The delegates were appalled by the lack of gender equality in America. They found the U.S. to be lagging far behind international human rights standards in a number of areas, including its 23 percent gender pay gap, maternity leave, affordable child care and the treatment of female migrants in detention centers.
The most telling moment of the trip, the women told reporters on Friday, was when they visited an abortion clinic in Alabama and experienced the hostile political climate around women’s reproductive rights.
“We were harassed. There were two vigilante men waiting to insult us,” said Frances Raday, the delegate from the U.K. The men repeatedly shouted, “You’re murdering children!” at them as soon as they neared the clinic, even though Raday said they are clearly past childbearing age.
“It’s a kind of terrorism,” added Eleonora Zielinska, the delegate from Poland. “To us, it was shocking.”
In most European countries, she explained, abortions are performed at general doctors’ offices and hospitals that offer all kinds of other health services, so there aren’t protesters waiting to heckle the women who enter.
The women discovered during their visit that women in the United States have “missing rights” compared to the rest of the world. For instance, the U.S. is one of three countries in the world that does not guarantee women paid maternity leave. The U.N. suggests that countries guarantee at least 14 weeks of paid parental leave. Some countries go further – Iceland requires five months paid leave for each parent, and an additional two months to be shared between them.
“The lack of accommodation in the workplace to women’s pregnancy, birth and post-natal needs is shocking,” Raday said. “Unthinkable in any society, and certainly one of the richest societies in the world.”
Another main area of concern for the delegation is violence against women – particularly gun violence. Women are 11 times more likely to be killed by a gun in the United States than in other high-income countries, and most of those murdersare perpetrated by an intimate partner. While the Obama administration has talked a lot about combatting violence against women, its efforts have been frustrated by Congress’ inability to pass new federal gun restrictions.
While the delegates were shocked by many things they saw in the U.S., perhaps the biggest surprise of their trip, they said, was learning that women in the country don’t seem to know what they’re missing. “So many people really believe that U.S. women are way better off with respect to rights than any woman in the world,” Raday said. “They would say, ‘Prove it! What do you mean other people have paid maternity leave?’”
The US is so far behind in women’s rights, people don’t even believe that other countries allow Paid. Maternity. Leave. Good lord.
The myth of American exceptionalism is used to promote and maintain oppression. It discourages citizens from daring to wonder if other countries might be better than America.
-Jaja
What they’re describing, here in the US? That’s what a population in the thrall of Propaganda looks like.
On Sunday, police responded to a call of a suspicious vehicle parked on Manchester Boulevard around 3:10 am. When police arrived, they engaged in a 45-minute long standoff before opening fire on the man and woman inside the vehicle, killing them both.
The woman was pronounced dead shortly after the shooting, and the man succumbed to his injuries after paramedics transported him to a local hospital.
The shooting seemed like an open and shut case until the next day. Mayor James Butts, while responding to questions about the shooting, opened up a huge can of worms — both the man and the woman were unconscious.
For at least 45 minutes, police attempted “to rouse” them in an effort “to de-escalate the situation,” said Butts.
After admitting that the couple was asleep, Butts quickly defended the officers, noting, “Obviously at some point they were conscious because somebody felt threatened.”
However, that notion has yet to be proven and is particularly unlikely due to the fact that not a single officer received so much as a scratch, nor did the couple have any reason to be violent.
Both of the victims were parents; Kisha Michael, 31, a single mother of three sons, and Marquintan Sandlin, 32, a single father of four daughters.
Families for both described them as devoted parents who made arrangements for care of their children while they took a night off.
“The police ain’t telling us nothing,” said Trisha Michael after being met with tight lips from the department.
“He was a loving father,” said Sandlin’s sister Leandra Faulkner. “All he cared about was his girls, getting them right.”
According to his relatives, Sandlin had a ‘rough life’ but had turned it around and was working as a successful truck driver.
Sadly, these children will now grow up knowing that their parents were taken from them by cops, scared of a sleeping couple.
‘For at least 45 minutes the cops attempted “to rouse” them in an effort “to de-escalate the situation” said Butts.After admitting that the couple were asleep, Butts quickly defended the officers actions, noting, “Obviously at some point they were conscious because somebody felt threatened.“’
What the fuck, were they aggressively snoring? Who opens fire on someone they just spent 45 minutes trying to wake up?
Great. Now I’ve heard it all. Cops are afraid of unconscious people. 45 minutes of de-escalation? Did it ever once occur that if you try to wake someone up in a car with loud noise and they don’t wake up, medical attention may be needed?
NowThis caught up with Rapper and Sanders supporter Killer Mike in the spin room following the democratic debate.
This can not be broadcasted enough
Dear American readers: this is actually more important than voting for president. Imagine what Obama could have achieved if he HADN’T BEEN FIGHTING A REPUBLICAN CONGRESS EVERY. DAMN. STEP.
^ SERIOUSLY THIS IS IMPORTANT RIGHT HERE
Killer Mike is a badass
And he’s right :D
Voting is of paramount importance. But reforming the way we draw the boundaries of Congressional districts is JUST AS IMPORTANT. We will have a Republican House in 2017 BECAUSE OF GERRYMANDERING. No “Bernie Wave” will be big enough to overcome that… and our next chance to change things up there isn’t until the after the 2020 Census.
Vote. But voting is necessary but insufficient by itself. Structural reforms of our political institutions are the prerequisites for real, lasting change.
“The measure, which amends the state’s Vital Records Act, would prevent the child from receiving a birth certificate or financial assistance if the father was not identified.
The bill states:
“Provides that if the unmarried mother cannot or refuses to name the child’s father, either a father must be conclusively established by DNA evidence or, within 30 days after birth, another family member who will financially provide for the child must be named, in court, on the birth certificate. Provides that absent DNA evidence or a family member’s name, a birth certificate will not be issued and the mother will be ineligible for financial aid from the State for support of the child.”
Ed Yohnka of the Illinois American Civil Liberties Union told the Chicagoist that the bill was troubling even though it was not expected to pass the Democratic supermajority in the state House.”
REMEMBER: THE REPUBLICAN WAR ON WOMEN AND LGBTQIA+ WON’T STOP UNTIL WE STOP IT. U.S. READERS, REGISTER TO VOTE HERE
I swear it’s all about sadism. That’s all the GOP is at this point. Sadistic motherfuckers whose lives aren’t complete unless they’re hurting somebody.
