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Israel Admits Birth Control Program for Ethiopians (2010, new info 2013)

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DBT85

Member
It is a puerile point, but I think they meant they were imitating what they saw, is that not what the phrase refers too?

I suspected as much but sometimes you never know. Even on GAF.

South Africa
Germany
United States
Sweden

Just copying what others have tried or done similarly. Luckily I'm not crazy enough to believe that this represents all of Israel's people.

As I suspected.
 

Kayo-kun

Member
South Africa
Germany
United States
Sweden

Just copying what others have tried or done similarly. Luckily I'm not crazy enough to believe that this represents all of Israel's people.

Hahah I often see this comment, what an easy way for the Israeli people to ignore the issue and blame someone else. How I see it is that Netanyahu and the rest of the government keep getting the support of the Israelis and that means they stand for what their country does.
 
For a country that likes to talk about human rights so much, this is extremely inhuman and disgusting, borderline Nazi.

Still a bit stupid to say considering other "civilized" countries were doing it too. What matters is if they're still doing it or not and they own up to their past. If they've moved on then they're in their right to criticize others for doing what they used to do. Unless there's some hidden agenda, of course.

I have no problem having Germany criticizing Israel even though they were literally cooking Jews in the 40's. Just like I'd have no problem with a future Israel telling others what to do when they finally clean up their act.
 

jorma

is now taking requests
Still a bit stupid to say considering other "civilized" countries were doing it too. What matters is if they're still doing it or not and they own up to their past. If they've moved on then they're in their right to criticize others for doing what they used to do. Unless there's some hidden agenda, of course.

It was borderline nazi when they did it too. We did it, there's no denying it - so we get to eat those kind of comments.
 

Des0lar

will learn eventually
For a country that likes to talk about human rights so much, this is extremely inhuman and disgusting, borderline Nazi.

Well, it's not like Sweden was the only country that did it. Different times...

For example, in 1972, United States Senate committee testimony brought to light that at least 2,000 involuntary sterilizations had been performed on poor black women without their consent or knowledge. An investigation revealed that the surgeries were all performed in the South, and were all performed on black welfare mothers with multiple children. Testimony revealed that many of these women were threatened with an end to their welfare benefits until they consented to sterilization.[56] These surgeries were instances of sterilization abuse, a term applied to any sterilization performed without the consent or knowledge of the recipient, or in which the recipient is pressured into accepting the surgery. Because the funds used to carry out the surgeries came from the U.S. Office of Economic Opportunity, the sterilization abuse raised older suspicions, especially amongst the black community, that “federal programs were underwriting eugenicists who wanted to impose their views about population quality on minorities and poor women.”[25]
Native American women were also victims of sterilization abuse up into the 1970s.[57] The organization WARN (Women of All Red Nations) publicized that Native American women were threatened that, if they had more children, they would be denied welfare benefits. The Indian Health Service also repeatedly refused to deliver Native American babies until their mothers, in labor, consented to sterilization. Many Native American women unknowingly gave consent, since directions were not given in their native language. According to the General Accounting Office, an estimate of 3,406 Indian women were sterilized.[57] The General Accounting Office stated that the Indian Health Service had not followed the necessary regulations, and that the “informed consent forms did not adhere to the standards set by the United States Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW).”[58]

Thank god we learned from our mistakes, as some other countries did not it seems.
 

Jburton

Banned
Not surprised, as a state Israel is openly racist and fascist that commits war crimes on a regular basis never mind their disregard for human rights legislation.


Compleletly without morals.
 
It was borderline nazi when we did it too.

Nah, it was much like the West in the early 20th century. There were no concentration camps, no slave labor, no concentration. Just overbearing governments, thinking they knew best and imposing on minorities restrictions and human rights violations that would be unacceptable if imposed on the majority.

I'd say the same applies to Israel in this case.

Words like "nazi" are thrown around too easily.
 
Hahah I often see this comment, what an easy way for the Israeli people to ignore the issue and blame someone else. How I see it is that Netanyahu and the rest of the government keep getting the support of the Israelis and that means they stand for what their country does.
Of course it represents some part of the population, but not the whole and it's not an excuse to sit idly by either. Painting countries with a wide brush is a good way to generate fear and hatred on a scale that just leads to disaster.
 
Still a bit stupid to say considering other "civilized" countries were doing it too. What matters is if they're still doing it or not and they own up to their past. If they've moved on then they're in their right to criticize others for doing what they used to do. Unless there's some hidden agenda, of course.

I have no problem having Germany criticizing Israel even though they were literally cooking Jews in the 40's. Just like I'd have no problem with a future Israel telling others what to do when they finally clean up their act.

The fact that anyone else did it absolutely does not mean anything. Because my neighbor is a killer, I should be a killer as well? What sort of reasoning is that? And let's not even get into the fact that they continued to do it even after the Holocaust.
 

jorma

is now taking requests
Nah, it was much like the West in the early 20th century. There were no concentration camps, no slave labor, no concentration. Just overbearing governments, thinking they knew best and imposing on minorities restrictions and human rights violations that would be unacceptable if imposed on the majority.

I'd say the same applies to Israel in this case.

Words like "nazi" are thrown around too easily.

eugenics as a concept has been tied to nazi germany ever since ww2. We kept doing it until the 70's so the nazi comparison is unavoidable, and imo not really unwarranted.

That does not mean they were equally evil, but at the core there was the same sort of racism justifiying the practise.
 

Jackpot

Banned
Still a bit stupid to say considering other "civilized" countries were doing it too. What matters is if they're still doing it or not and they own up to their past.

Those occurences were 40 years ago. Still too recent, but a whole different ballgame to "last month"
 
Not surprised, as a state Israel is openly racist and fascist that commits war crimes on a regular basis never mind their disregard for human rights legislation.


Compleletly without morals.

You know they airlifted the Ethiopian Jews out of Ethiopia because they faced persecution by the Communist Ethiopian government right? Spent millions of dollars, feeding them, sheltering them etc. That's not really the act of an openly racist and fascist country. Not to say racism doesn't exist, it exists in every country, especially those run by white people with a black underclass.

In another racist, fascist act they also just elected a female Ethiopian Jew to the Knesset.

The Health Ministry Director General Prof. Ron Gamzu instructed “all gynecologists in the HMOs not to renew prescriptions for Depo-Provera for women of Ethiopian origin if for any reason there is concern that they might not understand the ramifications of the treatment.”

This was in response to a letter from Sharona Eliahu-Chai of the Association of Civil Rights in Israel.

Doesn't really sound like the response of Nazis to me.
 

esquire

Has waited diligently to think of something to say before making this post
Is the source reputable? Is there anything to confirm it?

While it wouldnt surprise me if it were true, it also wouldnt surprise me if it were bullshit as well. I remain skeptical until its validated by another news outlet.

I agree, viewing such allegations with a healthy dose of skepticism is the best way to react to such stories.


Some of the other responses to this story are a little bit weird.

Is this actually even plausible? You are telling me that most Ethiopian women in Israel are getting a birth control injection without knowing it? What do they think the injection is for? And if such measures are administered under suspicious circumstances, why wouldn't they just sterilize them completely? It's entirely plausible that Ethiopian Jews do indeed face discrimination as does any minority population anywhere in the world, but the idea that there is some an organized effort to limit their birth rate without their consent is difficult to believe. In fact it reminds me of Islamist attacks on health care workers in Pakistan who are trying to eradicate polio by setting up vaccination programs there (the Islamists believe it's really a secret CIA program to sterilize Muslim children so naturally they respond with violence before finding any evidence to support their claims). Pakistan has one of the highest rates of polio in the world today because of this (along with Nigeria and Afghanistan, not surprisingly two other countries where Islamists have sway in the way the public perceives information).

This sounds like the type of believable lie that can persist with shocking frequency because of anti-semitic conspiracy theories that already persist among the general population (i.e. Jews control the media/banks/world/etc).

I'm not saying it's completely impossible but the truth of the matter is probably different than what it looks like to the conspiracy nuts and anti-semites among us.


You know they airlifted the Ethiopian Jews out of Ethiopia because they faced persecution by the Communist Ethiopian government right? Spent millions of dollars, feeding them, sheltering them etc. That's not really the act of an openly racist and fascist country. Not to say racism doesn't exist, it exists in every country, especially those run by white people with a black underclass.

In another racist, fascist act they also just elected a female Ethiopian Jew to the Knesset.

The Health Ministry Director General Prof. Ron Gamzu instructed “all gynecologists in the HMOs not to renew prescriptions for Depo-Provera for women of Ethiopian origin if for any reason there is concern that they might not understand the ramifications of the treatment.”

This was in response to a letter from Sharona Eliahu-Chai of the Association of Civil Rights in Israel.

Doesn't really sound like the response of Nazis to me.

Thank you so much for this post!
 

Stumpokapow

listen to the mad man
There's obviously a serious story here, but one detail makes me doubt at least some elements of it -- depo provera isn't "controversial", it's not "long-term", and although it has been associated with bone density loss, the article portrays it as if there is a horrible drug, un-approved, wild and dangerous. I know many people on depo provera, and at least in the country where I live, it is not treated the way this article treats it.

Now, again, that's not to say anything about the troubling social aspects the article treats, the apparent racism at play, etc. I'm just saying that the article is not neutral in its presentation of depo provera.
 
The fact that anyone else did it absolutely does not mean anything. Because my neighbor is a killer, I should be a killer as well? What sort of reasoning is that? And let's not even get into the fact that they continued to do it even after the Holocaust.

It's more like your neighbor was a killer 40 years ago, but his human rights activist son now lives there and the old man is either dead or rotting away in a nursing home

Is the kid guilty for what his dad did even if he himself is innocent and publicly denounces his own father?

Let it go.
 

linsivvi

Member
BTW, the OP's news story is 3 years old:

Israel's treatment of Ethiopians 'racist'
Jonathan Cook
Jan 6, 2010

http://www.thenational.ae/news/world/middle-east/israels-treatment-of-ethiopians-racist

The story OP quoted is 3 years old, but the development and official admission is actually new.

It all started with this TV program last month:
http://www.jta.org/news/article/2012/12/11/3114231/report-coerced-contraception-behind-50-percent-decline-in-ethiopian-israeli-birth-rate
 
why would it be when an mp in the UK can forced to apologise for stating facts...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-21216801

better to ignore the story than be labelled an anti-semite / racist.

True.

It's gotten to the point now where any type of criticism levied toward Israel or it's policies is automatically labeled "anti-semitic".

Jewish lobbies, like AIPAC for example, have put a lot of effort blurring the line between anti-semitism and anti-zionism - despite the two having little to do with each other.
 
BTW, the OP's news story is 3 years old:

Israel's treatment of Ethiopians 'racist'
Jonathan Cook
Jan 6, 2010

http://www.thenational.ae/news/world/middle-east/israels-treatment-of-ethiopians-racist

I think the difference is that this is official confirmation of them doing it. maybe I'm wrong, though, but there's no mention of government sources confirming they carried out these actions in your article.

The health ministry was unavailable for comment. When first questioned about Depo Provera in June 2008, the health minister of the time, Yaacov Ben Yezri, said the high number of Ethiopians in Israel using the drug reflected a "cultural preference" for injections among Ethiopians. In fact, according to figures of the World Health Organisation, three-quarters of women in Ethiopia using birth control take the oral pill.

Read more: http://www.thenational.ae/news/worl...-treatment-of-ethiopians-racist#ixzz2JBkmbBDj
Follow us: @TheNationalUAE on Twitter | thenational.ae on Facebook
 
Why does our (the US) Government support Israel so much?

That's a very complicated question...
but not really.[/quote]

But when it comes to US/Isreali relations, the Isrealis wear the pants in this relationship - not really the other way around. Hence, in order to be US pres, you have to kowtow to AIPAC along the way. It's practically obligatory.
 

LuchaShaq

Banned
Israel is like someone who was abused as a little kid and when they grew up were big/strong they became a serial killer/rapist.

It's to the point that I don't even know a single Jew who doesn't view the current Israeli government as shameful and disgusting.
 
I'm confused - as awful as this story is, where in the text does it suggest that "Israel Admits Birth Control Program for Ethiopians"? That it's happening is not the same as an admission.
 
I'm confused - as awful as this story is, where in the text does it suggest that "Israel Admits Birth Control Program for Ethiopians"? That it's happening is not the same as an admission.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/nationa...re-given-birth-control-shots.premium-1.496519

A government official has for the first time acknowledged the practice of injecting women of Ethiopian origin with the long-acting contraceptive Depo-Provera.

Not a free article, though.
 
I'm confused - as awful as this story is, where in the text does it suggest that "Israel Admits Birth Control Program for Ethiopians"? That it's happening is not the same as an admission.

The link at the top is a different story where they do admit it, the one in quotes is background.
 
That's why it's labelled as background... The confirmation is from today.

Right, maybe you can fix the link and add that it's from 2010 so people don't think it is a recent article.

Maybe you could also add:

The Director of Health notified gynecologists not to give the injections "for women of Ethiopian origin if for any reason there is concern that they might not understand the ramifications of the treatment.”

This was in response to a letter from a rights campaigner.

Just so people get a clear picture.
 

Sane_Man

Member
My boss accused me of racism because I criticised Israel. It's bullshit like this that helps them avoid mainstream criticism.
 
Put this article in the OP, and take out the 2010 in brackets. This is new.

A government official has for the first time acknowledged the practice of injecting women of Ethiopian origin with the long-acting contraceptive Depo-Provera.

Health Ministry Director General Prof. Ron Gamzu has instructed the four health maintenance organizations to stop the practice as a matter of course.

The ministry and other state agencies had previously denied knowledge or responsibility for the practice, which was first reported five years ago.

Gamzu’s letter instructs all gynecologists in the HMOs "not to renew prescriptions for Depo-Provera for women of Ethiopian origin if for any reason there is concern that they might not understand the ramifications of the treatment.”

He also instructed physicians to avail themselves of translators if need be.

Gamzu’s letter came in response to a letter from Sharona Eliahu-Chai of the Association of Civil Rights in Israel, representing several women’s rights and Ethiopian immigrants’ groups. The letter demanded the injections cease immediately and that an investigation be launched into the practice.

About six weeks ago, on an Educational Television program journalist Gal Gabbay revealed the results of interviews with 35 Ethiopian immigrants. The women’s testimony could help explain the almost 50-percent decline over the past 10 years in the birth rate of Israel’s Ethiopian community. According to the program, while the women were still in transit camps in Ethiopia they were sometimes intimidated or threatened into taking the injection. “They told us they are inoculations,” said one of the women interviewed. “They told us people who frequently give birth suffer. We took it every three months. We said we didn’t want to.”
 

Cimarron

Member
6586586_orig.png
LOL!!! I'm going to hell for laughing. But yeah Israel is terrible for doing this.
 
I agree, viewing such allegations with a healthy dose of skepticism is the best way to react to such stories.


Some of the other responses to this story are a little bit weird.

Is this actually even plausible? You are telling me that most Ethiopian women in Israel are getting a birth control injection without knowing it? What do they think the injection is for? And if such measures are administered under suspicious circumstances, why wouldn't they just sterilize them completely? It's entirely plausible that Ethiopian Jews do indeed face discrimination as does any minority population anywhere in the world, but the idea that there is some an organized effort to limit their birth rate without their consent is difficult to believe. In fact it reminds me of Islamist attacks on health care workers in Pakistan who are trying to eradicate polio by setting up vaccination programs there (the Islamists believe it's really a secret CIA program to sterilize Muslim children so naturally they respond with violence before finding any evidence to support their claims). Pakistan has one of the highest rates of polio in the world today because of this (along with Nigeria and Afghanistan, not surprisingly two other countries where Islamists have sway in the way the public perceives information).

This sounds like the type of believable lie that can persist with shocking frequency because of anti-semitic conspiracy theories that already persist among the general population (i.e. Jews control the media/banks/world/etc).

I'm not saying it's completely impossible but the truth of the matter is probably different than what it looks like to the conspiracy nuts and anti-semites among us.




Thank you so much for this post!

Do you plan to edit this or respond to the new information provided in the thread? The drive-by deflecting and "lol anti-semites" is both lazy and offensive.
 
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