Motherhood Steve: Now Boss of Maternal Health $$$

Could there possibly be a more perfect appointment to the job of co-chair of the maternal health panel than Motherhood Steve?

Motherhood Steve, who while trumpeting his maternal health initiative couldn't be bothered to show up at an international conference on women timed to bolster those very efforts. Not only did he not attend as invited with his (poor) wife, he didn't even bother to reply to the invitation.

Motherhood Steve, who initially excluded family planning from said vaunted initiative (and of course excluded abortion too), after a shit-storm of scathing punditry was forced to walk it back a little to show the world he wasn't a total and complete asshole.

Motherhood Steve, who hates all women except for REAL RIGHTWING ones.

Motherhood Steve, whose religion is perceived to be something of a tiny problemo by Third-World, non-Xian women.

The former head of Canada’s aid program in Afghanistan has expressed concern that Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s religious beliefs are hampering humanitarian efforts.

Speaking to the Straight from Kabul, Nipa Banerjee noted that Harper is a born-again Christian, and she argued that his religious beliefs could be adversely affecting the Canadian International Development Agency’s efforts to help Afghan women.

“It has been said that reproductive health would not be a part of the government and CIDA’s aid programs,” said Banerjee, who led CIDA’s mission in Afghanistan from 2003 to 2006. “And the reproductive-health issue is a major problem in the context of Afghanistan because the maternal mortality rate is very high.”

I could go on about what a fucking great friend of women Stevie Peevie is. But we could just ask his wife about that.

Oh. They aren't living together? Odd.


h/t to 900-ft Jesus.

ADDED: Commenter double nickel called me out on the not living together part. I admit that was lazy not to look harder for a link to the rumours. Here's one.

ADDED AGAIN: ADDED: RH Reality Check takes note: In the Category Of "They Must Be Kidding," the United Nations Puts Stephen Harper in Charge of Accountability of Women's Health.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper is anti-choice, tried to eliminate family planning from Canada's international funding for maternal health programs, and generally speaking has adopted global health policies that will further marginalize women and girls.

For some reason, the United Nations took this to mean he would be a great candidate to co-chair a high-level commission to hold countries accountable for spending $40 billion pledged in September to improve women's health.

Unsafe Abortion in Africa

No matter how the figures are expressed, they're appalling.

Here's one set of shockers:

Over 90 % of African women of childbearing age live in countries with limited or no access to safe abortion procedures.

According to the most recent data, of the 5.6 million abortions carried out in the region every year, only 100,000 are performed under safe conditions.

Here is another way to think about that statistic: Every year, about 5.5 million women in Africa risk their lives when they decide to terminate a pregnancy. Drinking bleach or inserting sharp objects into their cervix are only two of the horrifying methods they use. These are not risks any woman should be forced to take.

Or how about this?

IPAS vice-president for Africa Eunice Brookman said nearly 40 women every minute risk their lives and health by undergoing unsafe abortions.

Or this?

More than half of the 67,500 global deaths related to unsafe abortion, occur in Africa and more than half of the women who die from unsafe abortion in Africa are younger than 25 years.

These numbers are in the news now because a three-day conference in Ghana called Keeping Our Promise: Addressing Unsafe Abortion in Africa just wrapped up.

Addressing maternal mortality rates is Goal 5 of the Millennium Development Goals.

Several African countries -- including Zambia, Botswana, Ghana, South Africa, and Zimbabwe have loosened the rules around abortion, but women continue to die there because they could not access services or did not know they existed. (Here's that nifty interactive map showing the legal status of abortion around the world again.)

One example is South Africa, where just six years after the country liberalised its abortion law, the number of women dying from unsafe abortion dropped by 50%, and the number of women suffering serious complications fell as well.

It doesn't take a rocket surgeon to figure out that there are three basic pieces to the seemingly unsolvable puzzle of unsafe abortion in Africa.

1. Liberalize misogynistic laws. This is a job for the African people, but help should be offered and given if accepted.

And there's hope on that front. There are more women parliamentarians in Africa than other third-world areas.

The report’s [UN Human Development Index] new Gender Inequality Index—which tracks gender gaps in reproductive health, empowerment and work-force participation in 138 countries—shows that there are proportionally more women in sub-Saharan African parliaments (17 percent) than in Eastern Europe and Central Asia (12 percent), South Asia (10 percent) or the Arab states.

Well, there's bad news in that report too.

Yet, the region includes seven of the 10 most gender-unequal countries in the world: Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, Central Africa Republic, Mali, Niger and Democratic Republic of the Congo.

2. Provide more contraception and sex education. This we in the West can do.

3. Provide training, supplies, and facilities for abortion services where they are already legal. This we could do too.

Well, we could have if we didn't have misogynist theocrat Stevie Spiteful unaccountably still in office.

Yo! Gun Owners! You Are Being Played!

Take it from one who knows, my Facebook friend Connie at the Freaks:

The CPC will never touch this issue again. They will do like they have done with the same-sex marriage issue and say that they tried, but that there was no appetite for getting rid of the registry.

The gun owners are about to get screwed just like the socons did.

Just watch.

And here in reply to another poster:

RadicallyLiberal wrote:
Connie, the CPC proper may not, but I guarantee every executive in rural ridings will be pounding this issue during the next election campaign.

What the CPC leadership does to control parliament is one thing, but even Harper knows that during a campaign he has absolutely no power.

As has been said by others on this board, Harper has one election left in him. Then it is a whole new game.

Yes, this was very well played on Harper's part. It was a move that will solidify his base, and he now has an excuse to avoid this issue from now on. The best hope for gun owners is for Harper to NOT win a majority so that we can replace him with someone who actually wants to do some good instead of playing politics.

And today The Jurist doubles down on the notion; detailing the opportunities the ReformaTories have whiffed on:

Since taking office, the Cons have introduced three government bills which would have had the effect of repealing the long gun registry. And as the governing party, they've had full control as to when the bills would be debated and voted on.

And pointing out exactly where the blame lies:

But with the Cons telling rural voters that the registry is the only issue that matters and that he has some interest in getting rid of it, it's well worth pointing out that the registry only exists today because Stephen Harper chose to leave it in place.

So, I ask again: Why wasn't this a government bill?

And I answer again: Because the issue is double-plus-good: a wedge and a cash-cow.

BONUS: EKOS poll suggests Stevie Peevie may have shot self in foot.

Poll: Canadian men, stupid

Another poll.

It seems Conservatives are from Mars and Liberals are from Venus.

A new poll indicates the gender gap has increased between the two top federal parties.

The Harris-Decima survey, conducted for The Canadian Press, put Conservative support at 36 per cent among men, compared with 26 per cent for the Liberals.

With women, the Liberals led 34 per cent to 27 per cent for the Tories. The Conservatives have been ahead of the Liberals with women in several polls over the past year, but they lost ground this summer.

The comments are good. Some samples:

just look at the way the harper cons treat female colleagues when they mess up.
it speaks volumes.

Three words explain it Mr. Harper

Long Gun Registry

Well guys, I've resisted the idea that women are smarter than men. This however seems to be conclusive evidence.

And I swiped the title from this one:

The headline on this story should read:

Poll: Canadian men, stupid

The anna project

This is good.

The anna project is a letter-writing project with a difference, conceived out of outrage by Sylvia Bews-Wright, a Victoria artist and social activist (www.sylviabewswright.com). It gives voice to the many faceless and nameless girls and women in developing countries who die each year due to lack of access to safe abortion.

The anna project was prompted by a recent government decision to exclude access to safe abortion as part of its new maternal and child health initiative announced for the G8 summit meeting in June 2010.

This decision puts Canada at odds with the global community by contradicting our previous commitment – along with 191 other countries – to the UN Millenium Development Goals, which recognize that abortion is one of many components of comprehensive maternal health programmes necessary to reduce the unacceptably high rate of maternal mortality in developing countries.

The anna project tells the stories of three young women. These stories illustrate that women and girls are often unable to control the conditions under which they have sex, or even when and if they do. Access to safe and legal abortion could have saved the lives of two of the three annas. The third anna was lucky enough to be born in Canada. CLICK HERE to understand our choice of stories.

Canadian women have the right to safe abortion. How can we deny this same right to women in developing countries, particularly now, when rape is often a standard tactic of war?

The anna project reaches out to unite people in their displeasure at this abrupt change in Canadian policy. We are asking you to sign a string of anna paper dolls to express your disapproval.

Instructions for paper-doll making -- for those of us who haven't done it for a few decades -- at the site.

Also links to petitions. One from Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada and one from International Planned Parenthood Federation.

Pass it along.

h/t my Facebook friend Antonia Z.

Patsies for Life

Still monitoring the fetus fetishist reaction to Stevie Peevie's 'NO' to a new abortion law. And his political death threat 'strong recommendation' to other ReformaTories:

A senior government official also says that while the prime minister will not "whip" or demand Conservative MPs vote as he votes, it will be "very strongly recommended" that Conservatives vote to defeat the bill.

Over at ProWoman ProLife a blogger gets all riled up in a blogpost titled 'Well that's a bit much'.

In the comments, we get the Official TheoCon Party of Canada spin.

Veronique Bergeron on 22 May 2010 at 3:49 pm

He is letting the MPs vote as they wish. That’s what “will not ‘whip’ or demand Conservative MPs vote as he votes” means , right? Full disclosure (for those who have not read my bio lately), I am a Conservative staffer for a pro-life MP.

On the question of why pro-lifers generally support the Conservative government (see the last comment here http://www.prowomanprolife.org/2010/05/19/we-are-not-over-reacting/)*, it is true that Harper’s Conservatives are not all that pro-lifers wish they were. But the “no new abortion law” position does exclude the co-existence of pro-life and pro-abortion positions within the same party. What makes the Conservatives the best option for pro-lifers – or the least bad option – is the possibility for pro-life MPs (and by extension the large swath of pro-life Canadians) to have their voice heard and their position considered politically. But it doesn’t mean that they should always get their way. That’s what democracy is all about, isn’t it?

There is a difference between welcoming the pro-life position and passing new abortion laws. By reflecting the spectrum of abortion positions that exist within the Canadian population, the Conservative government is the best home for pro-lifers. Because the Bloc Quebecois or NDP caucuses unanimously condemn the pro-life position doesn’t mean that there are no pro-life voters in Bloc or NDP constituencies. It just means that their voices are not heard. Ignoring the existence of pro-life voices in their constituencies was the downfall of Ignatieff’s Liberals on the infamous “abortion motion.” The critical mass of pro-life MPs on the government side of the House makes it impossible to ignore the way Michael Ignatieff ignored his pro-life MPs. At the political level, pro-lifers shouldn’t expect a democratically elected government to reflect anything but the mushy-middle-of-the-road view shared by most Canadians. But they are within their rights to expect their voices to be heard. Harper’s Conservatives are the only ones listening.

Shorter Conservative Staffer: 'Silly fetus fetishists. Just because we've been stringing you along forever, you really expect us to endanger our chance at a majority? Keep sending money and voting for us, though, and we'll pat you on your pointy little heads occasionally.'

*That was moi asking if people thought Stevie Peevie was lying and if so are they OK with that. And if they don't think he's lying, are they really happy being patsies?

The So-Conned Catch a Clue

It's a long weekend so it's not surprising that the fetus fetishists have yet to respond to the news that Stevie Peevie insists there will be no new abortion law. (Not that we trust him on that atallatall.)

They're discussing it at the Freaks, though, and my Facebook friend Connie had this to say:

There is no reason for Harper to take the position that he will "oppose any attempt" to create legislation around the issue of abortion.

If he thinks he is fooling the socons because the "threw us a bone" in refusing to fund overseas abortions, then refused to even allow a discussion of the issue in Canada, he's in for a surprise.

Canada is probably the only country in the world with absolutely no restrictions on abortion, yet Harper has no problem putting all kinds of restrictions on our real rights, like freedom of speech.

The cultural change has happened already. The polls prove it. The turn-out at the March for Life proves it. That cop-out doesn't work for Harper anymore. At this point, it is Harper's gutlessness that it holding back progress in this area, and the socons aren't being fooled.

We have a Prime Minister who thinks it is appropriate to legislate that ISPs install software to spy on us and turn over that data without a warrant, and that the police be allowed to conduct random breathalyzer tests. But, NO WAY will he allow legislation that would infringe on the "right" of an abusive man to force his woman to have an abortion!

It's time for Harper to go.

Of course, she's wrong about the culture changing in her desired direction, but I can really get behind that last sentence.

So, ya think the so-conneds will sit on their chequebooks, stay home, or vote for one of the fringier nutbar parties?

BONUS: From Norman Spector an account of Stevie Spiteful's hissy fit. Oh, to have been a fly on the wall. . .

According to a report by Hélène Buzzetti in Le Devoir this morning, Prime Minister Stephen Harper met for nearly an hour with his closest advisers last Monday in order to find a way out of the G8/G20 maternal-health abortion mess on the government’s hands.

“ ‘Stephen Harper was furious,’ according to a well-informed Conservative source and is reported to have said: ‘I’m in a bind on this issue and don’t look forward to taking it into an election campaign.’ According to the same source, the minister responsible, Bev Oda, is part of the problem: ‘She’s not a good communicator, she’s pro-choice and is not persuasive when she speaks on the issue’.”

“At last Monday’s meeting, one faction suggested that Mr. Harper deliver a major speech ‘to set the record straight.’ The other group [led by chief of staff Guy Giorno] ruled this out: ”We must protect our base’.”

Yah. Connie feels real protected. Not to mention Bev Odious.

Quebec to HarpoCons: Join the 21st Century Already

Or, as the Winnipeg Free Press styles it, Enough with the ambiguity over abortion.

The Quebec legislature has taken aim at the Harper government over the abortion issue.

Politicians on both sides of the chamber unanimously adopted a pro-choice motion today.

That motion demands that the federal government continue respecting free access to abortion, end its ambiguity on the issue, and stop cutting funding to women's groups that favour abortion.

The unanimous -- that means every single democratically elected representative of the people, right? -- motion will be sent to the federal House and Senate.

DJ! to Quebec: Have we told you lately how much we *heart* you?

The More Canadians Think about It. . . (part 2)

A poll released yesterday and another today.

Canadians want the federal government to spend aid money on safe abortions in developing countries despite the prime minister's refusal to do so, an exclusive QMI Agency poll has found.

This sample is bigger than yesterday's but the results are similar. Slightly more people in this poll support spending foreign aid on access to abortion (61% v. 58%) and slightly more oppose such spending (34% v. 30%).

But will Harper and his TheoCons listen to the people?

Yeah. I know.

Nonetheless, Canada is a pro-choice country.

The More Canadians Think about It. . .

. . . the more we want abortion included in the G8 maternal health initiative.

Stephen Harper's much-vaunted maternal health initiative that was meant to galvanize next month's G8 summit is now causing some queasiness -- among Canadians and internationally.

A new poll suggests that a majority of Canadians opposes the Prime Minister's refusal to fund safer abortions in developing countries, even as international concern grows about the state of his G8 maternal health initiative.

The Canadian Press-Harris Decima poll found that 58 per cent of respondents oppose Harper's exclusion of abortion funding in his drive to improve maternal and child health in poor countries.

And there has been significant movement in the numbers (bold is mine).

That's up from about 46 per cent in March, when a similar question about aid for abortion access was asked. The increase suggests people are taking their time to think through the complex pros and cons before making up their minds, said Megan Tam, vice-president at Harris-Decima.

"It appears that the general sentiment of most Canadians is to have a maternal health policy that includes funding for abortion," she said.

The poll of 1000 people was conducted by telephone between May 6 and May 9. It has a margin of error of 3.1 per cent, 19 times out of 20.

The survey found that opposition to the government's stand was about the same for both men and women, but was stronger in Atlantic Canada and British Columbia than other regions of the country.

Only 30 per cent of respondents said they would support the government's decision, down from about 48 per cent in March.

A gain of 12 per cent in opposition to Stevie the Misogynist and a loss of 18 per cent in approval.

Canada is a PRO-CHOICE country.

'Defunding' Plan Canada, or, Not Shutting the F*ck Up

So. I wrote to Plan Canada -- a group I've been supporting for more than 20 years to the tune of now just over $400 a year -- to tell them I am defunding them. I also took Michelle at babble's advice and cc'ed the other pusillanimous and activist-chiding signers of the statement.

secretary @ unicef.ca, info @ plancanada.ca, info @ care.ca, office @ results-resultats.ca, sccan @ savethechildren.ca, info @ worldvision.ca

ZOOM! About four hours later, I got an email from Rosemary McCarney, Pres and CEO of Plan, offering to discuss the matter further and suggesting that I contact her assistant to arrange a time to speak.

I thought about it for quite a while then replied:

Dear Ms McCarney,
Thank you for your personal interest. But unless Plan is ready to back down from following Nancy Ruth’s STFU advice, I don’t see the point of further discussion.

I understand why Plan is doing this. You have been intimidated by the anti-woman Conservative government. In my Canada, citizens are not intimidated by their government. They stand up to such evil.

This government is merrily slashing programs that help the poor, women, children — almost everybody but their corporate pals. By shutting the fuck up, we give them the premise on which to spin: ‘See? Nobody is complaining. We know what Canadians want.’

I won’t be party to this charade.

It is time for me to sponsor less mainstream organizations than Plan — perhaps one of the groups whose funding was just cut off. Or one of the groups under threat like International Planned Parenthood.

You are making a mistake here, Ms McCarney, but I wish you luck.

Yours truly,
fern hill

By the way, there's another Facebook group to join: Canadians who want foreign aid spent on women's reproductive health, with membership last time I looked approaching 4,000.

More Funding Cuts to Women's Groups and a Poll

A buncha uppity wimmin NOT shutting the fuck up.

Critics are accusing the Harper government of ideologically driven intimidation for cutting funding to women's groups even as it prepares to champion maternal health at next month's G8 Summit.

The Conservatives have axed funding for up to 14 women's groups in the past two weeks. News of the cuts surfaced a day after Tory Senator Nancy Ruth warned aid groups that they risk a backlash from the government if they don't “shut the fuck up” on the government's refusal to include abortion in the G8 plan.

Please, Canadians, make it stop.

And the CBC's Question of the Day:

Do you think that aid organizations risk funding cuts if they disagree with the government?

At the moment, the non-stupid, non-insane, non-indoctrinated are winning -- 85% yes.