Author: margeberer
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George Floyd: it was first degree murder and torture, and it happens every day
The women’s movement has been condemning violence against women and calling for the impunity of the vast majority of men who are ”getting away with it” to be addressed. But we have not succeeded in finding a way to make that violence, let alone any other form of violence, stop happening to begin with. There…
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Criminal negligence by the Westminster government: close to 40,000 dead unnecessarily
Dear Nickie Aiken (Tory MP for the Cities of London & Westminster), Hello. I’m afraid you will be receiving several emails from me during this bank holiday weekend. I am one of the few people locally who has not gone to the seaside for the weekend, as so many others appear to have done following…
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‘The past six weeks have been unlike anything I’ve known’: a GP on how the pandemic has changed his work
This is a “long read” article in the Guardian, written by Gavin Francis, a GP in Scotland, published 12 May 2020. It’s very moving and informative.
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Two must-read articles about the government’s incompetent and devious policies in dealing with Covid-19
If you’re confused about what’s right and wrong in how different governments are responding to the Covid-19 pandemic, the answer to the following question is a good indicator of whether they’re doing an excellent job or making a complete mess of it: How many people have died? In the UK, today, 3 May 2020, 6…
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Dear Honourable Members and Members of Parliament,
April 2, 2020 I am writing to share with you the following urgent statement by Richard Horton, founder editor of The Lancet, the most important medical journal in the world: “When this is all over, the NHS England board should resign in their entirety.” So wrote one National Health Service (NHS) health worker last weekend.…
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Anti-semitism and the Labour Party: a personal view and a resolution to the City of London branch
This issue is fraught because: I. Differing views inside the Party 1. Important information is not public, specifically the details of accusations of antisemitism against people in the Party, the content of the formal processes against them and the basis of decisions, e.g. expulsion. Do we agree this should take place behind closed doors? Court…
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Prosecution of female genital mutilation in the UK: injustice at the intersection of good public health intentions and the criminal law
by Marge Berer This article was accepted for publication on 1 March 2020 by Medical Law International. This is the pre-publication, accepted text of the article under Sage Publications’ green access policy. © 2020 Marge Berer Abstract FGM (female genital mutilation) is a harmful traditional practice and a serious public health issue in the countries…
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Letter to the Editor, The Guardian, 22 February, re Question Time, 20 February
Good on Owen Jones for his criticism of the BBC (Opinion, 20 Feb 2020) for tweeting about the hate-filled, racist rant that was allowed to go on forever on Question Time. But there is far more to say about what happened on that programme. The discussion began with a question about the proposed new regulations…
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Re: Hidden Voices UK: Circumcised Women Speak Out (revised 11 Feb 2020)
On Saturday, 8 February 2020, the recently formed group, Hidden Voices UK, hosted a theatrical performance called “Judging without Knowing” at Oxford House in Bethnal Green, East London, followed by a panel and open discussion with over 70 people who attended. It was organised in partnership with Women’s Inclusive Team, TALO, Queen of Sheba International,…