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May 19, 1989 - Image 7

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Publication:
Michigan Daily Summer Weekly, 1989-05-19

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PERSPECTIVES

,The Michigan Daily

Page 7

Another genocide - sterilization in India
By Sharon P. Holland Corporation and the Pew Charitable There is a growing trend among sterilization, whether agreed to or as the woman's responsibility, far
Editor's note: This is the first in a Trusts. medical practitioners in the Third coerced, is still the primary method more women than men are subjected
series of perspectivesfocusing upon Family planning, in and of itself, World to applaud sterilization as the used for birth control in India. to sterilization.
women's reproductive rights on an can be a viable means of assisting ultimate answer to birth control. Often, women who undergo As of 1985, health officials in In-
*international level. As the Supreme countries where population far ex- They reason that sterilization is a sterilization are misinformed about dia were actually receiving pay raises
Court moves closer to its decision in ceeds food supply and healthcare method, unlike abortion or the use the permanence of the operation. In for every tubectomy accomplished in
the Webster case, the precarious sta- availability. However, foundation of contraceptives, that knows no re- most cases, unless there are compli- their area. This is an example of
tus of women's reproductive rights programs continue to take bureau- ligious connotations or implica- cations, women who are sterilized how the MacArthur Foundations'
isfurther threatened. The purpose of cratic rather than humanistic meth- "incentives" for young leaders work
today's focus on India is to express ods toward achieving their goals. In 'In most male-dominated societies (the United States in the Third World. Sterilization is
solidarity with women in the strug- essence, they deny women control included), where contraception is seen as the woman's just one way that corporations, under
glefor reproductive independence and' over their reproductive choices. In the guise of philanthropy, further
to expand discussion of the issue to the long run, numbers matter to the responsibility, far more women than men are sub- victimize women that they outra-
an internationalfocus. foundations more than people do. jected to sterilization.' geously exploit in the workforce as a
For example, the MacArthur Foun- , cheap labor source. The answer is
dation planned to offer $15,000 to tions. Save Puerto Rico, India is receive no post-operative care and no not to control population growth
$30,000 to young leaders in Mexico, promoted by "philanthropists" and instructions about the healing pro- through sterilization, but to give
Brazil, India and two African nations government doctors as one of the cess and its affect upon their home- working women, like those who
who could affect population policy "model" countries in which the ster- life. Reportedly in some of India's produce 3/4 of India's food, a better
in those countries. ilization of women is taking place at rural communities, women have wage, a better price for their goods
In the corporate mentality, the very high rate. been offered as little as one day's and a healthcare program that pro-
As University students were re- way to solve problems in the Third In India, sterilization or "nasbandi" wages ($11) in exchange for the op- vides women with choices rather
turning to Ann Arbor for the start of World is not to institute environ- (tube-closing) has become the most eration. than one that seeks to control them.
the 1988 Fall semester, two of the mental or social programs, but to preferred method of family planning Ironically, sterilization was pro-
richest foundations in the United curb the birthrate. In effect, so called used by government doctors due to moted as an effective program for Sharon Holland is a graduate student
States proposed multi-million dollar "family planning" schemes impose a its cost-effectiveness. However, both men and women in India, but in the Department of English.
*plans to increase aid for family subtle genocide upon countries constant reports of infections and men's hostility to the program
planning and population control to whose people have been devastated complications, including subsequent caused administrators to focus solely
countries in Asia, Africa and Latin by periods of relentless colonization pregnancies from botched operations, upon female clients. This emphasis Women's Words is' a column that
America. This movement, led by the at the hands of the very corporations prove that the procedure is far from upon women was continued, even provides a forum for feminist per-
MacArthur and Packard Foundations, foundation leaders represent. How do ideal as a health care mechanism for though sterilization for men is a spectives and a voice for women in
was augmented at an exponential rate these so-called "philanthropic" women in India's most rural areas. much easier and safer operation to the community. The Daily encour-
by the entrance of the Mellon, gestures and funds translate into Despite the forced sterilization scare perform. In most male-dominated ages responses and contributions
Hewlett, Rockefeller and Ford programs applied in Third World of 1975 that found Indira Gandhi societies (the United States in- from its readers. Contact Liz at the
Foundations, as well as the Carnegie countries? without an elected position in 1977, cluded), where contraception is seen Opinion Page for more information.
0 Nighttime nightmare with mainstream media

By Annie Darling ished; and that specific violence petrated that night because the vic- practice gang rape in fraternities on a
On May 16 ABC's "Nighttime against this woman was because she tim was a woman? consistent and under-reported basis.
Nightline" with Ted Koppel the de- was white, not because she was a Wake up Ted Koppel, wake up It is pretty obvious why Koppel
bate centered upon issues surround- woman. The reality of why this vic- mainstream media, and wake up didn't want to listen to or relate to
ing last month's gang rape case in- tim was treated as she was was those who have fallen into this the public that kind of truth. If he
volving a white victim and a group completely ignored - because she is ridiculous line of "reasoning". and the public had to look and think
*of Black and Latino youths as prob- a woman. Rapists come in all shapes and sizes, about what Holtzman was attempt-
able suspects. Although opinions New York City Mayor Koch only all ethnicities, religions and beliefs. ing to convey then he and his view-
from all sectors of the Black com- served to corroborate Koppel's nar- Holtzman tried to tell the viewing ers would have to look at themselves
munity were addressed Koppel's row-minded opinions on who does audience that rape is not a Black on a little bit longer.
program continued to support the and doesn't rape. In his mind, males white crime - and also that white And then, for the first time every-
lack of journalistic integrity dis- from parochial schools, intact fami- men in our universities and colleges one would have to see the victim,
played by the rest of the popular lies and church going people do not *
media concerning this case, and all rape. Think again, Koch, even the o
cases of rape. FBI will tell you htsaisial, L t -.1J t ai o
While the topic of discussion was there is no category of rapist - just
advertised as the gang rape of a men who commit violence against of slanderous racist remarks dis-
* woman in Central Park, the back- women. D aily tributed through various campus of-
ground of both talks and arguments When Brooklyn District Attorney fices devoted to the promotion of
during the program was the state of Elizabeth Holtzman attempted to coverage Black Rights. At the bottom of the
the Black community, the make educated comments about the page there was an article telling of
predominance of single headed pervasiveness of rape culture in our not e1ual the vandalism to Daily offices.
households, and the "lack of male society and the importance of re-ex-
presence" in people of color com- amining how boys and men are On the second page, with only a
munities. In sum, Koppel's program taught to view women, Koppel To the Daily: single lousy picture and a three line
was a nightmarish revisiting of the brushed her comments aside, telling It looks as if the Daily has been blurb, lies the relating of LaGROC's
1965 Moynihan report entitled "The her that she was limiting their dis- under an awful lot of fire lately. Here (Lesbian and Gay Rights Organizing
Negro Family: the case for national cussion of the issue. Wait a minute. is another shot to add to the legion Committee), and the other gay orga-
*action." Are we not talking about a woman of others. The Daily managed to nizations supporting this, "Coming
Koppel's manipulation of the in- who was raped; are we not talking goof once again. In the Daily Out of the Closet" to help celebrate
formation made it appear as if rape is about a crime of violence which dif- (4/3/89) there was a large front page Gay Awareness Week."
a crime committed by the impover- fered drastically from any other per- headline discussing the recent bout I am sorely disappointed and quite

not as an object of random violence
in a Park, but as a woman who was
raped. At that point she becomes
another part of the statistic - every
15 seconds in this country a woman
is battered. Every three minutes a
woman is sexually assaulted. That is
the reality. That is being female in
this society.
Annie Darling is a junior in the
College of Literature, Science and
Arts.
angry that such a major happening
received so little attention. The blurb
itself says "dozens of students
participated" and "over 250 attended."
Did this not warrant more of the
Daily's attention?
I think the Daily owes an apology
to members of LaGROC and other
gay organizations on campus for the
lack of coverage on a well-attended
University happening. I thought the
Daily was supposed to fairly present
the local news. Apparently this is
not so.
-Beth Nauss

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