Today is International Women’s Day . There is much to celebrate when it comes to progress for women throughout the world. There is also much to lament, both in relation to what still needs to be done and where the gains we have made risk going backwards.
Stillbirth, however, is standing still. The incidence of stillbirth is the same today as it has been for decades. Very little money or attention goes into research to reduce or prevent stillbirth.
Why? Stillbirth struggles on two fronts.
One, stillbirth is a thing that happens inside a woman’s body. In a male-dominated world, stillbirth is easily relegated as a private tragedy rather than as a public health matter.
Two, stillbirth is not a cause feminists want to champion. Even though stillbirth is a tragedy for thousands of women each year, most feminists don’t want to talk about the death of a baby inside its mother’s womb. Many feminists get uneasy about anything that gets a bit too close to abortion rights.
So let’s be clear: stillbirth happens to women who want to be mothers, who have chosen to take a baby to term. It has nothing to do with abortion. Many mothers of stillborn babies are pro-choice and would not seek to restrict women’s access to abortion services.
If feminists believe women’s choices should be respected, then there is nothing to fear from recognising a woman’s choice to be a motherThe Theme for this year International Women's day is Be Bold for Change.
International Women's Day (IWD ), originally called International Working Women's Day , is celebrated on March 8 every year. It commemorates the struggle for women's rights.
The earliest Women's Day observance was held on February 28, 1909, in New York and organized by the Socialist Party of America.
March 8, 1917 in the capital of Russian Empire, Petrograd , began a demonstration of women textile workers, covering the whole city. This was the beginning of the Russian Revolution . Seven days later, the Emperor of Russia Nicholas II abdicated and the
provisional Government granted women the right to vote.March 8 declared a national holiday in the Soviet Russia in 1917, it was predominantly celebrated by the socialist movement and communist countries until it was adopted in 1975 by the United Nations.