Uzbekistan carrying out forced sterilisations, say women

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Guardian

Uzbekistan carrying out forced sterilisations, say women
Evidence of operations under cover of caesareans as doctors claim targets set to help control population
Natalia Antaleva in Shymkent, Kazakhstan
The Guardian, Friday 20 April 2012

Two weeks after Bakhor came home with her newborn son the joy of the new baby was overshadowed by a growing suspicion that something had gone badly wrong.

"I kept bleeding heavy black lumps, and the pain was unbearable, I thought I had a tumour," the 32-year-old Uzbek says.

It took Bakhor four months to save up money for an ultrasound. She cries as she remembers the result. During the caesarean section, the doctor explained, she had a hysterectomy.

"The doctor said 'you don't have a uterus any more'. He said: 'What do you need it for? Two children is enough for you'," she says.


Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/apr/21/uzbekistan-carrying-out-forced-sterilisations

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[center]

Yes, same President, Islam Karimov, who boils his political prisoners.[/center]

[xtraxritical]

1. "The doctor said 'you don't have a uterus any more'. He said: 'What do you need it for? Two children

is enough for anybody". Exactly so. no

[Posteritatis]

2. Okay, I expected more than one post before people started actually defending this crap. (nt)

[TheWraith]

9. What the FUCK?

How, seriously, are you defending forced sterilization?

[Brickbat]

10. Go to hell.

[xtraxritical]

16. Keep increasing the popuation of the planet, were almost there already.

[Quantess]

17. There is always a silver lining.

There really are too many human babies being born.

Forced sterilization probably isn't the best way to go about it, though. Now, if the catholic church would just agree to contraception, that would be a better place to start. Increased family planning services. Sex-ed. Access to condoms. These extremes are crazy...like forced sterilization on the one hand, and RWers who are against all family planning on the other hand.

[Marrah_G]

21. I suggest contacting the Admins

[Marrah_G]

18. This may be one of the most digusting posts I have ever seen on DU

I'm alerting and I hope you are removed from DU

[cosmicone]

3. Society should have a say in how many children a person can have.

Each additional child puts a drain on available food, water, energy, educational resources, healthcare and oxygen, contributes to increased landfill garbage etc. The earth is not an unlimited resource.

While 2 children like in this case should not ring alarm bells, there needs to be some limit somewhere.

[Posteritatis]

4. And another person defending the sterilization of others without consent or even knowledge. (nt)

[Lars77]

6. How would you like it if someone sterilized you without your concent or knowledge?

While inflicting pain and anxiety?

[cosmicone]

11. If I had excessive number of children,

I'd do it myself.

[Marrah_G]

20. Feel free to cut your own balls off

But advocating for forced, nonconsentual ripping out of vital female organs is not something that is okay on DU.

[Riftaxe]

23. Waffling a bit here, what is your definition of excessive

for me I will go with how many she wants as not excessive, what is it for you?

Do you think a woman is unaware of the demands of a child and just for the fun of it wants more to add "flavor"?

Why do you think women in some part of the worlds just for the heck of it, like having more kids then women in other countries?

I can assure you, lack of cable TV is not one of them.

[cosmicone]

27. I say anything more than 4 children

in today's crowded world.

I have seen people have 8-10 children in India who are deprived of resources and are condemned to a life of poverty and/or crime or an early death due to starvation or poor medical care.

Big litters are passé and only supported by religious fundies to increase their following.

[Lars77]

24. She had two children. Think that warrants the destruction of internal organs?

[cosmicone]

29. Like I said, I am not supporting what happened in Uzbekistan

but some form of birth control should have been prescribed. I'd have opted for something reversible like an IUD.

[polly7]

32. Duh. Read the articles. nt.

[Lars77]

35. This is a very peculiar discussion

We are talking about the destruction of womens bodies by a murderous regime, and you dont condone it but support population control in general?


My head hurts.

[polly7]

8. 'Society' in Uzbekistan has no say in anything.

The brutal regime decides whether someone is sterilized, tortured or murdered.

[cosmicone]

12. That I agree with.

My comment was not related to Uzbekistan but in general.

[polly7]

13. It was sick in any context you were trying for. nt.

[Odin2005]

14. There is only a short path from that mentality to Eugenics

The best way to lower birthrates is economic development and educating women.

[cosmicone]

28. I don't disagree

but that can take a half a century or more. With global warming, we really don't have that kind of time.

[LeftyMom]

15. So you're anti-choice and don't believe women should control their own fertility.

Fuck off.

[cosmicone]

26. I am pro choice

I am simply against someone having Octomom style litters.

[polly7]

31. You should probably read the articles.

However, Nigora is among many for whom forced sterilisation is a reality. She had an emergency C-section. A day later she was told she had been sterilised. On the same day, her newborn died.

Nigora is 24 and will never have children.

In any case ............. 'forced sterilization' for any woman, anywhere, is too disgusting to even consider let alone support. I'm surprised you're still here.

[Marrah_G]

37. Then you aren't really pro-choice

You are proYOURchoice

[Posteritatis]

39. Maybe you should drop the straw men and stop defending what's going on in the OP. (nt)

[LeftyMom]

40. So are the vast majority of women.

None of the women in the article had anywhere near that many children, nor is there any indication that they had any intention of doing so before they were mutilated against their will.

Depriving women of choice because you think there's a chance they will make choices of which you do not approve is not pro-choice. You're anti-choice and anti-woman. Own up to it, because you're not convincing anybody.

[Marrah_G]

19. This is about the removal of vital female organs WITHOUT CONSENT

Imagine being Castrated without your consent or knowledge and of course having no hormone replacement. For women this has many painful, long term and permanent consequences.

[cosmicone]

30. Again,

I am not supporting the horrible tragedy that took place in Afghanistan. I am simply supportive of promoting smaller families, preferably via education but if education fails, by some kind of a legal decree.

[polly7]

33. WTF are you talking about, Afghanistan?

"A horrible tragedy that took place" ...... The mutilation is ongoing and policy under a brutal dictator.

[Marrah_G]

38. That's worked well in China- you know who pays the price?

female children and disabled or disfigured children who are killed or abandoned.

[Daniel537]

34. Forced abortions, mass murder and starvation it is then.

Essentially modern-day Maoism. I wonder who gets to decide what the limit is?

[polly7]

5. This is such a horrible story.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-17612550

"It's a simple formula - less women give birth, less of them die," said one surgeon.

The result is that this helps the country to improve its ranking in international league tables for maternal and infant mortality.

- BINGO.

However, Nigora is among many for whom forced sterilisation is a reality. She had an emergency C-section. A day later she was told she had been sterilised. On the same day, her newborn died.

Nigora is 24 and will never have children.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/101496383

Uzbekistan stands to lose a great deal if it's horrific human rights and poor infant and maternal death stats aren't made to look a whole lot better.

Uzbekistan ranked 140th out of 194 countries in terms of infant mortality in 2005-2010, according to data from the UN Population Division.

[Lars77]

7. Uzbekistan now has a islamist insurgency due to US support to their regime.

Also, the former UK ambassador Craig Murray resigned because he could not do the job there anymore, knowing of the horrible torture and murder the regime does.

He is now a human rights campaigner. This is his website:

http://www.craigmurray.org.uk/

Also have a look at this:

[Riftaxe]

22. Dear Uzbekistan, it has been tried

and it doesn't work for obvious reasons.

That summation is succinct and completely skips abhorrent abuses of women involved.

The secret to population control is self evident, and astonishing enough related to the number of children a woman decides to have...

[FlaGranny]

25. Why is it always

women they want to sterilize? Why not the men? At the least it is a safer and cheaper option. It is the men who are much more likely to spread their sperm around anyway, and when they do they usually look for a younger, sexier woman - and one who hasn't had children yet.

[Marrah_G]

36. because women are always disposible and expendable

Even here in the US, you don't see the Christian Zealots in an uproar over Viagra. No one is asking them if they are intending to use Viagra only to get their wives pregnant. No one asks the wives for permission. Even on this very thread you have men defending this in the name of overpopulation. It's disgusting.