Femme, around the world

Things are a hopping globally.

Following the move in Mexico to allow women reproductive choice is being followed up by others.

New Minister of Health in Brazil calls for debate on abortion.

Mr Temporao says that around 200,000 women are treated for complications following abortions every year, the vast majority of them believed to have taken place in illegal clinics involving a high degree of risk for the women.

So many suffering for others prudish fears.

An opinion poll released at the weekend suggests 65% of Brazilians are against changing the existing law.

Mr Temporao says that result is not surprising as he believes the question has always been debated in a superficial way.

He told the newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo he wants Brazil to treat the discussion as a matter of public health.

Yes, a public health issue. Brazil has a severe issue with abandoned children. Kids and gangs on the street are serious problems for this nation. It is darn time for them to address and face this issue. Let them get this debate going.

And from one Portuguese nation to the motherland.

Portugal legalizes abortion!

Yesterday, Portugal's president Anibal Cavaco Silva ratified a law allowing women to obtain abortions until the 10th week of pregnancy.

The abortion law, which the Roman Catholic church in Portugal fiercely opposed, will come into force when the government publishes it in official records, probably next month.

The old law was among the most restrictive in Europe. It allowed the procedure in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy only if a mother's health was at risk; in cases of rape, a termination was permitted up to and including the 16th week. The government hopes the new law will put an end to dangerous illegal abortions.

Women’s health organizations say that approximately 10,000 women in Portugal need to be hospitalized every year with complications from illegal abortions.

From extremely restrictive laws to choice being opened up. Good for them. Smart of them.

News from India:

Civil servants in India required to reveal their menstrual cycles

Female civil servants in India are furious with new government guidelines that force them to list intimate details, including their menstrual history, in appraisal forms, a newspaper reported on Wednesday.

The All-India Services Performance Appraisal Rules 2007 -- which apply to senior government workers -- ask female employees to record their last menstrual period, as well as when they last took maternity leave, the Hindustan Times said.

That is so wrong.

And this relates to job performance...how? Well, it doesn't. Apparently the head of the personnel department, Satyanand Mishra, was quoted in the Hindustan Times newspaper as saying the questions were based on advice from the Ministry of Health: "We sought the ministry's help to draw up a health-history format. I assume this will help evaluate the officer's fitness." Uh huh. Sure it will.

In Arabia:

Saudi women fighting marital rape.

Women in Saudi Arabia have been filing for divorce because they have been raped and abused by their husbands. As sex is not talked about in the same way, women have a harder time coming out against violence they are facing in their marriages.

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Marital rape is not recognized by most countries in the world. The article says that UNICEF found in 1997 that only 17 countries actually recognized marital rape. This coupled with the plethora of reasons women are afraid to come out or leave abusive relationships, is only compounded with courts that will not grant permission to divorce.

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Marital rape is just ignored on too many fronts. For some reason if you have a ring, you ask for it. But to many hold that skirt size, Blood Alcohol level, time of day, make up use, etc also speak to your receptiveness.

Even in marriage, sex is NOT guaranteed. Sorry to ruin the magic.