Latest news with #womensrights
Yahoo
a day ago
- Health
- Yahoo
US plan to destroy contraceptives sparks uproar
The US administration's decision to destroy nearly $10 million worth of women's contraception products has sparked furious condemnation from doctors and aid groups, who have slammed the move as a wasteful attack on women's rights. The contraceptives are being stored in Belgium and are reportedly planned to be incinerated in France. Both European countries are under pressure to prevent the destruction. - What has the US announced? - On July 18, British newspaper the Guardian cited two US Congress sources as saying that President Donald Trump's administration planned to destroy $9.7 million worth of contraceptives, which are mostly long-acting such as IUDs and birth control implants. The contraceptives -- intended for some of the world's poorest countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa -- are stored in a warehouse in the Belgian city of Geel. They are to be incinerated at the end of July, according to the Guardian report. A US State Department spokesperson told AFP this week that "a preliminary decision was made to destroy certain" birth control products from "terminated Biden-era USAID contracts". Trump's administration dismantled USAID, the country's foreign aid arm, after returning to the White House in January, replacing President Joe Biden. The State Department spokesperson said the destruction will cost $167,000 and "no HIV medications or condoms are being destroyed." - Why? - The spokesperson pointed AFP to a policy that prohibits providing aid to non-governmental organisations that perform or promote abortions. The Mexico City Policy, which critics call the "global gag rule", was first introduced by President Ronald Reagan in 1984, and has been reinstated under every Republican president since. The Trump administration has also slashed foreign aid, with the Senate this month approving a package that cut around $8 billion in international funding, much of it intended for USAID. Research has estimated that the USAID cuts will lead to the deaths of 14 million people by 2030. Earlier this month, the US also incinerated nearly 500 metric tons of high-nutrition biscuits which were meant to keep malnourished children in Afghanistan and Pakistan alive. Trump has also repeatedly moved to restrict abortion access in the United States, taking credit for the Supreme Court overturning the nationwide right to abortion in 2022. The US State Department also suggested to the Guardian that the contraceptives were nearing the end of their shelf life. However media reports have since said that the products expire between April 2027 and September 2031. - What are the alternatives? - Belgium's foreign ministry told AFP that it has "initiated diplomatic efforts with the United States embassy in Brussels" about the contraceptives. The government "is exploring all possible avenues to prevent the destruction of these products, including temporary relocation solutions," it added. The international organisation MSI Reproductive Choices said it had offered to "purchase, repackage, and manage logistics at our expense, ensuring the products reach those in need". However this offer was repeatedly rejected, it said in a statement. The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) made a similar offer at "no cost to the US government" that was also turned down. - What are people saying? - New Hampshire's Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen pointed to the Trump administration's stated goal of reducing government waste, saying the contraceptives plan "is the epitome of waste, fraud and abuse". Shaheen and Democratic Senator Brian Schatz have introduced a bill aiming to prevent further US aid being wasted. The IPPF said the contraceptives plan is "an intentional act of reproductive coercion". Doctors Without Borders called it a "callous waste". MSI advocacy director Sarah Shaw said it was "an ideological assault on reproductive rights, and one that is already harming women". The head of the French Family Planning group, Sarah Durocher, observed that last year France became the first country to enshrine the right to abortion in its constitution. "France has a moral responsibility to act," she said. French Green leader Marine Tondelier signed an open letter calling on President Emmanuel Macron to stop the contraceptives from being destroyed. "Our country cannot be complicit, even indirectly, in retrograde policies," the letter read. Contacted by AFP, the office of the French presidency declined to comment. bur-mep-dl/tw
News24
a day ago
- Health
- News24
Trump administration set to incinerate contraceptives worth $10M destined for sub-saharan Africa
The Trump administration plans to destroy $9.7 million worth of contraceptives intended for sub-Saharan Africa and other poor regions. The destruction is linked to Trump's reinstatement of the 'Mexico City Policy' (also called the 'global gag rule'), which prohibits providing aid to organisations that perform or promote abortions. Multiple organisations offered to take the contraceptives at no cost to the US government - including MSI Reproductive Choices and the International Planned Parenthood Federation - but these offers were repeatedly rejected. The US administration's decision to destroy nearly $10 million worth of women's contraception products has sparked furious condemnation from doctors and aid groups, who have slammed the move as a wasteful attack on women's rights. The contraceptives are being stored in Belgium and are reportedly planned to be incinerated in France. Both European countries are under pressure to prevent the destruction. What has the US announced? On 18 July, British newspaper the Guardian cited two US Congress sources as saying that President Donald Trump's administration planned to destroy $9.7 million worth of contraceptives, which are mostly long-acting such as IUDs and birth control implants. The contraceptives - intended for some of the world's poorest countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa - are stored in a warehouse in the Belgian city of Geel. They are to be incinerated at the end of July, according to the Guardian report. A US State Department spokesperson told AFP this week that "a preliminary decision was made to destroy certain" birth control products from "terminated Biden-era USAID contracts". Trump's administration dismantled USAID, the country's foreign aid arm, after returning to the White House in January, replacing former president Joe Biden. The State Department spokesperson said the destruction will cost $167,000 and "no HIV medications or condoms are being destroyed." Why? The spokesperson pointed AFP to a policy that prohibits providing aid to non-governmental organisations that perform or promote abortions. The Mexico City Policy, which critics call the "global gag rule", was first introduced by President Ronald Reagan in 1984, and has been reinstated under every Republican president since. The Trump administration has also slashed foreign aid, with the Senate this month approving a package that cut around $8 billion in international funding, much of it intended for USAID. Research has estimated that the USAID cuts will lead to the deaths of 14 million people by 2030. Earlier this month, the US also incinerated nearly 500 metric tons of high-nutrition biscuits which were meant to keep malnourished children in Afghanistan and Pakistan alive. Trump has also repeatedly moved to restrict abortion access in the United States, taking credit for the Supreme Court overturning the nationwide right to abortion in 2022. The US State Department also suggested to the Guardian that the contraceptives were nearing the end of their shelf life. However media reports have since said that the products expire between April 2027 and September 2031. What are the alternatives? Belgium's foreign ministry told AFP that it has "initiated diplomatic efforts with the United States embassy in Brussels" about the contraceptives. The government "is exploring all possible avenues to prevent the destruction of these products, including temporary relocation solutions," it added. The international organisation MSI Reproductive Choices said it had offered to "purchase, repackage, and manage logistics at our expense, ensuring the products reach those in need". However, this offer was repeatedly rejected, it said in a statement. The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) made a similar offer at "no cost to the US government" that was also turned down. What are people saying? New Hampshire's Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen pointed to the Trump administration's stated goal of reducing government waste, saying the contraceptives plan "is the epitome of waste, fraud and abuse". Shaheen and Democratic Senator Brian Schatz have introduced a bill aiming to prevent further US aid being wasted. The IPPF said the contraceptives plan is "an intentional act of reproductive coercion". Doctors Without Borders called it a "callous waste". MSI advocacy director Sarah Shaw said it was "an ideological assault on reproductive rights, and one that is already harming women". The head of the French Family Planning group, Sarah Durocher, observed that last year France became the first country to enshrine the right to abortion in its Constitution. "France has a moral responsibility to act," she said. French Green leader Marine Tondelier signed an open letter calling on President Emmanuel Macron to stop the contraceptives from being destroyed. "Our country cannot be complicit, even indirectly, in retrograde policies," the letter read.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
What's An Everyday Aspect Of Living In The US That's Actually Quite Dystopian The More You Think About It?
Listen, I'm an American, and I've read enough dystopian books to know that some things about the US are almost too similar for my taste — especially right now. So, if you're American, what's something considered totally normal in the US but is actually pretty dystopian the more you think about it? To rip the Band-Aid off, maybe you still, to this day, can't wrap your head around the fact that the regulation of women's bodies has been a long-time (and still!) discussed topic among politicians and how it pertains to "the law." To you, the idea of the government dictating what women can and can't do with their bodies is deeply upsetting. Related: Maybe you find it extremely disturbing and repulsive how normalized mass shootings in America have become, and how many shootings Americans have had to grieve through. Related: Maybe you're still shell-shocked when you see how normalized it's become to wear merch of the President, and how some loyalists believe that the current president can do no wrong. Or maybe you literally can't stop thinking about income inequality and how the wealthy and powerful have a lot more access to necessities that should be considered basic — particularly when it comes to healthcare. Americans, how are we holding up? If you're American, what normal aspect of the US do you find is actually pretty dystopian? Let me know in the comments, or you can anonymously submit your thoughts using the form below! Also in Community: Also in Community: Also in Community: Solve the daily Crossword
CBC
4 days ago
- Politics
- CBC
MAGA musician permit revocations spark public space debate
Social Sharing The decision to revoke a controversial MAGA-supporting performer's permits to hold events on public property has sparked a debate about who should be allowed to perform in public spaces. Sean Feucht is a religious singer from the U.S. who has expressed anti-diversity, anti-2SLGBTQ+ and anti-women's rights views on his platforms. He was scheduled to perform at the York Redoubt National Historic site in Halifax on Wednesday, but amid backlash from the public Parks Canada cancelled his permit, citing safety concerns. Soon after, Feucht's permits for events on public property in Charlottetown, P.E.I., Moncton, N.B., and parts of Quebec were also cancelled. Cameron Cassidy, the executive director of Pride P.E.I., said the City of Charlottetown "absolutely did the right thing by revoking that permit. I think that just shows a lot of respect for the queer community on their end." But not everybody agrees. James Turk, the director of the Centre for Free Expression at Toronto Metropolitan University, said the decision to remove a permit raises a red flag. "I think we should all be concerned whenever there is a demand that somebody's right to speak is taken away, a permit withdrawn, a booking in a venue cancelled," Turk said in an interview on Thursday. Amplifying messages Turk said the price of democracy is living with viewpoints that we don't like or agree with as well as ones we do like. "In Canada, generally, we recognize the foundation of democracy is an ongoing public discourse about what's legitimate, what's not legitimate," Turk said. "And that means we tolerate a wide range of perspectives and views, and we sort things out in our heterogeneous society by listening to different views, arguing against them or ignoring them or boycotting them, but not by censoring them." Turk said attempts to censor someone like Feucht could end up amplifying his message. "I never heard of this guy. I suspect 99.99 per cent of your listeners never heard of him. But now we're talking about it. He could be on national news. He's being covered. So he's gotten publicity out of this that he could never afford to buy. So whoever was objecting to him has done him a huge favour," Turk said. Matthew Taylor, a senior Christian scholar at the Institute for Islamic, Christian and Jewish Studies who has written about Feucht, agrees. "He's been doing these provocative, in your face, intentionally trying to draw a response from local officials, even trying to get barred or banned. And then he presents that as persecution, that he is the victim of anti-Christian bias," Taylor said. Feucht did end up performing in Nova Scotia on Wednesday. The event was held on property in Shubenacadie, N.S., belonging to Christine and Neil Barr. Both are pastors affiliated with a religious group called Lighthouse Ministries. "He was here and had no political agenda, just the gospel and his love for Canada," Christine Barr told CBC News. Leading up to the performance, the Barrs said they received hundreds of messages from people who opposed the Feucht show. "A lot of very hateful emails, texts to say that we were allowing a fascist on our property and that we should know better and the Christianity that we were showing was not love, it was hate and that we were racists. Some people even cursed ill health upon us," Christine Barr said. The Barrs said some people showed up to protest the show. In response to the backlash, Feucht put out a statement. "Here's the hard truth: If I had shown up with purple hair and a dress, claiming to be a woman, the government wouldn't have said a thing. But to publicly profess deeply held Christian beliefs is to be labelled an extremist and to have free worship events classified as 'public safety risks.'" Opponents of the Feucht show at York Redoubt had voiced opposition to it because they said it went against Parks Canada's guiding principles of inclusion and safety for all visitors. Turk said while some people may not feel safe having someone like Feucht performing in their community, there is no protection for "subjective feeling of safety." "We have an absolute obligation of society to make sure people are physically safe. In other words, not subject to violence or threats of violence, but because somebody says something I find hateful is not a justification for silencing that person," Turk said. "I can argue with them. As I say, I could ignore them, I can encourage people to have nothing to do with them, but I don't have a right to silence them."
Free Malaysia Today
6 days ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Retrial opens for S. Korean woman who bit off attempted rapist's tongue
Choi Mal-ja was inspired by the #MeToo movement to challenge her conviction for defending herself. (Yonhap/AFP pic) SEOUL : A South Korean court reopened a decades-old case today after the country's #MeToo movement inspired a woman to challenge her conviction for defending herself against sexual violence 61 years ago. Choi Mal-ja was 19 when she was attacked by a 21-year-old man in the southern town of Gimhae in 1964. He pinned her to the ground and forced his tongue into her mouth, court records showed. Choi managed to break free by biting off about 1.5cm of his tongue. In one of South Korea's most contentious rulings on sexual violence, the aggressor received only six months in prison, suspended for two years, for trespassing and intimidation – but not attempted rape. But Choi was convicted of causing grievous bodily harm and handed a 10-month prison sentence, suspended for two years. The court said at the time her action had 'exceeded the reasonable bounds of legally permissible self-defence'. Choi's case gained renewed momentum decades later after #MeToo movement, which took off globally in 2017 and inspired her to seek justice. In South Korea, massive women's rights protests led to victories on issues ranging from abortion access to tougher penalties for spycam crimes. Choi filed for a retrial in 2020, but lower courts initially rejected her petition. After years of campaigning and an appeal, South Korea's top court finally ordered a retrial in 2024. 'For 61 years, the state made me live as a criminal,' Choi told reporters outside the Busan district court ahead of today's retrial hearing. She said she hoped future generations could 'live in a world free from sexual violence where they can enjoy human rights and a happy life'. Choi Sun-hye, executive director of the Korea Women's Hotline counselling centre, which supported her case, told AFP that her decision was also meant to 'become a source of strength for other victims of sexual violence and correct past wrongs'. At the retrial hearing today, the prosecution asked the court to clear her of the past conviction, the Busan district court told AFP. The verdict is expected in September this year.
