Feminism

By Kathy Newnam

A north Queensland couple will face court in Cairns on October 12 on charges brought under the state’s anti-abortion laws. A woman is facing charges for intent to procure a miscarriage, which carries a penalty of up to seven years in prison. Her partner is facing charges for assisting her, which carries a penalty of up to three years in prison. Around the country, abortion rights activists are gearing up for a national day of action to be held on October 9, the Saturday before the trial.

By Linda Waldron

Julia Gillard’s successful challenge to Kevin Rudd for leadership of the federal ALP on June 24 delivered Australia its first female prime minister. Sydney Morning Herald journalist Josephine Tovey wrote the next day that, “While her role as the first female Prime Minister will make her a hero to many women, it is her actions that will keep her being one ... Will she, as Prime Minister improve the lot of other women, and make their paths to equality easier?” Given her past track record, the answer should be obvious — a resounding “No”.

By Kathy Newnam

On May 29 around 150 people took to the streets of Sydney as part of the campaign against the abortion charges brought against a couple in Cairns. The rally was organised by the Women’s Abortion Action Campaign (WAAC) and was chaired by WAAC activist Margaret Kirkby. There were contingents at the rally from Melbourne, Brisbane and participants from Adelaide and New Zealand. Speakers included Eurydice Aroney from Pro Choice NSW who spoke about the death of her grandmother from a backyard abortion; Gabe Kavanagh from the “F” Conference organising collective; Lee Rhiannon from the NSW Greens and Debbie Brennan from Radical Women, Melbourne. Below is the text of the speech given by Kathy Newnam on behalf of the Brisbane Pro-Choice Action Collective.

By Linda Waldron

In early March the ACTU announced that pay equity between male and female workers would be “the major union campaign priority for 2010, outside of the federal election”. According to ACTU reports, full-time women workers in 2009, on average, received 82.5% of men’s pay. Although comprising the majority of university graduates, women earn $2000 a year less when commencing work and continue to fall behind in pay and superannuation through the rest of their working life.

By Helen Said

The Council of Single Mothers and their Children’s (CSMC) Action Group will stage a rally at 11 am on Thursday May 6 in Melbourne’s Bourke Street Mall to highlight single-mother poverty during the Mother’s Day shopping madness. With the demand “End our Poverty for Mother’s Day”, the Action Group is urging members and supporters to “meet by the big (empty!) purse” sculpture and “dress in style” for the theme “Mothers Day Breakfast in Bed”.

By Kathy Newnam

On April 10-11, the first feminist conference to be held in Sydney in more than 10 years attracted more than 500 people. The “F” Conference was organised to re-ignite feminist organising in Sydney, though there were many participants from other cities also. There was a tangible enthusiasm and excitement evident throughout the conference — reflecting the gap that has arisen in the last decade between the support for feminism and the decline of grass-roots organising.

By Kathy Newnam

Women could be charged with murder in the US state of Utah if they have a miscarriage caused by an “intentional or knowing act”. On March 8, the state’s governor signed into law a bill to that effect. The bill was introduced to the legislature by Republican representative and former cop Carl Wimmer, who told the US ABC that he sponsored the bill “because I’m pro-life and anti-abortion and I’m doing everything in my power to restrict abortions in Utah”. Wimmer and anti-abortion groups have pledged to campaign for similar legislation in other states.

By Kathy Newnam

A lively protest was held in Brisbane on March 13 against a rally organised by a coalition of anti-abortion groups. There were about 70 people over the four-hour protest — holding a speak-out and chanting for the duration of the protest, even as the massive PA at the anti-abortion rally tried to drown out the chants with a Christian rock band.

By Kerry Vernon

In a March 19 article on the website of the Socialist Alternative (SAlt) group, the largest Australian organisation claiming to be Marxist, titled “Why men don’t benefit from women’s oppression”, SAlt member Kate Jeffreys repeats a gross distortion of the Marxist analysis of the oppression of women under capitalism. In arguing, correctly, that it is the capitalist class that is the cause and chief beneficiary of women’s oppression, Jeffreys also claims working-class men do not benefit in any way from capitalism’s sexist oppression of working-class women, despite the fact that working-class men have higher wages than working-class women, are more unionised and have more valued skills. They also don’t do anywhere near their fair share of unpaid housework and hardly ever suffer sexual harassment and assault.

By Kerry Vernon

International Women’s Day began at a time of political and social upheaval more than 100 years ago, on February 28, 1908, when socialist women in the US organised demonstrations and meetings all over the country demanding women workers’ political and economic rights and called it “Women’s Day”. In 1909, 2000 people attended a Women’s Day rally in Manhattan.