Secondly, listening to my daily commute podcasts, I came across a recent Woman’s Hour this week which was looking at the sterilization of drug addicts in America and the suggestion this is on its way to the UK. The organisation responsible pay $300 to female drug addicts to be sterilized, grounded in the belief that we must protect the innocent children who are born from drug addicts with various psychological and physical problems. I slap my wrists for not remembering the spokeswoman involved the discussion but I was really disturbed by the ideas informing such a process. Much of the defence revolved firstly around the need to protect the potential offspring but they were also arguing that it would be so good if the money was used for positive purposes and the fact that the women in question were volunteers. My criticism of such an argument is this – can we class women addicted to and under the influence of drugs as ‘volunteers’? And if the money is merely used for more drugs, which the organisation openly acknowledged, then what is the real reasons behind such a process? As the spokesperson for a UK drug addiction support charity said during the discussion, is this not then just taking care of ‘undesirables’ – is it not similar to the sterilization under the Nazi regime?

There’s more on this topic over at Comment is Free and BBC News. What are your thoughts?

Their national launch will be taking place Tuesday 2nd March 2010 at The Women’s Library, London with the showcase of the body image animation ‘More Than a Face’ and North West regional body image banner, as well as ‘What Young Women Want’ book of postcards created by young woman across the country about their needs and wants today.

The official Launch will run 2-4pm with a show case and key note speaker in the first hour and a chance for the young women and professionals there to talk to each other about key issues in the second hour.

Contact them via their web-site if you wish to attend.

This year is the centenary of the Girl Guides. I was a Brownie but never made it as far as the Girl Guides (the association seemed at odds with my increasing desire to become a rock star). I did love being a Brownie though and I think part of this was because it challenged preconceptions of what it meant to be a ‘little girl’. At times yes, we indulged in activities and chores deemed female but there was a balance as we also were encouraged to take part in things that perhaps in our homes, or at school, would be seen as boyish (such as orienteering, camping, climbing trees). Brownies went well with my Enid Blyton world I guess, my nostalgic side sighs at the moves to modernise the association.

Where you a Brownie or Girl Guide? What are your thoughts?

Laura

For more on the Girls Guides Centenary see here.

Recent newspaper coverage at:
The Daily Express
The Guardian
The Independent
The Telegraph

Britain’s Next Fat Dyke Top Model
…could be you. DIVA, the UK-based lesbian magazine, are publishing a Fat-themed issue this autumn and are looking for folks to model for them.

and

Call for Papers: The Somatechnics of Size: Queer Interventions

At the F Word

Why rape jokes aren’t harmless fun.

Pam Spaulding via Feministing

Faux News: new Surgeon General nom ‘too fat’ to serve

Women and Hollywood hit epic proportions

Milestone Reached at Women & Hollywood: 1,000 Posts

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So, what do you know?

Charlotte