Editorial
Dear Currents Readers ,
Some of us in this club are expats , some are immigrants , and some simply have strong ties to the United States . This is reason enough to keep an eye on American politics , but it ’ s not the only reason . American political events and policies still reverberate around the world , for better or worse . Recently , as far as a woman ’ s right to bodily autonomy and a controlling hand in her own destiny are concerned , the changes are for the worse . We refer primarily ( but not exclusively ) to the recent Supreme Court ’ s striking down of Roe v . Wade .
It is worth mentioning here that , yes , we in the AWCH try to maintain political neutrality for the sake of inclusiveness . However , under the umbrella of FAWCO , we are firm supporters of the UN Sustainable Development Goals , with Goal 5 – Gender Equality being especially close to our hearts .
The UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women ( CEDAW ) administers SDG 5 , and has “ repeatedly stressed that denying access to safe and legal abortion is a severe restriction on women ’ s ability to exercise their reproductive freedom , and that forcing women to carry a pregnancy to full term involves mental and physical suffering amounting to genderbased violence against women and , in certain circumstances , to torture or cruel , inhuman or degrading treatment , in violation of the CEDAW Convention .”
US abortion debate : Rights experts urge lawmakers to adhere to women ’ s convention
“ The UN women ’ s rights committee said that the US is one of only seven countries throughout the world that is not party to the international convention that protects women ’ s human rights , including their right to sexual and reproductive health .”
To read full story : news . un . org / en / story / 2022 / 07 / 1121862
Wherever you stand on this deeply divided issue , knowing which way the political wind is blowing on women ’ s rights is very much our concern . So is Germany going the way of the US or not ? The answer is no , but …
And what about when one does choose have a baby ? Our own Joana M . -O . has braved more than one German take on it , and she has definite opinions about the better way to go . And while the development of a vaccine that prevents one of the leading woman-killing cancers in the world should have been a slam-dunk , you ’ ll learn how one man had to fight tooth and nail to bring it to the world .
We couldn ’ t make this issue a general resource of health info , but good resources are out there . First of all , our member-compiled Hamburg in Your Pocket has a great section entitled “ Having Babies in Germany .” Digital copies can be downloaded at
payhip . com / b / m1yi .
General health sites in English , such as
we-inform . de / portal / en / health are Googlable , and Facebook groups can offer a lot — we personally have found both “ Hamburg Mother ’ s Meeting ” and “ Girl Gone International Hamburg ” useful for recommendations ( and warnings !). And don ’ t forget our club members .
The more we bring personal health experiences into the light , the less they are stigmatized . Women ’ s health issues have long been marginalized , and the consequences go beyond reproductive health . ( Case in point : would you know if you were having a heart attack ? The symptoms may be gendered . See
www . nytimes . com / 2022 / 05 / 09 / well / live / heartdisease-symptoms-women . html )
Be well , everyone ! Mason Jane & Stephanie
2 AWCH Currents Spring Edition