JOURNEY TO WOMANHOOD - PRO CHOICES & PROGRESS

1974 was a good year - 

puberty prostrated

me on the couch,

blooded by biology and

the BBC's  story

of the Suffragettes

struggle and stress,

strain and stamina 

in long dresses and

tresses under hats.

it seemed a fact we

females had to work

bloody hard to get a

bit of empowerment;

autonomy unheard of

like the peasants and 

proletariat in feudal

times, and even today

girls and women are

commodities. 

all over Mother Earth,

power corrupts, lies and

cheats us by laws and

and the fist, but shoulder to

shoulder the Truth is laid

bare and marches to it's

own beating drum.



for International Women's Day 2012
(c)Julie McNeill
all rights reserved

PRO-CHOICES & PROGRESS

One reason I joined the Australian Labor Party was wanting to contribute my female experience to the treasury of  knowledge where policies are formed  from.MENTAL HEALTH CONSUMERS - PERSONAL ACCOUNT

Since the election of recent Labor governments and Labor women in Australia we have seen a recognition of the cruel attitudes and practices inflicted upon women and children in the 20th century. 

The most recent was a call for another National apology by the Parliamentary Senate Inquiry into forced adoptions of the illegitimate babies of unmarried mothers.

http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/stories/2012/02/23/3438175.htm

Even in these more liberating times with access to information, single parent supports, and women in parliament there is always a strong resistance towards focused funded action to advance the autonomy of women - shortage of room at the domestic violence refuges and follow up housing - or maybe for once the bloke could be taken away and made to find a new place to live?

The Opposition leader, TONY ABBOTT'S insistence in providing more advantage to women who are already doing very well in his Paid Parental Scheme shows a complete lack of judgement. 
To prioritise such a scheme over a major reform like the National Disability Scheme shows contempt for all the weary carers(who are mainly women who have sacrificed their own work and health and saved the taxpayers huge amounts of money).
People with disabilities have a right to make decisions about their needs and have them provided for so they can contribute their talents to society.

Millais - The Blind Girl 1852.

Birmingham Art Gallery UK

The growth of evangelical Christianity and their methods of political influence is copied from the U.S.A. where politicians deliver a severer form of life sentence on women when they deny them contraception and abortion services.

Since joining the ALP I have become gradually aware of the Catholic Right dominance and as I despair, it makes my need to remain with the party in order to balance their anti-woman stances. 

The power of retired Independent Senator, ex-Labor and Roman Catholic Brian Harradine representing Tasmania comes to mind. His deals with the Howard government to deny aid to abortion counselling in the Pacific Island nations meant that there has been a high fertility rate, contributing to women having 6-7 babies. 

No matter the mothers become poorer, unhealthier and their children have no employment and end up in gangs. The stresses on the family, destruction of the environment - no thought for the consequences of disabling women's rights to choose what's right for them or their society.

In PNG the maternal death rate is high. The rate of HIV is increasing. Child mortality is high, and yet the religious organisations will not dispense condoms or the pill. The use of a drug like  RU-486 which is cheap and accessible in Europe is denied to the vast majority of women here at the bottom of the world thanks to the pious blokes in suits.

Anti-Science and a theocratic bent is more of what the Coalition forces are all about. 

We progressed to the first world status when our ability to plan how many babies we had in a life-time was achieved and the power of the male cleric had reduced influence on legislation.

I still shake my head when thinking how in my mother's fertile time during the 1960's, you could only get the contraceptive pill if you were married!

1926 - Fitzrovia, London - Marie Stopes clinic.

Eternal gratitude to women like Dr.Marie Stopes(1880-1958) who campaigned and confronted the ignorant status quo -  so by 1980 my virginal trip to the Family Planning Association of Victoria, in preparation for sexual intercourse of my own choosing was successful with no conceptions!
I showed my daughters where they could find out about the latest in contraception and sexually transmitted diseases and they told their friends when needing some advice.

Women are still carrying the burden of inequity(and iniquities), from superannuation to sex trafficking, and shortage of affordable housing.

That is nothing though compared to the awful situation of girls and women who suffer such horrendous situations like genital mutilation.

Coming from an English working-class, broken home, the best thing I could do for my Australian- born daughters was to educate them to a level of being economically independent. 
(It wasn't as easy as it reads!)

2012

• • Julie says: (re: www.thepunch.com.au/articles/can-you-put-a-dollar-figure-on-human-suffering/)

    09:18pm | 02/03/12  

    Sex and Money, Church and State: The fact of this article is many young women were treated brutally for being unmarried and pregnant. Who starts this kind of punishing edict? Thankfully feminists have lobbied over time to prevent some suffering going on. Its amazing there are still hateful comments rather than compassion and non-judgement that many of the Christian citizens and establishment perpetuated.

    Until 1973 there was no financial support for unmarried mothers. There wasn’t much at all for women over the decades. Male politicians avoided spending money on ‘fallen’ women or their illigitimate progeny.

    My maternal grandmother was forced to put my mother in a brutal RC orphanage so she could metal-press munitions, so mum was one of of the so called ‘child migrants’ brought over as child labour to make this country prosperous.
    http://www.julie-mcneill.blogspot.com.au/2010/10/boomerang.html

    Many women of 30’&40;‘s era were ‘in service’ from 14 - my other Nan was raped by the Master’ son, but had parents who could protect theirs and her reputation by imprisoning her at home until the baby was said to be her mothers. Both Nans held secrets for a long time and very common, and the hurt and suffering borne by the women and children to this day. The biological fathers got away bearing no responsibility or caught out by their wives.
    We know the ignorance of sex was abysmal and access to contraception and safe abortion was for those with money.(still is today in some areas and countries).

    All of these abuses of power and punishing moral stances from Church and State are about preventing a woman’s autonomy. Religious zealots still try to prevent family planning choices, STD’s or keep abortion in the criminal code written in 1841(Qld).
    Knowledge is Power and we have chaplains boosted in schools, not thorough sex education.
    It is an age-old tug of war over sex and money. It’s not about compensation for the harm done by policies of church and state - my mother wanted recognition, for society to learn from what happened and because the orphanage ripped out her teeth to avoid filling them - be able to get dental work so she can eat without pain, and not end up in an aged care institution and be brutalised again when she is most vulnerable.
    The Senate Committee said what happened to those young women and their babies was wrong.
    Reparation is whatever their needs are - you will find like the Forgotten and Stolen Generations, Child Migrants - all they want is to live out their life with some dignity and respect, money for ongoing counselling and other health problems which are directly caused by these judgemental practices.

    THORNS IN THE SIDE FROM EVE'S DAUGHTERS:

  FEMINISM is secular and humanitarian. 
  We wouldn't have paedophiles taken to court, the Churches being exposed for hypocracy, rape recognised internationally as a war crime, sexual slavery and trafficking on the political agenda if the deeds of activist women were invisible.

SUFFRAGETTE CITY - documentary 

We will remember them...... and March on....

Emily's List Australia

Wearing the purple this International Women's Day will be Senator Claire Moore, Chair of the Community References Committee which produced the report on forced adoptions. 

She also worked with the 'Stolen Generations' and 'Forgotten Australians' - she must have a big pile of handkerchiefs in deep pockets!

Senator Claire Moore with myself at a Wivenhoe Branch
function seeking education on global warming and planet changes 2008

Whatever her personal spirituality the Queensland Senator is a tireless attendee and supporter of a woman's right to AUTONOMY in their choices and decisions. 

President of pro-choice Labor women's organisation;
Emily's List. 
(provides financial support to female candidates to enter Parliament).

BACK TO THE 1970'S  - good on ya Helen Reddy and for your liberating and ageless song , I AM WOMAN