale-comes-to-life/ UrGently Fierce Feminism In Perilous Times Fri, 03 Feb 2012 01:02:17 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: admin http://www.feministpeacenetwork.org/2010/01/04/the-handmaids-tale-comes-to-life/comment-page-1/#comment-256235 admin Fri, 08 Jan 2010 12:42:21 +0000 http://www.feministpeacenetwork.org/?p=2201#comment-256235 Zmama, I appreciate your comments. I included this because I think the one child policy amounts to a violation of reproductive rights, “the right of every human being to have a child, not have a child, and parent a child” and is of course a huge contributing factor to femicide in China. I have always seen abortion as part of the overall reproductive rights framework and not a stand alone issue and my point here is to put it in that context in the global framework. Zmama, I appreciate your comments. I included this because I think the one child policy amounts to a violation of reproductive rights, “the right of every human being to have a child, not have a child, and parent a child” and is of course a huge contributing factor to femicide in China. I have always seen abortion as part of the overall reproductive rights framework and not a stand alone issue and my point here is to put it in that context in the global framework.

]]> By: zmama http://www.feministpeacenetwork.org/2010/01/04/the-handmaids-tale-comes-to-life/comment-page-1/#comment-255695 zmama Fri, 08 Jan 2010 06:40:13 +0000 http://www.feministpeacenetwork.org/?p=2201#comment-255695 "And in countries such as China and India, there has been a systemic campaign of favoring the births of male children over females: There are about 100 million women less on this earth than there should be. Women who are “missing” since they are aborted, burnt, starved and neglected to death by families who prefer sons to daughters. This column had also identified the countries of South Asia, East Asia, West Asia and Saharan Africa as the main regions which were missing most of these women. The estimated number of women who are missing are 44 million in China, 39 million in India, 6 million in Pakistan and 3 billion in Bangladesh. This is the single largest genocide in human history. Ever. Some researchers have coined a word for this phenomenon: Femicide, or the killing of the human female because she is female. (Note: see also here and here.) Until we insist that it cannot be considered separate of the overall issue of reproductive health, abortion rights will continue to be in jeopardy." As the mother of a daughter born in China I appreciate your discussion of the situation in Asia of femicide. I find it ironic however that you use this situation to rally for abortion rights when many of the victims of femicide are the result of sex selection abortion which is often forced on the mother. Another area of interest to you with regard to femicide would be the fact that China has the highest rate of suicide for women of any country in the world. In addition China is the only country in the world where the suicide rate is higher among women than men. I will never know the pressures my daughter's birth mother was under during her pregnancy but I am forever grateful that she chose to give birth and I hope the way I raise my daughter will honor that choice and sacrifice. “And in countries such as China and India, there has been a systemic campaign of favoring the births of male children over females:

There are about 100 million women less on this earth than there should be. Women who are “missing” since they are aborted, burnt, starved and neglected to death by families who prefer sons to daughters. This column had also identified the countries of South Asia, East Asia, West Asia and Saharan Africa as the main regions which were missing most of these women. The estimated number of women who are missing are 44 million in China, 39 million in India, 6 million in Pakistan and 3 billion in Bangladesh. This is the single largest genocide in human history. Ever. Some researchers have coined a word for this phenomenon: Femicide, or the killing of the human female because she is female. (Note: see also here and here.)

Until we insist that it cannot be considered separate of the overall issue of reproductive health, abortion rights will continue to be in jeopardy.”

As the mother of a daughter born in China I appreciate your discussion of the situation in Asia of femicide. I find it ironic however that you use this situation to rally for abortion rights when many of the victims of femicide are the result of sex selection abortion which is often forced on the mother.

Another area of interest to you with regard to femicide would be the fact that China has the highest rate of suicide for women of any country in the world. In addition China is the only country in the world where the suicide rate is higher among women than men.

I will never know the pressures my daughter’s birth mother was under during her pregnancy but I am forever grateful that she chose to give birth and I hope the way I raise my daughter will honor that choice and sacrifice.

]]> By: Kay Johnson http://www.feministpeacenetwork.org/2010/01/04/the-handmaids-tale-comes-to-life/comment-page-1/#comment-249929 Kay Johnson Tue, 05 Jan 2010 14:30:26 +0000 http://www.feministpeacenetwork.org/?p=2201#comment-249929 I, too, have been thinking more and more about Margaret Atwood's book, the Handmaid's Tale, and I have actually added it to my reread list. Last year, when I watched the Sam Mendes film, starring Kate Winslet, Revolutionary Road, I was reminded how close we are in this country to this scenario -- women having the right, or NOT, to decide when and if they have children. The film took me back to the late 1960s and early 1970s when I worked on a gynecology floor in a major hospital in Des Moines, Iowa. Our floor was where women ended up -- if they lived through the emergency room after having a back-alley abortion. To this day, the eyes of the women continue to haunt me! I also recognize the "end of welfare," during the Clinton years, as one more step in the process of disempowering women and children. Several months ago, I read an article about a bill introduced into the legislature that involved screening every single woman in this country, who is pregnant, for depression. I wrote to my congress-people, asking about the bill, and pre-natal care for all women who are pregnant as well, but I received NO answers, and no acknowledgment that they had received my letters. At the time, I recall thinking that it sounded more like a push from the pharmaceutical companies as another way to sell more pills, to open up a new market -- but then, I am a skeptic about the authorities actually taking real steps to care for women. Does anyone know anything more about this bill? I, too, have been thinking more and more about Margaret Atwood’s book, the Handmaid’s Tale, and I have actually added it to my reread list.

Last year, when I watched the Sam Mendes film, starring Kate Winslet, Revolutionary Road, I was reminded how close we are in this country to this scenario — women having the right, or NOT, to decide when and if they have children.

The film took me back to the late 1960s and early 1970s when I worked on a gynecology floor in a major hospital in Des Moines, Iowa. Our floor was where women ended up — if they lived through the emergency room after having a back-alley abortion. To this day, the eyes of the women continue to haunt me!

I also recognize the “end of welfare,” during the Clinton years, as one more step in the process of disempowering women and children.

Several months ago, I read an article about a bill introduced into the legislature that involved screening every single woman in this country, who is pregnant, for depression. I wrote to my congress-people, asking about the bill, and pre-natal care for all women who are pregnant as well, but I received NO answers, and no acknowledgment that they had received my letters. At the time, I recall thinking that it sounded more like a push from the pharmaceutical companies as another way to sell more pills, to open up a new market — but then, I am a skeptic about the authorities actually taking real steps to care for women. Does anyone know anything more about this bill?

]]> By: Cynthia Samuels http://www.feministpeacenetwork.org/2010/01/04/the-handmaids-tale-comes-to-life/comment-page-1/#comment-248428 Cynthia Samuels Mon, 04 Jan 2010 21:28:24 +0000 http://www.feministpeacenetwork.org/?p=2201#comment-248428 The Handmaid's Tale is the single a frightening book and has resonated not only this past year but also through much of the Bush Administration. I always urge younger women to read it because it's difficult to imagine times when men had more control over our bodies; they came of age in a (thankfully) different time although the Bushies certainly did enough damage. I'm going to repost this at Care2 (www.care2.com/causes/womens-rights.) Thanks for the permission. It's provocative and disturbing and all too close to the truth. Oh - and happy new year - I guess. The Handmaid’s Tale is the single a frightening book and has resonated not only this past year but also through much of the Bush Administration. I always urge younger women to read it because it’s difficult to imagine times when men had more control over our bodies; they came of age in a (thankfully) different time although the Bushies certainly did enough damage.

I’m going to repost this at Care2 (www.care2.com/causes/womens-rights.) Thanks for the permission. It’s provocative and disturbing and all too close to the truth.

Oh – and happy new year – I guess.

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