Direct action prochoice performance collective Speaking of I.M.E.L.D.A has launched a new prochoice campaign today called #knickersforchoice
Maureen O’Hara and John Wayne in The Quiet Man
The ladies in red are launching the campaign with a hysterical video that is a play on the John Wayne classic The Quiet Man. If you would like to support the campaign, take a pic of your knickers and tag it #knickersforchoice. You can send it to Speaking of I.M.E.L.D.A via Twitter or Facebook
My Belly is Mine is very proud to be a co-organizer of the Festival of Choice in London from Tuesday 23rd of September till Sunday 28th, which is the Global Day of Action for Access to Safe and Legal Abortion.
The Festival of Choice aims to raise awareness of threats to reproductive rights and the plight of women and girls in countries around the world who do not have access to safe and legal abortion. The Festival also wishes to celebrate the solidarity and activism of women and girls and to strengthen and support the prochoice message, locally and globally.
The Festival is jointly organised by Amnesty International, Central America Women’s Network, HYSTERIA, Speaking of I.M.E.L.D.A and the 15M Spanish Women’s Assembly.
We have a wonderful programme of events, including a discussion on the impact of banning abortion, spoken word, art, performance, film screening etc.
The Festival will end with the signing of a joint manifesto by the participating organisations.
We look forward to seeing you at the events!
Spanish media was awash this weekend with articles stating that the country’s antiabortion draft bill had been shelved. Even The Guardian caught wind of the news, despite the fact that the Spanish abortion bill has been largely conspicuous by its absence in British media since the proposed legislation was announced in December 2013. For a man as arrogant as the Spanish Justice Minister, Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón, whose personal mission (and obsession) was the abortion reform, it must have been a humiliating experience. Prochoice and feminist organisations in Spain and abroad celebrated the news on Twitter and Facebook.
And then amid the celebrations, sources from within the Spanish Justice Ministry reported being absolutely unaware of any annulment of the bill. “We are seeking the maximum consensus within the party and finalising the details of the final draft”, a Justice spokesperson confidently stated.
Spanish Justice Minister, Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón
It seems government sources had leaked Prime Minister Rajoy’s intention to halt the bill’s process, a decision that was made without consulting the Justice Minister. Rajoy is uneasy about the bill’s unpopularity and does not want it affecting the Popular Party’s upcoming electoral campaign. It is clear that Gallardón has been seriously undermined by Rajoy and other key members within his own party. Indeed, the Spanish right-wing newspaper ABC reported yesterday that Gallardón plans to step down if the abortion bill is withdrawn, a development he apparently communicated himself to the newspaper. ABC then updated its article by stating that Gallardón would make the decision as regards to his political career in a week. Moreover, just a few hours ago, the Spanish daily El Mundo reported Gallardón’s intention to discuss the abortion reform next week as he is currently very busy with Catalonia’s “sovereignty” issues.
Isolated within his own party and seriously undermined by the Prime Minister, Gallardón is scrambling to figure out how to save face. Watch this space to follow the latest developments and see what moves are the next he makes.
We did it! When My Belly is Mine was formed at the very beginning of this year, our objective was to stop the Spanish antiabortion draft bill proposed by the conservative Popular Party (also known as the People’s Party) from being presented in parliament. If enacted, this reform would have taken Spain back 30 years in terms of reproductive rights. We worked hard to raise awareness of this threat. We echoed the major demos in Spain, alongside other protesters in European capitals and in cities across the world. Indeed, we were just one of the many many voices in Spain and abroad that clamoured against the bill. The Spanish press finally reported this weekend that the proposed abortion reform has been shelved due to a lack of consensus within the party. Congratulations and thanks to every single person who took to the streets and shouted out against the bill! We won!
The Freedom Train protests in Madrid on the 1 Feb. My Belly is Mine echoed this protest in London.
“The abortion law has been aborted” Illustration by Jesús AG
As reported on this blog, the Spanish Justice Minister Gallardón was the main force behind this regressive bill, which was to be known unofficially as Gallardón’s Law. Gallardón repeatedly claimed to have Prime Minister Rajoy’s total support for the bill. It was no surprise that the political left in Spain came together to vehemently oppose the draft bill, yet it would be his own party and Rajoy that would bring about the Justice Minister’s undoing. Privately Gallardón garnered support from party members yet in public few supported him. The regional leader José Antonio Monago was the first to criticise the bill by stating “nobody can force motherhood upon a woman”. As protests mounted and the unpopularity of the bill became evident, other regional leaders began to fear for their own political careers.
Gallardón continued to defend his reform as he became increasingly isolated within his own political party. Throughout the summer, the presentation of the bill in parliament was continually postponed. Gallardón talked of busy schedules and conflicting agendas. The Spanish press, however, surmised the bill was being stalled behind the scenes. Protests continued, maintaining the pressure. My Belly is Mine organised an intense summer campaign in conjunction with Speaking of I.M.E.L.D.A and the 15M Spanish Women’s Assembly: we protested on two occasions outside the Spanish Embassy, once in the London Underground and once outside City Hall.
The Spanish Women’s Assembly at a recent joint protest.
The American author and activist Alice Walker said that activism was the rent she paid for living on the planet. Going to a protest, taking a banner, signing a petition, shouting out…this does all make a difference: always make your voice heard!
Here’s the video of the demo organised at the Irish Embassy in London on Wednesday 20th of August to protest against the treatment of Migrant X at the hands of the Irish state. The protest was co-organized by Abortion Rights, Abortion Rights East London, Speaking of I.M.E.L.D.A., the London Irish Feminist Network, 4o Days of Choice and My Belly is Mine.
Cristina from My Belly is Mine, speaking at the protest
The video features a special performance by Speaking of I.M.E.L.D.A in which My Belly is Mine members were proud to participate. Please share widely.
My Belly is Mine attended the protest yesterday evening outside the Irish Embassy in London. The protest was co-organized by Speaking of I.M.E.L.D.A. and Abortion Rights East London to demonstrate against the barbaric treatment at the hands of the Irish Government of the woman known as Migrant X, a non-Irish citizen who was pregnant as a consequence of rape. According to reports, the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, sought an abortion early this summer under a clause in the new Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act, saying that she was suicidal.
The case was referred to a panel of three experts — an obstetrician and two psychiatrists. The psychiatrists determined that Migrant X had suicidal thoughts, but the obstetrician overruled their decision by stating the pregnancy was viable. The unnamed woman, who is only 18, went on hunger strike and was eventually forced to give birth via a caesarean section.
My Belly is Mine attended in solidarity with the women of Ireland and performed alongside activists Speaking of I.M.E.L.D.A.
Speakers at the protest included: Jo Tacon from Abortion Rights East London, Mara Clarke from Abortion Support Network, Ann Rossiter from Speaking of I.M.E.L.D.A., Mairead Enright from Lawyers for Choice, and Cristina Ríos from My Belly is Mine. Cristina spoke of the cooperation between Irish and Spanish prochoice activists in London historically and at present. Indeed, there was a strong presence of Spanish women in the crowd, mostly from the Spanish Women’s Assembly.
My Belly is Mine has signed the statement by Reproductive Health Matters, calling on the Irish Government to repeal the 8th Amendment and to replace the Protection of Life in Pregnancy Act with a law that prioritises women’s health and rights.
Here are some photos by Luca Neve and by Heather Blockey of the protest. More photos and a video to come.
My Belly is Mine will be attending the protest at the Irish Embassy in London on Wednesday, 20 of August at 6pm. Here is the link to the event, created by Abortion Rights East London: https://www.facebook.com/events/280865805439494/?ref_newsfeed_story_type=regular
While acknowledging the incomplete and uncertain facts in this tragic case, Doctors for Choice believe certain urgent questions arise that need to be addressed:
1 Why was the woman involved denied access to abortion?
2 Was she faciltated to avail of a panel assessment and an appeal?
3 Did the panel certify eligibility? If not why no appeal? If so why was abortion not carried out? Was there a delay in certifying eligibilty in order for the gestation to exceed 24 weeks?
4 Why was her consent to an abortion and refusal to consent to a cesarean not vindicated by HSE or courts?
5 On what grounds was an hydration order made?’
These questions raise very disturbing possibilities for the abuse of a vulnerable adult. There seem to have been reasonable grounds for the HSE to suspect that neglect of this young woman’s need to access an abortion would result in significant…
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“No insult will deter me from my commitment to protect the rights of the unborn”, Spanish Justice Minister Alberto Ruíz-Gallardón defiantly stated in February this year. This statement came two months after the Spanish Government announced its proposal to amend the country’s current abortion law in order to implement an almost blanket ban on pregnancy terminations. Despite continual protests against the bill organized by feminist and prochoice organizations in major Spanish cities and towns, manifestos defending a woman’s right to choose, condemnation by human rights organizations such as Amnesty International, and surveys expressing the Spanish population’s unhappiness with the proposed antiabortion law, Gallardón remained steadfast in his determination to pass the regressive draft bill.
Spanish Justice Minister, Albert Ruíz-Gallardón
However, as reported on this blog, the Spanish Cabinet has had at least four clear opportunities to present the bill in parliament for debate and voting. On these four occasions (the 25th of June, the 1st and 8th of July and the 1st of August) the bill was conspicuous by its absence in Cabinet meetings. Gallardón claimed the delay was caused by the Presidency and Vice-presidency’s office, which is responsible for setting the Cabinet’s agenda. Spanish media, on the other hand, speculated members within Gallardón’s own party, the conservative ruling People’s Party (Partido Popular), were stalling the bill due to an unwillingness to endanger their own political careers on such controversial legislation.
The Spanish Government’s next Cabinet meeting is Friday 29th of August, the first after the summer recess. Political analysts explain that the bill must be passed on this date or early September to avoid it coinciding with the Popular Party‘s electoral campaign in the upcoming autonomic and municipal elections in May 2015. Otherwise the bill will most definitely be postponed until the general election in November 2015. Women in Spain, feminist and prochoice organizations remain hopeful yet vigilant. The Madrid Feminist Assembly stated it was tired of the Government toying with the rights of women and has organised a national protest for the 28th of September, the global day for action for access to safe and legal abortion. My Belly is Mine will be supporting this action alongside other prochoice organizations in an event in London, soon to be announced.
My Belly is Mine are very proud to feature in Wombastic Tumblr, an amazingly creative tumblr which showcases the work of illustrators, artists and photographers, who all use art to fight against the Spanish antiabortion legislation in the most imaginative ways possible.
The photographs of My Belly is Mine campaigner Amanda Lundstedt with Big Ben in the background were taken by Spanish photographer Cristina Cuevas for the “Spot the Difference” campaign. These contrasting photos of Amanda are now part of the Wombastic Tumblr. We use many of the fantastic images from the tumblr on our blog. Here’s a selection but be sure to check out the web page for yourself.
Feministas británicas, españolas e irlandesas de los colectivos pro-elección My Belly is Mine, Asamblea de mujeres y Speaking of I.M.E.L.D.A., llevaron a cabo una acción de protesta el 2 de agosto en el centro de Londres, para dar a conocer el proyecto de ley anti-aborto en España, conocido como ‘ley de Gallardón’. El proyecto de ley será pronto presentado en el Congreso español. La acción también supuso la presentación oficial del nuevo grupo Spanish Women’s Abortion Support Group (SWASG 2.0), que tiene como objetivo proporcionar apoyo en la práctica a las mujeres que viajen desde el Estado Español a Londres para interrumpir su embarazo si el proyecto de ley pasase. Este grupo de apoyo es el Nodo Londres de la Red Internacional Federica Montseny, iniciativa desarrollada por las feministas españolas en Berlín.
Ésta no es la primera vez que un grupo de apoyo como SWASG 2.0 ha existido en Londres. Abortion Support Network actualmente ayuda a miles de mujeres al año procedentes de Irlanda a practicarse abortos en el Reino Unido. El aborto nunca ha sido despenalizado en la República de Irlanda, mientras que en España, el acceso al aborto está disponible desde 2010 y ahora se encuentra bajo amenaza por el proyecto de ley contra el aborto. A principios de los años 80, Ann Rossiter e Isabel Ros López, activistas irlandesa y española, ayudaron a establecer en la capital británica el Irish Women’s Abortion Support Group (IWASG) y el Spanish Women’s Abortion Support Group (SWASG) respectivamente. En 1982, 21.000 mujeres vinieron de España a tener abortos en Inglaterra, y más de 8.000 mujeres de Irlanda -de las que 6.000 procedían de la República y 2.000 de Irlanda del Norte.
Las actuales defensoras pro-elección tienen ahora la oportunidad de escuchar a Ann e Isabel explicar el por qué y cómo se configuraron los grupos de apoyo al aborto irlandés y español. En esta película, La historia se repite, producida por My Belly is Mine, Speaking of I.M.E.L.D.A. y la London Irish Feminist Network (LIFN), entrevistamos a Ann e Isabel en La Biblioteca Feminista (Londres). Ann recuerda:
“Con todas estas mujeres llegando … nos preguntábamos qué demonios podríamos hacer. Y es importante decir que esto era a muy pequeña escala. Según los estándares de hoy en día, las cosas eran bastante primitivas.”
Ann e Isabel comparten sus experiencias como voluntarias en ambos grupos de apoyo: describen la organización y el día a día de estas actividades de apoyo, cómo se las arreglaron para obtener acuerdos especiales para las mujeres en las clínicas y recaudar fondos y describen el espíritu de cooperación internacional de las activistas pro-elección en aquel momento. Ann también pone la alerta sobre las decisiones difíciles y los costos financieros que las mujeres españolas tendrán que soportar si se aprueba la ley antiaborto de Gallardón.
Ann e Isabel a menudo colaboran con Speaking of I.M.E.L.D.A. y My Belly is Mine en las acciones pro-elección. Isabel también asesora a SWASG 2.0. De hecho, el nombre de SWASG 2.0 fue elegido como un homenaje a la labor de Isabel y sus colegas. No sólo se forjan conexiones nacionales en esta actual ola de activismo pro-elección irlandés y español en la capital británica, sino también intergeneracionales.
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