Newspaper link

[pez]

Today seem to be a day of link posting.

The pregnancy police are watching you (Linked to The Guardian. Nabbed from seraphim_grace)

I feel speechless.

On a related, but unrelated note... I can't remember if this was specifically stated in CDM (Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 1994) **, but special groups of concern in the construction industry, be they actual workers or the general public, not only include children, pregnant women, the disabled and the old aged etc, but it also include "women of child-bearing age". Which, I suppose, a lot of people wouldn't think about but when you do think about it, makes sense. What if a woman gets hurt in some way, or gets into contact with chemicals that affects her fertility years later?

What's more interesting is that the equivalent for men is not considered. So, people don't take specific measures to make sure men don't get infertile because of construction work, or something like that. ^^" Combine this with how US is dealing with things, it seems like people think babies all come from immaculate conception!

** [edit] ah, there's something about including women of child-bearing age in the risk assessment under H&S Legislation, I think!

Comments

[potter.livejournal.com]

I read about this some time ago, and it's sort of exploded onto the flist this week - it still doesn't fail to shock. I find it so utterly offensive, the idea of having to act as if I'm pregnant when I'm not, just in case! It ties in with the abortion banning in America where the life of something 8 weeks old is more important than something 30 years old. I'm sorry, I just find that completely nonsensical.

[yuki-scorpio.livejournal.com]

The article was only from Monday, so I wouldn't be surprised if it's still being passed around! That abortion thing is completely insane as well. I remember reading about it and thinking Thank God I'm not American!

[factorielle.livejournal.com]

No, but you're still pre-pregnant. XD Just like so many of us out here. So no more drinking, or even going to public places where smoking is allowed. No excess of fat or sugar, sports twice a week, and...

... I don't get how they can think that all these stupid measures are better than actually teaching people to be responsible. Seriously.

[sharona1x2.livejournal.com]

I'm thinking "Thank God I'm not able to have children."

Btw, shouldn't men have to be careful, too? I mean, certain things can cause sperm to have problems. Maybe men shouldn't smoke, drink alcohol, wear tight underwear...

[factorielle.livejournal.com]

Yes, yes they should.

But of course, we all know that men, unlike women, don't need to be treated like stupid children. /sarcasm

[yuki-scorpio.livejournal.com]

The men? Men don't come into these. They're all having sex on the plane with other men. Babies come to this world by immaculate conception and so only women are responsible for them.

/sarcasm too

[sharona1x2.livejournal.com]

You have to love Neil Gaiman. ^____^

(I meant to comment about that on your earlier post.)

[yuki-scorpio.livejournal.com]

I haven't read any of his books yet (will rectify that soon), but I do think he is a gift to us all XD

[potter.livejournal.com]

I think it actually came out in America a while back - to do with some commercial, as I recall? I have childfree on my flist (which always makes me sound like I'm a nutcase, thank you so much, insane childfree people) and yeah, they were incensed about it a month or so ago. The abortion stuff...God, it actually upsets me, it really does. Religion and state should be separate; why should fundamentalist Christian men get to decide what a woman's options are?

[yuki-scorpio.livejournal.com]

It must be only recently that the British paper picked it up, then.

What do you mean, separation of church and state? Christianity is the only religion in the US......... >_>""""

[potter.livejournal.com]

Oh, I mean that I don't agree with political decisions being made on religious grounds. I should have said religion and politics should be separate. ^^;

[yuki-scorpio.livejournal.com]

Yeah XD but wasn't there something a while back about how children cannot refuse to pray during school assemblies, ie it's not illegal to force to them to partake in religion activities as long as it's Christian or some big mess of that sort? XD

[potter.livejournal.com]

That wouldn't surprise me in the least. *shakes head* I mean, I don't think that's true in the UK, thank God, but in America it might be. I'm not sure. I know that the states that have banned abortion are the Bible-bashing states, who've done it on religious grounds. It's quite sickening, when you read the reports. The only exception to the no abortion rule is on medical grounds. Rape and incest pregnancies? No abortions. I mean, Jesus. If that isn't screwed up, I don't know what is.

[zalia.livejournal.com]

Actually, I think that some from of daily moral (ie. Christian) instruction (ie. Praying, etc) is still compulsory in UK schools. It's not like it's enforced much, and my high school got around it by having a weekly bulletin with the 'Thought of the Week' written on it, but it is still required I think.

[eames.livejournal.com]

Oh, I remember Cat telling me about this, and it drove me mad even then. I do believe people should look after themselves whilst pregnant, but this, Christ. There's more to me than a fucking womb, dammit. How about me just looking after myself because I want to be healthy, not because I'm a walking talking baby shell. >(

[mari-yagami.livejournal.com]

Uhm. What?

If someone ever tried to treat me like that only because I am of child-bearing age, I swear I would reach in and pull one of my ovaries out in front of them. =_= ok, maybe that is a tad extreme, but!

No, really. It's... I guess I could understand it if they treated men equally, they happen to be a important part in the whole conception deal, I swear. But as they seem to be doing it now, it's just silly!

[kittyheaven.livejournal.com]

I think I've gone through the other side now and I'm calm again. But seriously you can't believe it when you read these things can you?
I wonder where all the protesters have gone - surely this is the sort of thing that women burned their bras about and stuff?!?