Remember the Perth rally against breastfeeding discrimination back in April? Mandy Crabtree was ejected from a cafe for requesting to breastfeed her baby, and the Premier responded to public outcry by saying that women should breastfeed in a “discreet, modern… Read More ›
gender & feminism
Franchising the Womb: Selling Fetal Imaging
A sampling of Australian recreational obstetric ultrasound advertising: A Peek of U at Serenity Spa, Wollongong: At our Spa location the Mum to be can enjoy a luxurious pedicure or spend most of the day being pampered, completing the day… Read More ›
Monsters vs Aliens – Feminist Win, Feminist Fail?
I had read that Monsters vs Aliens, the latest Dreamworks animated feature and homage to Attack of the 50 Foot Woman, is a feminist flick. And so it is, in a way; the central storyline has a definite feminist bent… Read More ›
Links for the Day – non-plastic toys, Rally for BFing rights in WA, and more
Emma-in-oz has a listing of Australian toy stores selling wooden, non-toxic, fair trade, and/or Australian-made toys. Check it out. The issue of whether breastfeeding discrimination will be banned in Western Australia remains up in the air, but things don’t look… Read More ›
Hutton’s Ontario Homebirth/Hospital Birth Study
The latest homebirth study is out. The last was from British Columbia; this one’s from Ontario. “Outcomes Associated with Planned Home and Planned Hospital Births in Low-Risk Women Attended by Midwives in Ontario, Canada, 2003–2006: A Retrospective Cohort Study” Eileen… Read More ›
WA Birthing Statistics: Interventions Down, Deaths Down
Back in 2007, I wrote about Western Australian birthing statistics, based on the 2005 statistics that had just been released at the time. New data is out since then, for 2006 and 2007, in which the much-touted “epidemic” of old… Read More ›
Volunteers needed NOW for Down Under Feminists Carnival hosting!
OK, I’m now desperately needing volunteers to host the Down Under Feminists Carnival from 5th November onwards! Please place a comment here if you can volunteer, including which month you can host (and whether you’re considering an optional theme, though… Read More ›
Open Father’s Day thread
How did your father help or hinder your feminist consciousness developing as you were growing up? Do they accept your feminist convictions now?
How things have changed
I’ve been poking trhough William Heberden’s Commentaries on The History and Cure of Diseases (1802). Chapter 62, Menstrua, includes the following: “The pains, which several women experience during some part of the menstrual flux, are safely mitigated with opium; and… Read More ›
Be Afraid, Be Very Very Afraid
Two and a half weeks ago, two trans men from Western Australia won the right to change the sex marker on their birth certificates without their having had hysterectomies. Though this may seem rather minor from the outside, the ruling… Read More ›