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Global
Women's Strike Call to Alternative Healthcare Supporters INVEST IN CARING, NOT KILLING! Dear Sisters and Friends, In preparation for the 3rd Global Women's Strike on 8 March 2002, we invite alternative healthcare enthusiasts and supporters to join with us in demanding a world which invests in caring, not killing. As women, we provide more healthcare than all the health services of the world, yet most of this work is unwaged and unrecognised. Women care and take responsibility for our loved ones' health and well-being, from the cradle to the grave, from daily food provision to emotional support and physical nursing - often putting our own health last. Those of us who have disabilities and long-term ill health are usually seen as the receivers of care, but as women we don't escape the work all women do; we also care for partners, relatives and friends, raise children and do the housework, meeting other people's needs while coping with our own. Much of disability and ill health is caused by poverty, industrial pollution, war, the arms trade, industrial accidents and job injuries, and other deadly effects of a world economy which prioritises profit over people's needs and well-being. These industries, including the pharmaceutical industry, make trillion dollar profits. At the same time those of us – starting with women in the global South, and women of colour in the North -- who get no wages or the lowest wages internationally, suffer appalling working conditions, the highest rates of disability and ill health, and have the least access to holistic healthcare. Doctors and other health care workers that we rely on to help us may tell us that 'they know best'. But, according to an article in the Journal of the American Medical Association, "Doctors are the third leading cause of death in the US, causing 250,000 deaths every year", and legally prescribed pharmaceuticals are the fourth leading cause of death (Vol 284, July 26, 2000). As a result of the conventional medical establishment prioritising profit before health, more and more people are turning to alternative healthcare. In the US today, about 75% of patients use alternative medicine and vitamin and mineral supplements to treat themselves. There are now many methods of curing so called 'incurable' diseases such as cancer and the collection of diseases labelled as ‘AIDS’, including by using large doses of herbal, vitamin and mineral supplements. A recent study by the US Congress found nearly 200 scientific studies supporting such approaches and called on the heavily funded National Cancer Institute to evaluate them. They refused. Many non-toxic systems of medicine such as homeopathy and acupuncture have been used for hundreds of years and been shown to be very effective in curing illness. Instead of supporting these alternative practices, governments are proposing new laws and regulations to prevent their use. Legislation is now being considered internationally which would make it illegal to obtain any supplements, other than those prescribed by your doctor. As women, we are especially targeted by the pharmaceutical industries as the best market for their products, because: we are the ones who do the caring work and who make health decisions for ourselves and our loved ones; because we are educators; because we live longer and yet are sicker and suffer from more chronic diseases; and because we are debilitated by over-work and poverty. This makes our protest all the more meaningful. The Global Women's Strike on the 8 March is a powerful way to make our voices heard, locally and globally. On this day we will be joining with countless more women, in over 60 countries, demanding that society Invest in Caring, Not Killing. While over $940 billion dollars and more is being spent on global military budgets annually, just $80 billion would provide the essentials of life - clean water, sanitation, basic health, nutrition, literacy and a minimum income for every woman, child and man on this planet. Just think what we could do with the other $860 billion dollars! For instance, one of the demands of the Strike is for paid maternity leave, paid breastfeeding breaks and other benefits for women - to stop penalising us for being women, because breastfeeding not only protects the lives and health of infants, but lays the basis for the health of the whole population. In London there will be a Whistle-Stop Tour and Cacerolazo (pots and pan's protest) to Sweep Out the Global Killers, with a giant puppet, drummers, dancing and chanting. Bring a broom and pots and pans to bang! Women in Argentina, Bolivia, Canada, Ghana, Guyana, Ireland, India, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand/Aotearoa, Peru, Spain, Switzerland, Tanzania, Trinidad & Tobago, Uganda, Uruguay and the US, are organising Strike activities for the day. We have also heard from women in Austria, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Congo, France, Nigeria, Poland and Scotland. As before, women are using the global power of the Strike to strengthen their local demands. Last year, women in Uganda won free national health care services. Payday is co-ordinating men’s support for the Strike – so far, men from 18 countries have written statements of support; some recent ones focussed on men refusing the military. Perhaps you or your organisation would like to organise a protest outside your local toxic industry, pharmaceuticals giant, government offices, World Bank or other global killer. Whether you want to join in with events already being organised in your area, or want to organise an event of your own, you can visit the Global Women's Strike website http://womenstrike8m.server101.com for more details, ideas and inspiration from women internationally. Whatever you do, let us know so we can help publicise it. And, wherever possible, send us your email address. Men's support is co-ordinated by Payday men's network www.paydaynet.org. Yours to change the world and cure all diseases, Jennifer Hautman (Global Women's Strike London committee member & cancer fighter) Loren Brown (Dietary Therapist, Royal Institute of Public Health and Hygiene) Christine Thorne (Finding the Way with Dr Hulda Clark Newsletter) The Global Women's Strike is co-ordinated by the Emails: womenstrike8m@server101.com February 2002 |