Iran president arrives in Iraqi Kurdistan on day two of visit

BARAZANI FAMILY CONTROL KDP, ARE COMPRADOURS AND QUIZLINGS

ByAFP

September 12, 2024



The president of Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, Nechirvan Barzani, welcomes Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian at Arbil airport - Copyright Iranian Presidency/AFP -

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian arrived Thursday in Iraqi Kurdistan to meet the autonomous region’s leaders, on the second day of a visit aimed at deepening ties with the neighbouring country.

It is Pezeshkian’s first foreign trip abroad since he took office in July.

Stepping off his plane in Arbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, Pezeshkian was welcomed by regional president Nechirvan Barzani on a red carpet lined with Kurdish Peshmerga forces standing at attention with rifles at their sides.

Pezeshkian held talks with Barzani and Kurdistan’s prime minister, Masrour Barzani, before heading to Sulaimaniyah, a city where the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) political party wields influence including in the local security services.

On Wednesday, the first leg of his three-day visit, Pezeshkian announced in Baghdad the signing of more than a dozen agreements to strengthen ties between Iran and Iraq.

His trip comes at a time of heightened tensions in the Middle East due to the war in Gaza, which has drawn in Iran-backed armed groups and complicated Iraq’s relations with the United States.

Iran’s ties with Iraqi Kurdistan have improved in recent months, aided by efforts to neutralise Iranian Kurdish opposition groups, which have long operated in the region.

Tehran in 2022 repeatedly carried out strikes on armed groups in Kurdistan, before Iraq in March 2023 signed a security agreement with Iran. Baghdad committed to disarm these groups and relocate them from border areas to camps.

“We have succeeded… in regulating the security situation in the border areas,” Iraqi Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani said on Wednesday, reiterating Iraq’s refusal to allow any acts of aggression to be launched against Iran from its territory.

Iran had accused the Iranian Kurdish opposition of smuggling weapons from Iraq and launching attacks on its security forces.

It also accused these movements of fuelling protests that shook Iran after the September 2022 death of Mahsa Amini, an Iranian Kurd arrested by the morality police.

MONOPOLY CAPITALI$M

UniCredit CEO says Commerzbank takeover an option: Bloomberg


By AFP
September 12, 2024

UniCredit is studying a takeover of Commerzbank, Chief Executive Andrea Orcel said Thursday, a day after Italy’s second-largest bank surprised markets by revealing a nine-percent stake in its German rival.

“Conversations about an M&A (merger and acquisition) or a further combination are on top” of ongoing discussions, Orcel told Bloomberg Television in an interview.

“We may go up, we may go down, and we may combine,” Orcel added.

In announcing its stake Wednesday, UniCredit said it intended to request authorisation to exceed 9.9 percent of Commerzbank’s capital “if and when necessary”.

UniCredit’s 4.49 percent stake was bought in an accelerated procedure on behalf of the German state for 702 million euros, bringing the total acquisition amount to around 1.4 billion euros ($1.54 billion).

The remainder was bought on the market, UniCredit said Wednesday.

Berlin on Tuesday had announced its intention to sell a 4.5 percent stake in Commerzbank, the first step in its withdrawal from Germany’s second-largest bank after saving it from bankruptcy in 2009.

“We think there is space given fragmentation of the market to add further value by consolidating,” Orcel said in the interview.

“If there is the basis to do that constructively and strengthen what we can provide to the German economy and Europe then that is a great move for UniCredit,” he added.

Unicredit’s next step is to enter into discussions with Commerzbank’s stakeholders to see “whether there is a basis for a combination”, Orcel said.

The services sector union Verdi, which is represented on Commerzbank’s supervisory board, called on the German government on Wednesday to “oppose” a possible takeover and not to sell further shares to UniCredit.

“We have always entertained a dialog with regulators, institutions and counterparts in Germany,” Orcel said.

“I would have thought all the relevant stakeholders were well aware of what we were doing and we would not have moved otherwise.”

Unicredit’s interest in Commerzbank comes after a failed attempt in October 2021 to take over Monte dei Paschi di Siena bank, which was itself saved from bankruptcy by the Italian state.

Shares of Unicredit rose 2.6 percent at midday to 37.10 euros.

Is it time to end remoting working and boost worker productivity?


By Dr. Tim Sandle
September 11, 2024

Does remote working ‘work’? This is a question that has created an intense debate in business circles. Some argue it is good for morale and performance; others see the activity as leading to slower productivity and an increasingly dejected workforce. And is what’s best for the worker also best for business?

Remote work has been linked to feelings of isolation for a proportion of those who regularly perform this activity, according to a new survey. Others perceive remote working to be ‘career limiting’, considering face-to-face interaction vital for career advancement.

A new study by CMAC Group has revealed that while remote work once promised newfound flexibility, UK workers are now facing a range of challenges that may be changing perceptions of this work model.

From a survey of some 1,000 adults, the findings have uncovered issues like distractions at home, struggles with communication, and even mental health concerns stemming from isolation.

This study raises questions about the future of hybrid work, emphasising the continued importance of face-to-face interactions in driving communication, trust, and business success – even in today’s digital world.

There are also issues of productivity. Among those who participated in the survey, 33.74 percent reported that distractions at home are a major obstacle, whilst 21.15 percent expressed that they face difficulties accessing resources needed to adequately fulfil their role and 21.90 percent said communication with colleagues has become a key issue.

On the communications front, attending in-person meetings was seen as a key benefit in addressing these concerns, with 55.4 percent of respondents believing that face-to-face meetings are more effective than virtual ones and 24.9 percent deeming them much more effective.

Further with communication, 21.75 percent expressed that in-person meetings resulted in better communication, more engagement (23.99 percent), improved decision-making (13.43 percent), and the ability to read body language (22.20 percent).

Meeting clients in person was found to be a clear benefit for business outcomes, with 81.9 percent of respondents agreeing that it has a positive impact and 69.4 percent believing that it helps to strengthen client relationships.

In many cases, internal company events such as team-building and social activities were deemed important by a majority of respondents.

Peter Slater, CEO of CMAC Group, commented on the findings, telling Digital Journal: “These insights clearly show that while remote work offers flexibility, the irreplaceable value of face-to-face interactions cannot be ignored.”

Slater adds: “Business travel not only enhances communication and decision-making but also creates trust, strengthens relationships and creates a strong sense of connection among colleagues. In an increasingly digital world, the human element is essential for driving innovation, collaboration and long-term success.”

UN chief calls for ‘courage’ ahead of Summit of the Future


By AFP
September 12, 2024

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called Thursday for world leaders to show greater “vision” and “courage” in their approach to the future, as a crunch summit on the threats and opportunities of the coming years nears.

In 2021, Guterres conceived the Summit of the Future, which on September 22 will see all 193 UN member nations seek to adopt a pact on what lays ahead, as a prelude to the annual General Assembly, which brings together world leaders.

Despite intense negotiations, the last version of the draft text published in August has been panned by observers as badly lacking in ambition.

“My appeal is for you to push hard for the deepest reforms and most meaningful actions possible. We need maximum ambition during these final days of negotiation,” Guterres said Thursday in a video statement issued to coincide with a virtual event 10 days ahead of the summit.

“We have no effective global response to new and even existential threats,” he said highlighting the challenges posed by climate change, as well as artificial intelligence being developed in an “ethical and legal vacuum.”

He flagged nuclear threats, the perils of populism, raging conflict and geopolitical divisions.

“Our institutions cannot keep up, because they were designed for another era and another world. The Security Council is stuck in a time warp — the international financial architecture is outdated and ineffective — and we are simply not equipped to take on a wide range of emerging issues,” he said.

“I call on Member States to act swiftly, with vision, courage, solidarity and a spirit of compromise” to get the three draft agreements over the finish line.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany, which along with Namibia is facilitating the negotiations, said there was at least some good news.

“An overwhelming majority of countries in the world agree on the goals that humanity should be striving for: We want a world that is safe, peaceful, just, equal, inclusive, sustainable and prosperous,” he said.

“The Pact offers us the chance to change the narrative of division, polarization and uncertainty. It offers us the chance to show the world that cooperation still yields results. That multilateralism is alive,” he added, while acknowledging the hurdles to reaching agreement.

The text under discussion contains around 60 “actions” on everything from the importance of multilateralism to respect for the UN Charter and peacekeeping.

It also emphasizes the need for reform of international financial institutions and the UN Security Council, as well as the fight against climate change, the importance of disarmament and the development of artificial intelligence.

Ireland launches EU privacy probe into Google AI development


By AFP
September 12, 2024


An Irish regulator helping to police European Union data privacy on Thursday launched an investigation into Google’s artificial intelligence development.

The inquiry comes as the EU and other major regulators around the world crack down on big tech over a raft of issues including competition, disinformation and taxation.

The EU has also adopted the world’s first sweeping rules to govern AI, which came into force in August.

“The Data Protection Commission today announced that it has commenced a cross-border statutory inquiry into Google Ireland,” where the US tech giant has its European headquarters.

The probe will look into the “development of its foundational AI model”, the DPC said in a statement.

The rise of AI has fuelled excitement about its potential, with chatbots that show humanlike ability to answer questions to generate everything from essays to recipes and computer codes.

But the emergence of AI has also sparked concerns about the technology taking jobs away from people and even posing an existential threat to humanity.

The Irish regulator said that its inquiry “concerns the question of whether Google has complied with any obligations that it may have had to undertake” under the EU’s strict General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

This would have been “prior to engaging in the processing of the personal data” of EU citizens related to the development of Google’s foundational AI Model, Pathways Language Model 2 (PaLM 2).

“We take seriously our obligations under the GDPR and will work constructively with the DPC to answer their questions,” a Google spokesperson said in response.

The Dublin-based watchdog said that “a data protection impact assessment, where required, is of crucial importance in ensuring that the fundamental rights and freedoms of individuals are adequately considered and protected when processing of personal data is likely to result in a high risk”.

“This statutory inquiry forms part of the wider efforts of the DPC” and other EU regulators overseeing “personal data of EU/EEA data subjects in the development of AI models and systems,” it added.

Google describes PalM2 as a “next generation language model with improved multilingual, reasoning and coding capabilities”.

– Tech crackdown –

The EU has sought to rein in big tech firms.

Companies will have to comply with the bloc’s new AI regulation by 2026, though rules covering AI models like OpenAI’s ChatGPT will apply 12 months after the law enters into force.

The DPC’s announcement comes two days after the European Commission scored two major legal victories in separate cases that left Apple and Google owing billions of euros.

Putting an end to a long-running legal battle, the European Court of Justice ruled that the iPhone maker must pay 13 billion euros ($14.3 billion) in back-taxes to Ireland — home to the European headquarters of Apple, Meta, TikTok and X thanks to its low tax regime.

The court also upheld a 2.4-billion-euro fine against Google, one of a string of high-profile EU competition cases targeting the group.

The court dismissed an appeal by Google against the 2017 fine, slapped on the search engine for abusing its dominant position by favouring its own comparison shopping service.

In the United States, meanwhile, Google has this week faced the start of a major antitrust trial, with the government accusing it of unfairly dominating online advertising and stifling competition.

Musk slams Australia as ‘fascists’ over anti-misinformation bill aimed at social platforms

POT CALLING KETTLE BLACK

Elon Musk has slammed Australia as "fascists" in response to proposed laws aimed at fining social media platforms for failing to curb misinformation. The "combating misinformation" bill, introduced Thursday, grants authorities powers to fine tech giants up to five percent of annual turnover. Musk's comment came via his platform X.


Issued on: 13/09/2024 - 
Tech mogul Elon Musk has attacked the Australian government over proposed laws that would fine social media giants for failing to stem the spread of misinformation. © Sergei Gapon, AFP
By:NEWS WIRES
Advertising


Tech mogul Elon Musk has likened the Australian government to "fascists", attacking proposed laws that would fine social media giants for failing to stem the spread of misinformation.

Australia introduced a "combating misinformation" bill on Thursday, which includes sweeping powers to fine tech giants up to five percent of their yearly turnover for breaching online safety obligations.

"Fascists," posted Musk in a one-word reply on social platform X, formerly known as Twitter, which he owns.

Musk's salvo threatened to rekindle his long-running spat with the Australian government.


The country's online watchdog took Musk's company to court earlier this year, alleging it had failed to remove "extremely violent" videos that showed a Sydney preacher being stabbed.

But it abruptly dropped its attempt to force a global takedown order on X after Musk scored a legal victory in a preliminary hearing, a move he celebrated as a free speech triumph.

eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant -- a former Twitter employee -- has said Musk's takeover coincided with a rise in "toxicity and hate" on the platform.

Musk has also been butting heads in Brazil, where a judge has effectively suspended X after it ignored a series of court directives.

Australia has been at the forefront of global efforts to regulate social media platforms.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese unveiled plans earlier this week to ban children from social media until they are at least 14 years old.

(AFP)

CHINA PEACEMAKER

China defence minister calls for 'negotiation' to end Ukraine, Gaza wars

Beijing (AFP) – Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun said Friday that "negotiation" was the only solution to conflicts such as the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, as he addressed a global gathering of military officials in Beijing.


Issued on: 13/09/2024

Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun spoke to delegates in Beijing at the Xiangshan Forum © ADEK BERRY / AFP


Scores of delegates are in Beijing for the Xiangshan Forum, dubbed China's answer to the annual Shangri-La meeting in Singapore.

It is hosting more than 500 representatives from over 90 countries and organisations across three days, according to state media.

Dong told the opening ceremony: "To resolve hotspot issues such as the crisis in Ukraine and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, promoting peace and negotiation is the only way out."

"There is no winner in war and conflict, and confrontation leads nowhere," Dong said.

"The more acute the conflict, the more we cannot give up dialogue and consultation. The end of any conflict is reconciliation," he added, calling on all countries to promote "peaceful development and inclusive governance".

More official speeches are expected on Friday, and top military representatives from Russia, Pakistan, Singapore, Iran, Germany and others will participate in roundtable talks.

Topics for discussion at the forum include US-China relations, security in Europe and Asia, and the challenges of defence in a multipolar world.

Dong in his speech urged against "the proliferation of national security concepts" to ensure "new technologies can better benefit the whole mankind" -- a likely reference to the United States' efforts to block Beijing's access to advanced technology.

"At a time of high global security risks and increased instability and unpredictability, the responsibility for building the defence and security capacity of all countries is enormous," Dong said.

Beijing, he added, "is willing to work with all parties to strengthen strategic alignment, deepen defence consultations, discuss the signing of bilateral and multilateral agreements on defence cooperation".
Flashpoints

US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Michael Chase is attending the forum, just a few days after top Washington and Beijing commanders held their first talks.

Washington and Beijing remain at odds on issues from trade to the status of self-ruled Taiwan and China's increasingly assertive approach in disputed maritime regions.

But they have sought to re-establish regular military-to-military talks in a bid to prevent flashpoint disputes from spinning out of control.

A key flashpoint is the South China Sea, where Chinese vessels have engaged in a series of high-profile confrontations with Philippine ships in recent months.

China claims almost all of the economically vital body of water despite competing claims from other countries and an international court ruling that its assertion has no legal basis.

On Thursday, senior military official Lieutenant General He Lei told journalists at the forum that China would "crush" any foreign incursion into its sovereign territory including in the South China Sea.

© 2024 AFP

Another rare Javan rhino calf spotted at Indonesia park

Jakarta (AFP) – A new Javan rhino calf has been spotted in an Indonesian national park, the facility's head said Friday, further boosting hopes for one of the world's most endangered mammals after two other sightings this year.


Issued on: 13/09/2024 - 

Javan rhinos have folds of loose skin giving them the appearance of wearing armour plating 

© HANDOUT / MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT AND FORESTRY REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA/AFP

The female calf, believed to be between three and five months old, was spotted in camera trap footage taken in May at Java's Ujung Kulon National Park, a find only made public Thursday by Indonesia's environment and forestry ministry.

The mammal named Iris was seen walking with her mother, said Ardi Andono, head of the park.

"This is positive news for the wider community that the Javan rhino is still sustainable," Ardi told AFP Friday.

The park official said Iris, the third calf identified this year, was found after authorities deployed more than 100 camera traps across the national park in February.

"We always use the assumption that every location has the same potential... to obtain the rhinos' photos," said Ardi.

He said two more calves were spotted earlier this year at the park, which is the only habitat left for the critically endangered animal.

After years of population decline, authorities believe there are 82 Javan rhinos left inside the 120,000-hectare sanctuary of lush rainforest and freshwater streams.

The rhinos, which have folds of loose skin giving them the appearance of wearing armour plating, once numbered in the thousands across Southeast Asia but have been hard hit by rampant poaching and human encroachment.

Activists have disputed official figures after authorities recently uncovered a poaching gang that claimed to have killed 26 rhinos since 2018.

© 2024 AFP

North Korea reveals images of uranium enrichment facility for the first time

North Korea released images of its uranium enrichment facility on Friday, showing leader Kim Jong Un touring the site. Kim called for an increase in centrifuges to boost the country's nuclear arsenal for "self-defence," state media reported.

Issued on: 13/09/2024 -

This undated photo released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency on September 13, 2024 shows the country’s leader Kim Jong Un (front) inspecting the Nuclear Weapons Institute. © AFP

By: NEWS WIRES


North Korea released images of its uranium enrichment facility for the first time on Friday, showing leader Kim Jong Un touring it as he called for more centrifuges to boost his nuclear arsenal.

The country, which conducted its first nuclear test in 2006 and is under rafts of UN sanctions for its banned weapons programmes, has never publicly disclosed details of its uranium enrichment facility.

Such facilities produce highly enriched uranium -- which is needed to produce nuclear warheads -- by spinning the original material in centrifuges at high speeds.

Kim toured the Nuclear Weapons Institute and the "production base of weapon-grade nuclear materials," the official Korean Central News Agency reported, without giving the location of the facility or the date of the visit.

Kim "stressed the need to further augment the number of centrifuges in order to exponentially increase the nuclear weapons for self-defence," state media reported, publishing images of Kim inspecting rows of centrifuges.

Kim "acquainted himself with the production of nuclear warheads and current nuclear materials," the report said.

The North Korean leader was briefed about the facility "dynamically producing nuclear materials by studying, developing and introducing all the system elements including centrifugal separators," KCNA said.

Kim urged the facility to "push forward the introduction of a new-type centrifuge... so as to further strengthen the foundation for producing weapon-grade nuclear materials".

Kim also "stressed the need to set a higher long-term goal in producing nuclear materials necessary", added KCNA.

North Korea's nuclear weapons programmes are banned by UN sanctions, but the country has long flouted the restrictions, thanks in part to support from allies Russia and China.

Experts said the sudden public disclosure of the North's uranium enrichment facility could be intended to impact the US presidential election in November.

The images are "a message to the next administration that it will be impossible to denuclearise North Korea", Hong Min, a senior analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification, told AFP.

"It is also a message demanding other countries to acknowledge North Korea as a nuclear state," he added.

It is unlikely that the disclosure will be quickly followed by another nuclear test, he said.

Pyongyang last month said a record downpour in late July had killed an unspecified number of people, flooded dwellings and submerged swathes of farmland in its northern regions near China.

38 North, a North Korean analysis programme run by the Stimson Centre think-tank, reported on Wednesday that North Korea's main nuclear test site had been damaged by floodwaters.

North Korea's main nuclear test site "is in very bad condition. All roads and railways have been lost due to rain damage, and the ground is very weakened," Hong added.

Relations between North and South Korea are at one of their lowest points in years, with the North recently announcing the deployment of 250 ballistic missile launchers to its southern border.

The North has also been bombarding the South with trash-carrying balloons, including a five-day straight blitz last week.

On Thursday, Seoul said the North had fired multiple short range ballistic missiles into waters east of the Korean peninsula.

But KCNA said in a separate dispatch Friday that this had been a test of a "new-type 600mm multiple rocket launcher" which was overseen by Kim.

(AFP)

The global gag rule and women’s abortion rights

9th September 2024Leave a Commenton The global gag rule and women’s abortion rights

“Supporters of women’s equality understand that equal participation in the public sphere, and for women living our lives as full human beings, involves the right for women to choose if, and when, to become mothers.”

By Liz Lawrence

In the context of the forthcoming US Presidential election, in which Republican and Democratic parties take very different positions on abortion rights and in which the Democratic presidential contestant, Kamala Harris, is taking a clear pro-choice stance.

Why birth control is essential for women’s liberation

Decades of feminist campaigning in many countries have led to a widespread understanding among feminists, socialists and labour movement activists that access to birth control is essential for women’s liberation. Many trade unions now have pro-choice policies. Debates around access to birth control, both contraception and abortion, often contain debates about the position of women in society. For conservatives who seek to restrict reproductive rights women should primarily be wives and mothers, living in a traditional patriarchal family, with other activities, such as education, employment and participation in public life, secondary to the maternal role.

Supporters of women’s equality understand that equal participation in the public sphere, and for women living our lives as full human beings, involves the right for women to choose if, and when, to become mothers. A human being cannot participate equally in education, employment, politics or any other sphere, if life might be disrupted at any moment by unplanned pregnancy, and if their participation in the public sphere is always subject to the assumption that they might leave any position they occupy at any moment on account of pregnancy and motherhood. This stigma of potential maternity was used for generations to deny women equal opportunities in the workplace.

There are questions of bodily autonomy and access to health care involved. For the anti-abortionists the woman’s body is the property of anyone other than the woman, whether it be her parents, husband or the state. Birth control is healthcare. Without access to birth control many women suffer health damage and risk to life from repeated pregnancies and childbirth.

Why birth control is essential for women’s liberation

The global gag rule is a United States Government ban on foreign NGOs which provide abortion services (including abortion advice) from receiving any US Government funding. It is also known as the Mexico City policy, because this was the venue where it was announced by the US Government at the United Nations International Conference on Population and Development.

This ban also affects NGOs which advocate for abortion law reform such as the decriminalisation of abortion. Even if any abortion-related activities are funded by the NGO from other sources, it still loses all US Government funding. The global gag rule originally ended $600 million in money for family planning services.  International Planned Parenthood lost 20% of its funding. Thus, healthcare organisations were faced with a choice of either losing funding or restricting the services they provided.

The global gag rule was first introduced in 1985 by President Ronald Reagan. Since then, each successive US administration has decided either to maintain or lift the gag. This has made funding for abortion-related healthcare services a party-political issue in the USA and a matter of increasingly sharp political division. In some countries such matters can be seen as healthcare issues where there is a bipartisan or multi-party consensus, which is based on respect for the right of women to choose and on medical and scientific evidence. In the USA a change of President can almost immediately mean either the lifting or the re-imposition of the global gag rule, with Democratic Presidents Clinton, Obama and Biden all lifting the gag.

In January 2017 President Trump expanded the global gag rule to cover more health areas. It had originally applied to NGOs in the family planning field, but it was extended to all international healthcare assistance and affected nearly $9 billion in healthcare funding. It thus affected areas like HIV education.

The global gag rule restricted the ability of healthcare workers to counsel clients properly and offer a full range of options or to campaign on healthcare issues. It had a chilling effect on health education and advocacy, similar to section 28 or other attempts by governments to limit sex education and advice by sexual health services. It can thus also be seen as a freedom of speech issue.

The health impact of the global gag

Maternal mortality worldwide is unacceptably high. About 287 000 women died during and following pregnancy and childbirth in 2020.  Almost 95% of maternal deaths occurred in low and lower middle-income countries in 2020, and most could have been prevented by access to better healthcare.

Women in low-income countries have a higher lifetime risk of maternal death. A woman’s lifetime risk of maternal death is the probability that a 15-year-old woman will eventually die from a maternal cause. In high income countries, this is 1 in 5300, versus 1 in 49 in low-income countries.

For many women in the world today pregnancy is a life-threatening condition, as it was centuries ago world-wide. This means women go through pregnancy knowing it could lead to their death or permanent injury to health. This takes a toll on both physical and mental health.

Cutting funding for family planning services leads to more unplanned pregnancies, and may increase the abortion rate. Bans on abortion do not stop abortion; they just increase the likelihood that the procedure occurs under unsafe conditions, with higher rates of mortality and morbidity. The World Health Organisation estimates that 45% of abortions are unsafe.

The global gag has also impacted health education and health advocacy, including HIV/AIDS education and support for marginal and vulnerable groups, including workers in the sex industry. When funding for healthcare is cut, it is often the poorest and most vulnerable who are most affected.

How the abortion issue has been politicised

“My name is Ann Richards. I am pro-choice and I vote.” This is what Ann Richards, Democratic Governor of Texas said at the Democratic National Convention in 1992. This is a good example of how women and pro-choice activists can be galvanised by this issue, as is happening now with the Kamala Harris campaign for the US Presidency.

The Republican Party has made alliances with the Christian evangelical right, treating abortion as a key political dividing issue. Ultra-conservatives often pick an issue or two, whether abortion, homosexuality, transgender rights or sex education in schools as a focus for campaigning and as a test of political acceptability.

Right-wing Christian evangelicals and other religious fundamentalists subscribe to a theology in which salvation is linked with conformity to narrowly-defined, traditional gender roles, in which sex is only for reproduction and in which foetal life is given equal or higher status than the life of the pregnant person. Hence the woman who declines motherhood or the person who lives in a same-sex relationship or seeks to change gender cannot be accepted. This is a quest for Gilead, the dystopian society portrayed by Margaret Atwood in “The Handmaid’s Tale”.

Some Republican politicians are Christian nationalists; that is to say, they want to remove the separation of religion and the state, which was one of the major achievements of the American Revolution and to establish some version of a theocratic state. It can be hard for reasonable and liberal-minded people to appreciate just how reactionary all of this is.

Donald Trump and JD Vance use misogyny to mobilise a section of the electorate and to attack their opponents. It may fire up their base, but it will also turn off many American voters. Vance is mentioned often for his notorious remark that the US was governed by ‘childless cat ladies’ and the implication that only parents have a right to an opinion or a vote. Such views are off the wall and have sparked many amusing ripostes. Nonetheless they should not be ignored because they express both a serious level of misogyny and contempt for single people.

What happens in the US presidential election has significant implications for women’s lives and for reproductive rights and healthcare provision world-wide.

---

• Liz Lawrence is a former President of University and College Union (UCU).
• This article was originally published by Anti*Capitalist Resistance on 24th August 2024.
• The Labour Outlook Editorial Team may not always agree with all of the content we reproduce but are committed to giving left voices a platform to develop, debate, discuss and occasionally disagree.