Glenda Simms, Contributor
IN THE winter 2004/2005 edition of Ms. Magazine, the editor Elane Lafferty pointed out to her readers that 2005 will mark a particularly challenging period for those "who hold libertarian principles," and those who believe "that the government should mostly stay out of their private lives," and for those of us who support the notion of the separation of church and state.
Ms. Lafferty also propose that this period will be especially difficult for a generation of men and women who believe that the "women's movement achieved its goals way back when, and none of us has anything serious to worry about."
While it is true that even in the poorest nation states of the modern world there are incremental changes in the status of women and girls, it is very obvious that it is in the area of women's reproductive health and rights that women and girls continue to face the continued hegemony of the patriarch and his grand design.
It is interesting to observe that at this moment in the history of the western world a black woman, Dr. Condolezza Rice, has overcome all the social and racist barriers of the United States to become President Bush's nominee for Secretary of State. Whether we agree with Dr. Rice's political views or not, she is woman in a very high place.
RESISTANCE TO WOMEN'S RIGHTS
Of course, while a woman sits in this high chair, hundreds of women in the U.S. are being adversely impacted by some of the most state sponsored draconian resistance to women's rights to make the very difficult decision to have safe abortions.
Writer Sarah Gonzales reported in the same winter 2004/2005 edition of Ms. Magazine that in four states in the U.S., women seeking abortions are being misled by a raft of zealots. Even though the National Cancer Institute concluded in 2003 that an induced abortion is not associated with an increase in breast cancer, Ms. Gonzales pointed out in her article that the states of Texas, Mississippi, Kansas and Louisiana are insisting that women who seek abortion services should be told that there is a correlation between breast cancer and abortion.
This latest debate between scientist and fear mongers is reflective of the desperation with which zealots of all political stripes and orientation approach the 'control of woman' project.
In this struggle, courts in the U.S. are forced to make decisions on the federal Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act. Recently a San Francisco judge ruled this law is unconstitutional.
Of course, there will be other challenges and counter-challenges by those who support the right of all women to make the tough decisions about their lives and their bodies, and by those who are similarly determined to control and suppress the reproductive rights and health status of women.
PROTECTING WOMEN AND GIRLS
The issue of the right to safe abortion and other services that are required to give women the ability to develop in a holistic framework has been once again put on the front burner in Jamaica. The medical professionals who have pointed out to the nation that far too many women and girls are dying from botched and unsafe abortions are responsible men and women. These professionals are using their skills to give objective information to the policy makers and the leaders of their society.
In recent times these medical experts have alerted the Jamaican public to the challenge of the HIV/AIDS pandemic and also to the impact of the high levels of violence on the health sector. These men and women are strongly recommending that the concerns that they raise should be used to change the policies that are part of the systemic barriers to the developmental goals of the society.
It is frightening to contemplate life in societies that ignore the scientific knowledge of professionals and pander instead to interest groups that take their direction from historical forces that have created the unequal conditions that women and girls face in different parts of the world.
Abortion is the one issue that does not seem to go away. It is an issue that goes to the heart of the struggle for women's rights. At this point, there will be nothing gained by putting ourselves into either the 'pro life' or the 'pro choice' boxes. What is needed is a concerted effort to provide women and girls with the best and safest health care services and the related educational programmes to allow them to develop and to achieve their full potential, without limitations of caste, class, geographical location or marital status.
RAMPANT ABUSE
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in a 2005 publication discussed the link between women's empowerment and reproductive health, especially in that period of transition from adolescence to adulthood. The authors of the report remind us that adolescents make up about half of the world's population, and that these young people are at the "highest risk of sexual and reproductive health problems."
We are also informed that globally more than 15 million girls between the ages of 15 and 19 become pregnant every year and the majority of the pregnancies are unwanted. Many of these pregnancies are therefore aborted either by legal or illegal means. In fact, the UNFPA report stated that about five million girls in this same age band have abortions every year, and that 40 per cent of these procedures are performed under unsafe conditions which lead to high rates of mortality.
By the same token, we are forced to face the fact that far too many of our young women and girls are raped, sexually abused by older men, sexually abused within the walls of their homes by fathers, uncles, brothers and stepfathers.
Also, far too many young women are sexually harassed by professionals, big bosses, straw bosses and itinerant workers in all types of workplaces and institutions. We also know that for a large percentage of young women, the first sexual encounter was unwanted and forced.
REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS
What is true of women globally is very true and immediate for Jamaican women. Poor Jamaican women and girls at this point in our development are between a rock and a hard place. They are caught between the limitations of the reproductive rights of the legal system and the strictures of poverty, marginalisation, and an ideology of the reduction of womanhood to their ability to produce children under all and any conditions.
The middle class Jamaican woman, on the other hand, has access to reproductive services, including safe abortions. She needs not approach the family doctor or her home grown professional friends. She has the choice of jumping on the next flight to Toronto, Miami, New York or her North American city of choice. In these places she will always be able to access safe services.
The time has come for the Jamaican society and the responsible agents that are mandated to provide the health care service to all citizens, to suspend their personal beliefs and create the legal framework that will efficiently serve the women and girls who need safe abortion services.
Dr. Glenda Simms is the executive director of Bureau of Womens Affairs. You can send your comments to infocus@gleanerjm.com
