For all the very good things Allied troops have fought for in Afghanistan, the notion that girls should receive and education isn't one that seems to gain traction.
Students were gathering in the yard of Aftab Bachi school in Muhmud Raqi for a morning reading of the Quran when a strange odor filled the area. First one girl collapsed, then others, said the school's principal, Mossena, who fought for breath as she described the event from her hospital bed.
"I saw several students fall down on the ground," said Mossena, who like many Afghans goes by one name. Teachers told the rest of the students to go home. Mossena said she did not know what happened next because she collapsed and woke up in the main hospital in Muhmud Raqi, the capital of Kapisa province, which lies just northeast of Kabul.
At least 98 people were admitted, including 84 students, Mossena, 11 teachers and two cleaners, said Khalid Enayat, the hospital's deputy director. He said they were monitoring about another 30 students to see if they developed symptoms.
In the Swat Valley of neighbouring "friendly" Pakistan, Shari'a was established last month, which is having a similar effect on education, and is harmful to both women and Christians.
Religious minorities, including Christians, and human rights groups are very concerned about the government’s decision which effectively places the whole region in the hands of militias.
Women, who are already victims of discrimination and exclusion in society, will be the first to suffer from the application of Sharia.
Girls and young women are likely to lose the right to go to schools. Since the start of the year many have been targeted by armed groups.
Since the start of the Taliban military campaign in 2007 168 schools have been attacked, including 104 girls’ schools. An additional 400 private schools could also be shut down.
Altogether some 80,000 female students could have their education put at risk whilst about 8,000 female teachers could lose their job.
On another dark topic, the standard lies that brought us abortion on demand in much of the west are still standard procedures for proponents of legalised abortion, and now the perpetrator is none other than our own Secretary of State.
The National Catholic Register contacted Department of State spokeswoman Laura Tischler to see if there was any record of Clinton’s trip to Brazilian hospitals. Tischler said, "I am unable to confirm where or when the trip she referred to in her testimony was — where specifically in Brazil she was visiting or when the trip occurred."
[Representative Chris] Smith said that this approach of exaggerating numbers and using "junk science" was how former abortionist and founding member of NARAL, Dr. Bernard Nathanson, attempted to influence public policy. Nathanson once said that 10,000 women were dying in the United States because of botched abortions, but later after his conversion to Catholicism, said that he and other pro-abortionists exaggerated those claims and the number was closer to 200-250 women annually.
Nathanson said their tactic was simple: "Repeating the big lie often enough convinces the public."
Nothing ruffles the feathers of feminists in pursuit of access to abortion, not even the fact that many babies are killed because they are girls. This is rampant in Asia, but even Europeans have firm plans when it comes to sex-selection, and the law must apply:
Doctors had asked health authorities about the matter after a woman from southern Sweden had two of her children killed in utero for being an undesired sex. The woman had already given birth to two daughters.
The gender was determined during an amniocentesis requested to determine whether the child had a disability. Concerned doctors at Mälaren Hospital then asked Sweden's National Board of Health and Welfare to determine a protocol for future instances in which they "feel pressured to examine the foetus's gender" without a medical necessity.
The medical board responded that such requests must be accommodated. According to Swedish law, abortion is legal on any basis whatsoever up to the 18th week of gestation, and therefore the board said doctors cannot deny a mother seeking to have an unborn child killed because it is the wrong gender.
Interesting that the doctors were even frustrated -- after proving to the mother that each of the children was healthy, they were killed because they were not boys. Let's pray that this sad case at least causes those offering abortions to rethink their service. Imagine what the two daughters will think one day -- since this case is so public.
Another European country, purportedly Catholic, is undertaking a new and grievous step:
"Once the sale of this drug is authorized, the obligation exists for pharmacies to have it available," she told the media. She also claimed that a committee of physicians had determined that the drug poses no serious risks and does not need to be given by prescription.
However, pro-life physicians strongly contradicted Jimenez' claim. Dr. Gador Joya, spokesman for the Spanish organization Right to Life, told the pro-life website HazteOir.org that in fact, "the so called day after pill has an abortive effect. The measure announced by the minister envisions establishing free abortion … It also assumes that children will be given the power to have abortions using this method without their parents' knowledge or authorization. It is not only a humanitarian aberration, but a medical one."
The problem is two-fold -- not only are abortions being procured without full knowledge or understanding (because of the spin claiming otherwise) but pharmacists are forced to comply, inhibiting their freedom of conscience.
Comments
“People have realized that the complete removal of the feminine element from the Christian message is a shortcoming from an anthropological viewpoint. It is theologically and anthropologically important for woman to be at the center of Christianity."
This is just another of the unintended consequences of the cultural acceptance of contraception and abortion! Men's sexuality has been robbed of its creative essence. It is now viewed as something that imposes a burden on women (when conception happens to occur), something used to control women or something that is purely recreational. Why would men bother?? In taking away their responsibility, we've also robbed them of their significance! In the big picture of humanity, men have been made into nothing more than a nuisance women have to figure out how to control in order to bring about the next generation. Men don't see it as their task to protect the vulnerable because they see themselves as the vulnerable ones. A few well preserved vials of sperm would make men entirely obsolete in the world's ethos today!!
That is astounding Robin, and good for you for standing up. At the heart of that matter, I think, is even worse than a gender mixing message. There is an increased sharper and sharper focus on the "self." Solid Catholic teaching returns our focus away from ourselves to Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The original sin, Eve denied her womanhood when she desired to be like "gods." Since the only god she knew was the Father. Where was Adam? He stood impotent... in other words, they were divorced. There's a young girl at Robin's son's high school who was just told that she is the center of the universe and it's a tragic disservice to her.
Ditto what Mary said! A lot of high schools have very poor math and science depts, for boys and girls. I also am educated as a chemical engineer, but chose to teach the two years before we had children because its hours were more suited to spending time with children. (I was looking ahead). When it came time and I was pregnant with our first, I realized that I did not want to leave him with someone else, and was able to stay home full time. I am not sure it would have been that easy if we were used to another engineering income and not just a private school teacher income. Also some of my first job offers were out on oil rigs - I had no interest in that at all even though I enjoyed my engineering classes and did well in them. No one discouraged me from an engineering job, on the contrary I got a lot of flack for my decision not to pursue an engineering career.
I've been lurking, but this is one that irritates me. Beats the heck out of me what these "barriers" are. I was educated as a chemical engineer, where 1/3 of our class was women. However, in electrical engineering, only 1 or 2 out of 30 were women. Is it possible that women are Just Not Interested in some areas? Nah, it must be The Man keeping us down so we must legislate (and, I agree -- when they say "legistlate", I hear "quota"). And actually, I have a friend that was also a chemical engineer. When she lost her job, she decided not to go back into engineering and started working from home so she could spend more time with her 3 kids. Also, if nothing else, there are all kinds of incentives for women to enter science and engineering -- scholarships not available to men, guaranteed housing on campuses that do not guarantee housing to the general population, etc. I think you hit the nail on the head when you said that schools in general are not preparing students for the hard sciences. It is truly a sad state of affairs, the lack of science education these days.