Israel: Women banned from speaking at gynaecology conference

[bobalot]

In Jerusalem, women are voiceless at a decidedly womanly event
By Patrick Martin
Globe and Mail Update

A major conference on gynecological advances is permitting only males to speak, the latest move under pressure of ultra-Orthodox leaders

The controversial exclusion of women from various settings in Israel because of pressure from ultra-Orthodox Jewish leaders reached a new level this week with a major conference on gynecological advances that is permitting only males to address the audience.

The conference on "Innovations in Gynecology/Obstetrics and Halacha [Jewish law]" is being held by the Puah Institute this Wednesday in Jerusalem. It will include such topics as "ovary implants," "how to choose a suitable contraceptive pill" and "intimacy during rocket attacks," in which there are many qualified female professionals, but none will be permitted to speak, at least not from the podium.

Women are allowed in the audience, in a section separate from men.

Several Israeli human rights groups have protested the men-only nature of the conference. While it is considered a private rather than a public forum, and therefore not subject to Israeli policies against discrimination, Puah receives considerable funding from the Health Ministry, these complainants point out.

Such complaints are unlikely to make much of an impression, however. The Health Minister, to whom they are addressed, is actually the Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, owing to another sop to the Ultra-Orthodox.

The United Torah Judaism party refused to formally join the coalition cabinet since doing so would signal an acceptance of the Zionist state, something its beliefs preclude. So its representative was given the post of Deputy Health Minister, a non-cabinet position. It is this ultra-Orthodox man who really runs the department, while the PM represents it at the cabinet table.

At least two male Israeli doctors have withdrawn from making presentations at this week's Puah event once they were made aware of the exclusion of women, or at least once public outrage over the exclusion became apparent.

Puah - ironically named for one of the ancient Hebrew midwives believed to have refused the pharaoh's order to kill all male babies in Egypt at the time of Moses - has held many other conferences with male-only speakers. But this one comes on the heels of several other incidents in which women, or their images, have been excluded from public places under pressure from ultra-Orthodox leaders and their enforcement squads.

Until two years ago, public buses did not run through such religious neighbourhoods as Mea Sharim, in Jerusalem, and Beit Shemesh outside the city, because of frequent attacks on the buses in which windows were smashed by rocks.

Having been ordered to resume service in all these communities, many buses carry security guards and most adhere to the practice demanded by the rabbinate of seating women only at the back of the bus. Recent attempts to break this practice have resulted in well-reported altercations with male passengers.

As well, pictures of women are not displayed in the posters and ads carried by the bus in these areas, nor are they shown in ads at bus stops in religious communities.

As far as Puah is concerned, it operates on a strictly kosher basis, as required by the ultra-Orthodox rabbinate. While there are women on its board of directors, its public face is strictly male, and the two sexes are not allowed to mix at its events.

To be sure, not all sectors of the ultra-Orthodox community support these exclusionary tactics, explains Nachman Ben-Yehuda, a Hebrew University sociology professor and author of the recently published book Theocratic Democracy. "But most people are too afraid to speak out."

What a religious shithole.

[Zaune]

*le sigh* You'd think even the hardline Orthodox mob would realise that this is one area of science that women really are equally or in fact probably better qualified to speak authoritatively about.

[Eulogy]

*le sigh* You'd think even the hardline Orthodox mob would realise that this is one area of science that women really are equally or in fact probably better qualified to speak authoritatively about.

You are assuming that these fundies are reasonable, intelligent, and not misogynist.

[The Romulan Republic]

Could you please provide a link?

[Lord of the Abyss]

This reminds me of the Taliban and their rabid sex segregation.

Could you please provide a link?

Easy enough; it was the top google result for the title.

[Zixinus]

You are also making the assumption that the misogynists care about good gynecology in the first place. To them, good gynecology is women following what the men tell them to do, not the other way around. Or the way of women choosing to interpret those religious laws themselves.

The fact that gynecology is about a biological part of women, hence the obvious people to talk about it, has nothing to do with it. Look at the talks named: "ovary implants," "how to choose a suitable contraceptive pill" and "intimacy during rocket attacks,". All of these are subjects that can touch on religious laws or are bound to be something that self-styled "moral-police" just are aching to discuss.

If a single women speaker would be allowed to speak, she would inevitably scream "What do you men think you are doing, women want to handle their own bodies!". The misogynists do not care to hear this, they only care about how their beliefs would be enforced on the women.

[DPDarkPrimus]

I'm sure they believe that if a woman is virtuous and obeys God's Laws she will have no need of a gynecologist.

[Korto]

They probably feel the men would get over-excited. Or the women would get over-excited; and, you know? They're probably right.
I know that if I told a group of women they were unable to speak about gynecological matters due to their gender, the things they would then say would probably be a bit over-excited.

[Serafina]

*le sigh* You'd think even the hardline Orthodox mob would realise that this is one area of science that women really are equally or in fact probably better qualified to speak authoritatively about.

First of all, as far as i understand it, Orthodox Jews simply don't like a male audience listening to a woman.


Second, and more importantly:
Most religious fundamentalists abhor female health care, since it involves such things as birth control and abortions. They simply don't give a damn about all the other things it involves, such as prevention of breast cancer or treatment of potentially dangerous (and definitely annoying) vaginal infections.

[Sidewinder]

Anyone else get the disturbing feeling that Israel is becoming more and more like Iran?

[LadyTevar]

The sad part is how many Americans would have a hard time listening to a woman speak on gynecology. Far too many have drank the koolaid over the "sins" of Women's Health.

[Grumman]

It will include such topics as... "intimacy during rocket attacks,"...

I'm somewhat curious what such a lecture would be about. "How to tell your partner you have an artillery fetish"? "Don't lean on the control console"?

[Stark]

Maybe a lecture on how rocket attacks lead to unplanned pregnancies, like air-raids in WW2.

[Oni Koneko Damien]

Dare I say, it sounds like a problem Shep is uniquely qualified to talk about.

[PainRack]

The sad part is how many Americans would have a hard time listening to a woman speak on gynecology. Far too many have drank the koolaid over the "sins" of Women's Health.

would you mind elaborating?

[Zed]

The fact that gynecology is about a biological part of women, hence the obvious people to talk about it, has nothing to do with it. Look at the talks named: "ovary implants," "how to choose a suitable contraceptive pill" and "intimacy during rocket attacks,". All of these are subjects that can touch on religious laws or are bound to be something that self-styled "moral-police" just are aching to discuss.

Or you could just look at the title of the conference and see it plain and simple: "Innovations in Gynecology/Obstetrics and Halacha [Jewish law]"

[wautd]

This reminds me of the Taliban and their rabid sex segregation.

Could you please provide a link?

Easy enough; it was the top google result for the title.

Really? I assumed it was coming from the Onion.

[Serafina]

The sad part is how many Americans would have a hard time listening to a woman speak on gynecology. Far too many have drank the koolaid over the "sins" of Women's Health.

would you mind elaborating?

As i said, a lot of people solely assosciate "womens health" with "abortion" and maybe "birth control", both of which are widely portrayed as negative or outright evil in the USA. In fact it is a much wider topic.

Or you could just look at the title of the conference and see it plain and simple: "Innovations in Gynecology/Obstetrics and Halacha [Jewish law]"

Doesn't change the fact that it is funded by the Health Ministry, and thus should not be subject to such enormous misogyny.

[Zixinus]

The sad part is how many Americans would have a hard time listening to a woman speak on gynecology. Far too many have drank the koolaid over the "sins" of Women's Health.

Yes, but they would definitely allow women to speak at a gynecology conference and anyone suggesting that women shouldn't speak would be laughed at from all the way to the door.