Melb: Urgent Protest Action; End Discrimination In the Use of IVF!
End Discrimination In the Use of IVF!
Stop Discriminating Against Lesbians and Single Women!
Stop the Government's Homphobic Backlash!
Free, Safe, Accessible Access to all Reproductive Technologies!
The Howard government is attempting to introduce legislation that will
prevent single women and lesbians from accessing IVF in states which
already attempt to discriminate.
A Melbourne Court ruled on Friday that Victoria's state law breached the
federal Sex Discrimination Act by excluding single women and lesbians
access to IVF technology. The State Labor Bracks government said they
would stand by the courts ruling and open up IVF access.
The Liberal Party has unleashed a torrent of homophobic and anti-woman
diatribe to justify it's discriminatory policy, which it needs Labor and
the Democrats to pass.
Howard says it's not homophobic to deny IVF access to lesbian women. Or
to lambast them publicly for not having a father to bring up the kids.
And the government isn't anti- single mothers, it just doesn't want them
to have any children!
We know better! This government's crusade against lesbian and single
mum's is part of their concerted attempt to shove women back to the
1950's. To keep women in the nuclear heterosexual family, looking after
hubbie, caring for the children, doing all the domestic chores from
free, as is their "natural" role. This government wants to wind back the
ideological and practical gains won feminism: child-care funding has
been cut, women's services are being squeezed, abortion rights are under
attack, sex workers in WA are under unprecedented attack and so on. And
all these attacks are justifyed because " a woman's place is in the
home"; laboring unpaid and unrecognized.
This recent attacks are part of this attempt to wind back feminist ideas
and gains. And we won't accept it!
Women, regardless of their sexuality or marital status should have
access to reproductive technology. Single women and lesbians, and gay
male couples should have the freedom to make reproductive choices
without fear of discrimination or public attack.
The Labor Party's response to the issue is woefully inadequate. They
should come out against all forms of discrimination against gays,
lesbians and women. Instead they've made no concrete promise to block
Howard's IVF Discrimination Legislation and in a unconvincing
sidestepping move argue we should all just concern ourselves with
interest rate rises!
The rally has been called by Resistance and the Democratic Socialist
Party.
It has been endorsed by Friends of the Earth (Melbourne), Melbourne Uni
Student Union's Queer, Women's, Education, and Environment Department,
amongst others, are organising an action to
protest this latest round of attacks on gays and lesbian and women.
It's at 5:30 Monday August 7 at the G.P.O cnr Bourke St and Flinders St,
Melbourne.
Ring Melbourne Resistance Office for more information on 9639 6288.
Be there!
Pls pass this on.
LL.VH
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