The Government has announced its plan to "offer" "free" long term contraceptive devices such as implants or IUD's to beneficiary women and their 16 year old daughters! When this is
combined with the threat of having to leave your 12 month old baby to do full time paid work ; or the threat of losing your benefit if you don't , this is no "free" offer, but a
coercive measure where the state is aiming to take control of women's bodies.
We say to
John Key and Paula Bennett- keep your hands of our bodies and our babies! If the
government really wanted to help low income people to get contraception that
they otherwise could not afford, they would make it free for all people, male and
female, both in and out of work; and not target women and
beneficiaries. The method of contraception needs to be the choice of the
person using it -whether condoms, diaphragms, the pill, etc as well as the long term devices. The long term methods are known to
have poor health side effects for some women and should not be forced upon
women simply because they are the only free methods or because the woman
fears to be punished if she has a baby.
Mothering is working and is a tremendous contribution to society. We are raising the next generation of workers! In Australia all parents get a gift of a several thousand dollars when they have a child. This government is discriminating against the children of beneficiaries, treating them as unwelcome and as second class citizens, indeed as hardly human. This is an abuse of the human rights of babies and of mothers. Paula Bennett openly says that the work requirement for mothers of babies is a penalty for having the baby! And she has not ruled out compulsary contraception in the future- just saying that we "sort of" aren't yet at that stage.
When children up North search for food in chicken scraps bins and antibiotics bottles,
we need to remove this government that sacrifices the welfare of women and children for the sake of corporate thieves!
2 comments:
Well said Janet.
Sarah.
Now John and Paula want to impose forced vaccinations on us as well. The health impact of two sets of forced injections on young teenage girls; both Gardasil and long term contraception have not been proven to be safe, and in the view of some commentators could cause severe damage or even death in some cases.
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