Israel gave birth control to Ethiopian Jews without their consent

Discussion in 'Politics & Current Events' started by Matt in the Hat, Jan 28, 2013.

  1. Matt in the Hat

    Matt in the Hat Moderator
    Staff Member

    Sep 21, 2002
    Brooklyn
    Club:
    New York Red Bulls
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    http://www.independent.co.uk/news/w...opian-jews-without-their-consent-8468800.html

    "Israel has admitted for the first time that it has been giving Ethiopian Jewish immigrants birth-control injections, often without their knowledge or consent. The government had previously denied the practice but the Israeli Health Ministry’s director-general has now ordered gynaecologists to stop administering the drugs. According a report in Haaretz, suspicions were first raised by an investigative journalist, Gal Gabbay, who interviewed more than 30 women from Ethiopia in an attempt to discover why birth rates in the community had fallen dramatically. One of the Ethiopian women who was interviewed is quoted as saying: “They [medical staff] told us they are inoculations. We took it every three months. We said we didn’t want to.” It is alleged that some of the women were forced or coerced to take the drug while in transit camps in Ethiopia. The drug in question is thought to be Depo-Provera, which is injected every three months and is considered to be a highly effective, long-lasting contraceptive. Nearly 100,000 Ethiopian Jews have moved to Israel under the Law of Return since the 1980s, but their Jewishness has been questioned by some rabbis. Last year, the Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who also holds the health portfolio, warned that illegal immigrants from Africa “threaten our existence as a Jewish and democratic state”.

    This is absolutely sick and indefensible.
     
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  2. Umar

    Umar Member+

    Sep 13, 2005
    One step ahead
    Club:
    Real Madrid
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    ...and not at all surprising. They have been in the ethnic cleansing business for decades. Their ethnocratic state could not have been formed and cannot continue to exist without executing strategies to alter the demographic make-up of the area.
     
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  3. Cascarino's Pizzeria

    Apr 29, 2001
    New Jersey, USA
    Black Israelites' heads are exploding all over Times Square
     
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  4. Q*bert Jones III

    Q*bert Jones III The People's Poet

    Feb 12, 2005
    Woodstock, NY
    Club:
    DC United
    ******** Netanyahu.

    ******** him for being an asshole. ******** him for being a racist. ******** him for embarrassing, humiliating, and bringing disrepute to an entire nation. I hope he dies in his sleep. Tonight.
     
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  5. Claymore

    Claymore Member

    Jul 9, 2000
    Montgomery Vlg, MD
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    So for the record: European Jews good, African Jews bad. Nothing racist about that, nooooo.
     
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  6. Caesar

    Caesar Moderator
    Staff Member

    Mar 3, 2004
    Oztraya
    The depressing part is that this isn't even surprising.
     
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  7. Demosthenes

    Demosthenes Member+

    May 12, 2003
    Berkeley, CA
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    This is so disgusting it's almost incomprehensible. But it's not too different from some legislation that's been proposed in the USA. It's just the other side of the "pro-life" coin. You want government to be powerful enough to force women to give birth against their will? Well that government is also going to be powerful enough to force women to take birth control (or get abortions) against their will.

    The state has no rightful role in determining if, how or when a woman gets pregnant or gives birth. The sooner we can all acknowledge that, the closer to an equitable society we'll be.
     
  8. Caesar

    Caesar Moderator
    Staff Member

    Mar 3, 2004
    Oztraya
    That's a false equivalency, and it does a disservice to this issue.
     
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  9. Dignan23

    Dignan23 Member+

    Jul 6, 2001
    Fort Vancouver, WA
    Club:
    Portland Timbers
    Every time Israel does something horrible like this, it just makes Mel Gibson look slightly less crazy. They're pissing me off for that reason alone.
     
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  10. roadkit

    roadkit Greetings from the Fringe of Obscurity

    Jul 2, 2003
    Fornax Cluster
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Absolutely 100% spot on, Demo.
     
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  11. Caesar

    Caesar Moderator
    Staff Member

    Mar 3, 2004
    Oztraya
    It's not remotely spot on. There is a fundamental difference between denying someone access to an abortion, and denying them the ability to reproduce altogether (without their knowledge, no less).

    I'm completely pro-choice, but it's stupid and borderline offensive that Demo is trying to draw some idiotic parallel between the two to make a political point.

    What is being done to these women is so far beyond the simple banning of abortion that it's not funny.
     
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  12. taosjohn

    taosjohn Member+

    Dec 23, 2004
    taos,nm
    I'm afraid I also do not see a fundamental difference; can you explain a little what we're missing?
     
  13. ToasterLeavins

    Mar 25, 2003
    NJ USA
    Club:
    Everton FC
    Even if you are completely pro choice, you can at least understand the point of view that the other side thinks they are protecting an innocent unborn life even if you disagree about which concern is paramount. There's no possible understanding of sterilizing women who have no idea thats what is being done to them. They ARE NOT comparable.
     
  14. song219

    song219 BigSoccer Supporter

    Apr 5, 2004
    La Norte
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    Vanuatu
    Apparently this began while Sharon was PM and ran through the time Olmert was PM.
     
  15. Q*bert Jones III

    Q*bert Jones III The People's Poet

    Feb 12, 2005
    Woodstock, NY
    Club:
    DC United
    Then I stand by my earlier wish and add Olmert's name to it. Sharon, well, he can just carry on. I haven't been able to get this horrific story out of my head.
     
  16. taosjohn

    taosjohn Member+

    Dec 23, 2004
    taos,nm
    So the fact that they weren't informed is "fundamental" in your opinion?
     
  17. Cascarino's Pizzeria

    Apr 29, 2001
    New Jersey, USA
    No - Mel is still nuttier than an almond. But the crew that committed this sick crime against Ethiopians is even sicker.

    As someone in the original article wrote - "Israel now practices eugenics"
     
  18. Caesar

    Caesar Moderator
    Staff Member

    Mar 3, 2004
    Oztraya
    Relatively speaking, even women with no access to abortion still have quite a large degree of control over their reproductive choices. By and large they able to decide whether they have sex, and whether or not they uses protection. And at the end of the day, if they do end up with a baby they don't want, they still have the option to give it up for adoption.

    Yes, I know - this is grossly insufficient. I agree, I am pro-choice. But nonetheless, some options still exist.

    On the other hand these women have no choice. None at all, at any stage in the process.

    The correct corollary to this situation wouldn't be denying women access to abortions. It would be if the government actually went around forcibly impregnating women against their will and without their knowledge, and THEN denied them access to abortions. i.e. about a thousand times worse.

    It is disgusting, revolting and inhumane. Using it to make a roundabout political point about abortion legislation in the USA is borderline offensive in the degree that it downplays the violation of these women's human rights.
     
  19. Auriaprottu

    Auriaprottu Member+

    Atlanta Damn United
    Apr 1, 2002
    The back of the bus
    Club:
    Atlanta
    Nat'l Team:
    --other--
    It's time to let these people fight their own battles in the ME.
     
  20. Chris M.

    Chris M. Member+

    Jan 18, 2002
    Chicago
    I think a lot of reasonable people are beginning to lean a little bit in this direction. You can't take allies for granted because you think you have the government in your pocket.
     
  21. Dignan23

    Dignan23 Member+

    Jul 6, 2001
    Fort Vancouver, WA
    Club:
    Portland Timbers
    So this is weird. I looked on CNN, Fox News, MSNBC and BBC news websites, and NONE of them have any articles on the Israeli Ethiopian Jew birth control story.

    I can only think of two reasons why that might be the case. Well, ok, three reasons. The third reason is that the "search" function on their website is non-functional. On all four websites. That seems unlikely.

    Thoughts?
     
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  22. Chris M.

    Chris M. Member+

    Jan 18, 2002
    Chicago
    Same thoughts I always have. Our media sucks and will eventually bring us down. If no one hands them a press release that they can "report" then forget it. They are too busy talking about the 2016 presidential campaign.
     
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  23. Dignan23

    Dignan23 Member+

    Jul 6, 2001
    Fort Vancouver, WA
    Club:
    Portland Timbers
    The sad thing is that "incompetence" is actually the preferable to the other possible reasons that the large media outlets aren't covering the story.
     
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  24. Chris M.

    Chris M. Member+

    Jan 18, 2002
    Chicago
    Do you have a link? From the one provided from Matt, it sounds as if the government is just stopping this now.
     
  25. Chris M.

    Chris M. Member+

    Jan 18, 2002
    Chicago
    From the article:

    Nearly 100,000 Ethiopian Jews have moved to Israel under the Law of Return since the 1980s, but their Jewishness has been questioned by some rabbis. Last year, the Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who also holds the health portfolio, warned that illegal immigrants from Africa “threaten our existence as a Jewish and democratic state”.
     

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