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The Guardian
21 hours ago
- Health
- The Guardian
Norma Meras Swenson obituary
In 1958, Norma Meras Swenson, who has died aged 93, gave birth to her daughter, Sarah, in Boston, Massachusetts. The experience opened her eyes to how little agency American women had over something as natural as childbirth, and this set her up for a lifetime of activism. She became an expert in reproductive health and women's rights and the book she co-wrote, Our Bodies, Ourselves, changed the landscape of women's health. It brought into the open subjects such as contraception, birth and masturbation and has been compared to Dr Spock's Baby & Child Care in terms of impact. Since 1970, it has been through nine editions, sold more than 4m copies and has been translated into 31 languages. In 2012, it featured in the Library of Congress exhibition Books that Shaped America. Swenson's story began when she went into labour. She was offered the drug scopolamine and, not knowing what it was, she padded down the corridor to a pay phone to call Harvard University's medical library. She discovered it was given with morphine to induce 'twilight sleep'' in childbirth. Not wanting to be knocked out during such a momentous life event as giving birth, she refused it. She was appalled at the other women on the ward who were taking the drug and who were hallucinating, crying out and having their babies extracted with forceps. Swenson said: 'These women were not being helped, they were being controlled.' Scouting around for like-minded people afterwards, Swenson came across the Boston Association for Childbirth Education, one of the first organisations in the US to focus on natural childbirth. In 1964 she became its president, promoting discussion of issues such as breastfeeding. In 1969 she heard about a female liberation conference taking place at Emmanuel College in Boston and attended a 'women and their bodies' workshop. At this time, the only information on subjects such as menstruation and contraception was in medical textbooks, and a group of women at the workshop, who became the Boston Women's Health Collective, wanted to put information into the hands of ordinary women. They made a list of topics such as anatomy, birth control, pregnancy and menopause, pooled their experience, and in 1970 wrote a 192-page book. Having raised $1,500, they commissioned New England Free Press to publish it, first as Women and Their Bodies and later as Our Bodies, Ourselves to reflect women taking ownership of their bodies. It sold 250,000 copies by word of mouth, something the commercial publisher Simon & Schuster was quick to notice. They became its publisher for subsequent editions from 1972, with the collective insisting there should be a 70% discount for health clinics purchasing copies. Swenson was the oldest member of the collective and unlike some of the group she had a child. Her expertise in pregnancy and childbirth made her the perfect choice for writing the chapters on those subjects. As well as the original chapters, she contributed to later editions and to other titles, including Ourselves, Growing Older (1987) and Ourselves and Our Children (1978). Norma was born in Exeter, New Hampshire. Her father, Halford Meras, ran the family business – the town's furniture store – and her mother Nellie (nee Kenick) was its bookkeeper. Norma was an only child, who loved fashion and dancing, and her father encouraged her from an early age to be a free thinker, to challenge authority and to debate politics and civil rights. She attended Boston Girls' Latin school (now the Boston Latin Academy) and from childhood had an abiding interest in botany and nature. She studied at Tufts University in Massachusetts, majoring in sociology, and graduated in 1953. In 1956 she married John Swenson, a decorated second world war pilot, who sold insurance and was a postal worker. Her trajectory as a 1950s housewife however was interrupted in 1958 when her daughter was born and she found activism. Swenson remained heavily involved with the Boston Women's Health Collective all her life, its members becoming like family to her. Tall and beautifully dressed, she was an eloquent speaker, and, as the collective's first director of international programmes, she worked to support the women's groups around the world who were translating and adapting Our Bodies, Ourselves (eventually there were 34 foreign editions). She and another member of the group, Judy Norsigian, in 1977 went on a whirlwind trip to 10 European countries, forging connections with fellow activists and natural childbirth pioneers including Sheila Kitzinger. She also represented Our Bodies, Ourselves and the collective at the UN Conferences on Women between 1975 and 1995. Swenson was keen to educate herself as much as possible, so she undertook postgraduate studies in medical sociology at Brandeis University in 1977-78, followed by a master's degree in public health at Harvard University. She created and taught the course Women, Health and Development from a Global Perspective at the Harvard School of Public Health from 1998 to 2015. In later life, Swenson was a co-chair of the Latina Health Initiative Committee, supporting feminists in Puerto Rico. She spoke out about subjects such as sterilisation abuse and rape in care homes, and supported numerous causes including the Massachusetts Dignity Alliance and the Black Women's Health Imperative. Her husband died in 2002 and afterwards she reconnected with her former college sweetheart Leonard van Gaasbeek, remaining close friends with him until his death in 2019. She retained a gallant 'can-do' spirit even in old age: she joined the 2017 Women's March in Boston despite limited mobility, sending a message to colleagues, 'Have cane, will travel!' Swenson is survived by Sarah. Norma Lucille Meras Swenson, writer, sociologist and women's health activist, born 2 February 1932; died 11 May 2025
Malay Mail
3 days ago
- General
- Malay Mail
From Burkina to Belgium: Fighting for women's rights from the hard-right bench
BRUSSELS, May 30 — When Assita Kanko was 10 years old, she pictured herself as president of her native Burkina Faso—with a mission to stamp out female genital mutilation, and further women's rights. As it turned out, she sits as a Belgian lawmaker in the ranks of the hard-right in the European Parliament, and says that suits her just fine. The 44-year-old says she feels at home among the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) -- one of three groups in the assembly's far-right bloc, whose influence has grown steadily since elections last year. As one of three EU lawmakers from the Flemish nationalist N-VA party, she rubs shoulders in the ECR with around 20 other outfits including Giorgia Meloni's post-fascist Brothers of Italy, and Poland's PiS. She also crossed paths with Meloni at the inauguration of Donald Trump—where they were both handpicked, as likeminded European politicians, to welcome the US leader back to office. Despite divergences with some ECR members on 'ethical' issues, Kanko pushes back at criticism of her decision to join the N-VA, a staunchly conservative party with a tough line on immigration. 'The idea that a black woman cannot also be right-wing is outrageous,' she told AFP. 'I want the right to think and I take that right to think, I don't ask permission.' Fighting for women's emancipation has been a cornerstone of her life in politics, she says. Born in Godyr, Burkina Faso, in 1980, Kanko was subjected to female genital mutilation at the age of five—like three quarters of women in the country. She shared her trauma from the experience in a 2013 book, the first of four she has written about gender equality. 'If my mother had had means of her own, I am convinced I would not have been circumcised,' she said. 'Today I am a very independent woman—and no one would dare mutilate my daughter. That has to be the goal.' EU being 'trampled' A 'top of the class' high-school student in Burkina Faso—in her own words—Kanko left to study in the Netherlands in 2001. From there she would move to Belgium—where speaking both Dutch and French proved a boon to her career, in the private sector then as a municipal official in a district of Brussels. Fast-forward to 2018, and Kanko decided to jump ship, leaving the centre-right MR party for the N-VA—the political home of Belgium's current prime minister, Bart De Wever. 'I feel unstoppable, free and proud to be a new Flemish woman,' she explained on the party's website at the time. Kanko describes herself as pro-business, as a sovereigntist—attached to the role of national governments within the EU—and as a fervent Atlanticist. That's how she explains her decision to attend the swearing-in of a US president who has made clear his disdain for the European Union—which he says was founded to 'screw' the United States. 'The United States is a partner we cannot do without,' she said. 'We have to form a bloc to defend Western values in the world.' But Kanko also warns that 'unless we believe in our own power, our own priority and strategies, Donald Trump will walk all over us.' As it stands—with a transatlantic trade war brewing and US security support in question—she considers 'the European Union today is being trampled underfoot—and not just by the United States.' 'It's trampled on by countries in the Middle East too, trampled on by China, trampled on by Russia, trampled on by radicals living on our own territories,' argued Kanko—who was raised in a Muslim culture but did not adopt the faith, and sees Islamic extremism as a threat. In the EU parliament, Kanko has focused on security and border control—and has sought to spotlight a report sounding the alarm about the Muslim Brotherhood as a threat to secularism and women's rights in France and beyond. Kanko wants to see the organisation investigated at European level. 'We need to wake up,' she told fellow lawmakers in parliament recently, accusing the brotherhood of 'indoctrinating children' and 'treating women as inferior.' — AFP
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Women's rights campaigner reveals she believes transgender player should be BANNED from local netball comp after boycott threats
Women's rights campaigner Sall Grover has called for the immediate exclusion of transgender athlete Manawa Aranui from women's netball, saying that in her opinion she is putting players at risk and undermining female sport. Grover, founder of the women-only Giggle for Girls social media platform, made her comments after Melton South Netball Club threatened to boycott matches against Melton Central, where Aranui currently plays. Aranui is a former elite men's netballer who transitioned and now competes in women's leagues, and was recently named best on ground in a Division 1 grand final. But her inclusion in the Melbourne competition has led to player's calling for her removal for safety reasons and threats to boycott matches she is playing in. 'Everyone needs to ask themselves why female sport exists in the first place,' Grover said. 'It's because male and female bodies are different, and bodies play sport.' 'Sex-segregated sport gives women and girls the opportunities to excel that wouldn't be possible if there were no exclusive women and girls' categories.' Melton South players have publicly stated they feel unsafe on court playing against Aranui. 'One of the players is six foot something - it's ridiculous,' said coordinator Melissa Dawson. 'Netball Victoria needs to put the safety of biological females first.' One B Grade player told News Corp: 'I went up for the ball and just got pushed and dropped. They're so much stronger. I'm genuinely scared I'll get hurt.' Grover said there are already mixed-sex competitions available and questioned why transgender athletes aren't directed to those instead of women's leagues. 'There are many mixed-sex netball competitions at the recreational level,' she said. 'Everyone on those teams is making a choice to participate in a mixed-sex competition. 'So if a person who declares themselves 'trans' does not want to participate in their sex class, the mixed-sex category is right there as an option.' 'Everyone needs to remember, no one is having to do inquiries into whether females can compete on the Wallabies rugby union team, for example. 'Aside from the fact that trans men are not demanding access to male sport like trans women are demanding access to female sport, the danger is obvious.' 'One female on the field would change the game for everyone and put her in extreme danger. 'Well, it's the same for netball, just in the opposite. Males on female teams put the females in danger, while taking away the limited opportunities there are for sportswomen.' Grover also said the current review process is unnecessary. 'There are protections in the Sex Discrimination Act for female - only sport - look them up,' she said. 'All of the sporting bodies could be relying on the legislation as it is, without any reviews, but they're not. 'Instead, they're giving in to men who demand access to women's sport. But the protections are there to be used the moment anyone decides to use them.' In response, Netball Victoria has confirmed a formal investigation is underway. An independent expert has been engaged to review safety concerns and determine whether policies have been correctly applied. In a public statement, Netball Victoria reaffirmed its commitment to inclusion. 'We support and welcome netballers of all backgrounds,' a spokesperson said. 'That includes gender diverse players who have rights under anti-discrimination laws.' The organisation said its current policy, introduced in 2018, allows transgender and non-binary players to register and compete in female competitions based on their self-identified gender, not legal sex. It was developed in partnership with Proud 2 Play and aligns with national guidelines from the Australian Sports Commission and the Australian Human Rights Commission. 'Our goal is to ensure every player feels safe, valued and supported,' the spokesperson added. 'We are working closely with affected clubs to find a resolution that is lawful, inclusive and safe for all participants.' Professor Paula Gerber from Monash University has previously disputed that transgender women are men, saying they are considered women in the eyes of the law. 'The law says trans women are women,' Professor Gerber said. 'Every Australian state and territory has its own anti-discrimination laws that operate alongside federal legislation.' Equality Australia, which advocates for LGBTQ+ rights, has stated there is no case for blanket bans on trans athletes and that fairness should not come at the cost of exclusion. 'Community-level sport should focus on inclusion and participation,' a representative said. 'Sport is for everyone, and [Australian Institute of Sport] guidelines reaffirm the need that sporting bodies play their part in providing a safe and inclusive environment for all,' Equity Australia national program manager of pride in sport Beau Newell said. Aranui has already been ruled ineligible by the Ballarat Football Netball League following legal advice about strength, stamina, and physique being relevant to competition. However, she continues to play in other leagues where policy interpretation varies. Grover, who is appealing a Federal Court ruling against her for excluding a transgender woman from her app, insists this fight is not about hate but about protecting sex-based rights. 'My stance is about safety, fairness and reality,' she said.
Telegraph
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
BBC faces complaint over ‘biased and bigoted' Woman's Hour presenter
A feminist campaigner has made a formal complaint to the BBC over a 'biased and bigoted' Woman's Hour presenter. Helen Joyce, director of advocacy at the women's rights group Sex Matters, said her views had been 'misrepresented' on the programme by Anita Rani. She said Rani should not have been allowed to present a series of interviews with figures on both sides of the transgender debate, because she had previously shown 'extreme and unacceptable bias' on the issue. BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour spoke to figures on both sides of the debate in the wake of April's Supreme Court decision that trans women are not legally women and the word 'sex' in the Equality Act refers to biological sex and not gender identity. The Equality and Human Rights Commission then put out interim guidance to organisations to underline that in places such as hospitals, shops and restaurants, 'trans women (biological men) should not be permitted to use the women's facilities'. A growing number of public bodies have changed their guidance in light of the judgment. The Football Association, for example, has said trans women could be banned from women's sport. But other organisations, including the Houses of Parliament, have said they are awaiting final guidance from the EHRC. Ms Joyce appeared on Woman's Hour last week, and her appearance was followed two days later by Sacha Deshmukh, chief executive of Amnesty International UK. In her letter of complaint to the BBC, she criticised the 'choice to use a demonstrably biased and bigoted presenter, Anita Rani, for that interview, thereby giving her and the interviewee the chance to misrepresent me'. Ms Joyce said Rani had 'previously publicly demonstrated bias and prejudice towards the gender-critical viewpoint' and should never have been allowed to take part in the series of interviews because 'she is demonstrably not neutral'. 'In particular, she shouldn't have been allowed to interview Sacha Deshmukh because it was obvious she would give him an easy ride for ideological reasons,' she said. She quoted a tweet Ms Rani had written in 2021 in response to widespread criticism of Woman's Hour for inviting Paris Lees, a trans author who identifies as a woman, to talk about the book What It Feels Like For A Girl. Ms Rani had tweeted: 'I'm disgusted by the levels of transphobia on here. Woman's Hour is a space to discuss everything about LGBTQ+ issues. 'Listening to people's stories helps us understand something and hopefully empathise. Ditch the hate.' Ms Joyce said the tweet revealed 'extreme and unacceptable bias, indeed prejudice'. She said Lees' book was as 'offensive' as if Rachel Dolezal, the US white activist castigated for identifying as black, had written a book called What It Feels Like For A Black Person. 'And if you can't understand the justified criticisms of Woman's Hour for inviting Lees on, imagine the response if a show dedicated to issues that affect black people had invited Dolezal on to tell them what it's like to be black,' she said. 'Guests on BBC shows deserve better than to have demonstrably biased presenters twist what they say to give guests with opposing viewpoints the opportunity to make false statements about them without challenge.' Ms Joyce said Rani misrepresented her viewpoint in a question to Mr Deshmuck, allowing him to claim she did not understand the Supreme Court judgment. She wrote: 'Anita asked Sacha misleading questions which muddled up my explanation of the judgment and my advocacy for the gender-critical view, which enabled Sacha to claim – falsely – that I had misrepresented the judgment.' Ms Joyce said that she never claimed that the Supreme Court judgment confirmed that 'trans women are men', as that is not what the judges were asked to rule on. She said that in the interview she had made two points. One was to explain that the Supreme Court ruled that in the Equality Act, the word 'sex' refers to biological sex, not sex as modified by a gender-recognition certificate. The other was to make the gender-critical case more broadly. Ms Joyce said she was unhappy that when Rani interviewed Mr Deshmukh, she asked him: 'We had Helen Joyce from the organisation Sex Matters on the programme this week, and she said, 'Trans women are men. That's what the Supreme Court confirmed'. What's your response to that?' He replied that this was 'not an accurate representation of what the judgment said' because it 'made very, very clear that it was not saying that what was being litigated was the meaning of gender in wider society'. Mr Deshmukh later said: 'I think that for someone to say that the judgment and what it said about that specific word in the Act has that implication more broadly, may be their point of view of what they would like, but actually inaccurate representation of the judgment.' Ms Joyce asked for the programme to apologise. However, she has now accused them of broadcasting an inaccurate clarification 'that gave the false impression that I had been 'unclear' in what I said and had asked for my viewpoint to be clarified'. 'Not only did I not ask for that – I asked for a correction to the false claims that were made by Anita and Sacha – but I specifically said I DIDN'T want such a 'clarification', because it would make things worse,' she wrote. A spokesman for the BBC said: 'The BBC's Editorial Complaints Unit will respond to this complaint directly, in accordance with our usual complaints procedure. Woman's Hour has given an on air clarification, stating that when Helen Joyce from the campaign group Sex Matters was quoted in the interview with Sacha Deshmukh, chief executive of Amnesty International UK, her comment referred to the Equality Act and not to the issue of sex and gender in wider society or any other legislation. 'Both interviews were part of a series broadcast by Woman's Hour over the past two weeks, which reflect a wide range of perspectives on the Supreme Court ruling.'
Telegraph
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Labour may cancel women's conference over trans ruling chaos
The Supreme Court ruling that sex in equality law refers to biological sex is said to have prompted chaos within the party, with several members of the NEC and LGBT groups within the party openly criticising it. In contrast, the Government will respect the judgment and it is understood that the party has vowed to comply with the statutory guidance when published. Rosie Duffield, who sits as an independent MP after quitting Labour following years of criticism over her views on gender, said she was 'outraged' but 'not surprised' the party was recommending cancelling the women's conference. 'This shows that absolutely nothing has changed in the Labour party,' she said. 'It is fully immersed in the culture of self-identification and intent on pushing through trans rights over women's rights.' The NEC documents set out the party's 'initial legal analysis' of April's judgment and the impact it has on 'sex-based rights and protections' in equality laws 'including the option for organisations to implement positive action provisions related to biological sex only'. 'Existing positive action' Positive action refers to legal steps taken to address the under-representation of certain groups – such as women-only shortlists for boards – which was the issue at the centre of the Supreme Court case. The NEC advice notes that there will be 'significant scrutiny' on how Labour responds to the judgment and the party could face legal action if it gets it wrong. Positive action measures run by the party include only having women on the National Labour Party Women's Committee and women-only shortlists. The advice notes: 'Historically, these provisions have often operated on the basis of self-identification. 'Given the judgment has now clarified that references to women in the [Equality] Act relate to biological sex at birth, these existing positive action provisions can now only be lawfully applied on the basis of biological sex at birth. 'To do otherwise would expose the party to significant risk of direct and indirect discrimination claims succeeding.' 'Significant risk' It notes that the NEC 'urgently' needs to make a decision on the National Women's Conference 2025, due to be held a day before the main party conference in September. 'National Women's Conference constitutes a positive action measure, and following the judgment there is a significant risk of legal challenge to the event as it currently operates. 'In addition to the legal risk, we can anticipate that due to the visibility of the event and the proximity to the judgment, there may be protests, direct action and heightened security risks to staff and attendees should the event go ahead. 'This would also represent a political risk which would be likely to feature prominently throughout conference week.' It concludes: 'In light of the legal and political risks described above, it is recommended that the NEC AGREES to postpone National Women's Conference 2025 pending the wider review of positive action measures.' It also notes that the judgment 'confirms' it is 'unlawful' to operate all women shortlists and if trans women are included on them 'a man who is excluded from the shortlist could successfully claim for direct sex discrimination'. The NEC is advised to agree that 'pending a wider review, all positive action measures relating to women in the party's rules and procedures shall be interpreted on the basis of biological sex at birth'. A separate option would be to 'suspend all positive action measures relating to women' but the document notes this is 'not our recommended option as we are of the view that it would be a disproportionate response'.
