Women's Views on News |
- We are looking for new writers
- A woman’s right to choose?
- Equal opportunity in the Church of England
| We are looking for new writers Posted: 20 Nov 2012 01:57 AM PST
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| Posted: 20 Nov 2012 01:00 AM PST
Guest post by Cassandra Fox. Over 10,000 protesters marched through Dublin this weekend, compounding a long-standing call for change to Ireland's strict abortion laws. This follows the tragic death of Savita Halappanavar , a 31-year-old Hindu woman who died in agony from blood poisoning after she was told that her failing pregnancy could not be terminated 'because Ireland is a Catholic country'. The death is being investigated, and it remains unclear whether the hospital was acting illegally in refusing a procedure which may have saved the mother's life – the one instance where medical termination of pregnancy is allowed under Irish law. Despite government claims that Irish unwanted pregnancy numbers are falling, the charity Abortion Support Network says that thousands of women each year travel from Ireland and Northern Ireland to England for abortions, and in addition some women travel to other European countries with less rigorous safety standards or purchase pills via the internet. Irish women are not alone in seeking desperate solutions to a desperate situation. A World Health Organisation report released last week revealed that "in some countries unsafe abortions cause over 20 per cent of all registered maternal deaths, and Eastern Europe has the highest abortion rate in the world." In fiercely Catholic Poland abortion is allowed in cases of rape, incest, or if the mother or baby's health is at serious risk. Nonetheless, doctors often refuse to carry out abortions, and their 'right to refuse' is protected by law. Here in the UK, the Abortion Act of 1967 was brought in to combat life-threatening back-street abortions. The Act, however, does not extend to Northern Ireland, where abortion practitioners are still punished under the Offences Against the Person Act of 1861. The same set of laws that originally awarded the death penalty for buggery, a slap on the wrist for 'causing bodily harm to servants', or a prison sentence for obstructing a clergyman in the execution of his duties. As a woman of Irish descent myself, currently 20 weeks' pregnant with my second child, I feel very fortunate to be having my antenatal care carried out here in the UK. My fertility is subject to my own choice, and I know that in the very worst case scenario that my pregnancy should take an unhealthy turn for the worst, doctors will, by law, have to put aside any of their personal religious beliefs in order to treat me. But this choice of care is not one I take for granted, as it is greatly threatened, perhaps now more than at any time since 1967. Right-wing Christian pressure groups posing as 'pregnancy advisory services' can be found throughout every UK town, and earlier this year we saw anti-abortion campaigners telling schoolchildren that abortions cause cancer. Women attending abortion clinics are still routinely faced with harassment, placards showing photos of foetuses and verbal abuse. Meanwhile, many fear that the Conservative-led government are steering us towards a US Republican-style attack on women's reproductive rights. Jeremy Hunt, several other high profile Tories, and Nadine Dorres have all been outspoken in their support of a proposed reduction of the current abortion limit of 24 weeks. Whether the Tories would ever actually have the nerve to try and restrict access to one of the most important women's services is unlikely, however the women of England, Scotland and Wales must be under no illusion that their reproductive choices are supported by their government any more so than that of their Irish sisters. The gruesome placards and anti-abortion leaflets distributed outside Marie Stopes centres daily may as well have a Conservative stamp of approval on them. Something to be suffered by women at what is, for many, the darkest possible time of their life. Low income, single parenthood, relationship breakdown, youth, rape, or just not wanting to be a mother: there's a million reasons why a woman might choose to have an abortion. But not one valid reason why anyone should stop her.  |
| Equal opportunity in the Church of England Posted: 20 Nov 2012 12:53 AM PST
Guest post by Reverend Biddi Kings. Last Sunday, 11 November, was the twentieth anniversary of the vote in Synod, the ruling council of the Church of England, which allowed women to become fully ordained as priests. This enabled women to fulfil all the same roles within church ministry as men - with the exception of the most senior role, that of bishop. On 12 November, the Church of England revealed that the number of women ordained in the church now exceeds 30 per cent. Last year, of the total number of priests ordained, 244 were women and 234 men, while the number of women training for priesthood has steadily risen to more than 50 per cent. And most ordained women become un-paid Non-Stipendiary Ministers whereas most ordained men are appointed to stipendiary, paid posts. In the Church of England this difference is not only economic but managerial. It is stipendiary priests who manage churches at the Parish level, the basic level of the career structure within the Church of England. According to research by Manchester University, bishops and their diocese continue to fail to appoint an equivalent number of women and men to more senior posts, such as Diocesan Officer, Archdeacon or Dean of Cathedral. This may be due both to potential female candidates lacking appropriate stipendiary experience and to the ever present reluctance of the Church of England to pursue an active equal opportunity programme in its training and appointments. Reverend Rosemary Lain-Priestley, secretary to the National Association of Diocesan Advisers in Women’s Ministry, believes that it is unlikely that women priests will be taken seriously until women can become bishops. Since 2000, the Church of England has been through a tortuous process in which the wording of the proposition allowing women to become bishops has been watered down in order to accommodate those clergy and churches that continue to object to women in ministry. And in May 2012 women clergy were horrified by two proposed amendments to the measure to open the way for the appointment of women bishops. The wording implied that where parishes refused to accept the authority of a female bishop, an independent male bishop with equivalent authority would be appointed alongside them. This would fundamentally undermine the equality of women in comparison to their male counterparts. Such provision would also reinforce and validate the views of that minority in the Church of England who believe that women should exercise "different, complementary, roles in the church", not including ordination as priests and definitely not to include their appointment as bishops. It soon became apparent that, due to these amendments, there was a real possibility that a large number of supporters of women bishops would abstain from voting for the measure, throwing the Church of England back into turmoil and once again, delaying any solution to this divisive issue. Voting on the measure was postponed so that the wording might be reconsidered. The deciding vote is to take place at General Synod on 20 November 2012. Supporters of women bishops have made significant compromises in order that the vote might succeed. It is clear that this final adjustment may be just sufficient to allow supporters of women bishops to vote for the measure. According to Women and the Church (WATCH): "Despite our concerns that this Measure does not do enough to eradicate discrimination from the Church, WATCH is praying that Synod will vote 'yes' on 20th November. This is far from the perfect Measure for women, but it is what has been negotiated after years of consultation amongst those of all perspectives. A 'yes' will enable women bishops to be appointed whilst allowing that those who disagree to have a respected place within the Church of England."  |
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