Multi-Faith Fistula Stories!

As we prepare to launch Jewish and Islamic Supplements to Fistula Stories, we are too excited to keep it to ourselves!  Let our Jewish Contributer, Rabbi Bonnie Margulis, pique your interest, and keep an eye out for the Supplements coming soon!

Why is Fistula a Jewish Issue?

Why should Jews be concerned about the issue of obstetric fistula?  It is not a condition that affects Western Jewish women. It does not have an impact on the state of Israel.  It does not have any connection to anti-Semitism.  So what makes this a Jewish issue?

Actually, the answer is really quite simple and straightforward.  Every issue of social justice is a Jewish issue. It is a core value of Judaism that all humanity, made in the image of God, is a partner with God in the ongoing work of creation.  We are always striving toward perfecting of God’s world.  Working to bring healing, wholeness, and health to women around the world is basic to that mission.

Whenever confronted with the question, “What does Judaism say about X?” the place to start is always with text, specifically the text of the Torah, the Five Books of Moses.  Thus, when writing the Jewish version of the fistula curriculum, I began with the foundational Jewish social justice texts.   The Torah teaches us we are all made in the image of God, and therefore must act as God acts.  As God is just, we should be just; as God is compassionate, we should be compassionate; as God cares for all the creatures of the earth, so, too, should we care for all the creatures of the earth.  Further, as we are all descendants of Adam and Eve, we are all brothers and sisters.  As such, we are all responsible, one to the other.  Leviticus 19:16 underlines the urgency of this fact, in enjoining us “do not stand idly by while your neighbor bleeds.”  The meaning is clear – we cannot be apathetic or uninvolved when another human being is in trouble and in need of help.  Isaiah 58 makes this even more explicit in its classic social justice manifesto.  Ritual, prayer, holiday observance, is all very well and good, but it is ultimately meaningless if it is not accompanied by acts of social justice, looking out for the weakest and neediest among us.

The emphasis Fistula Stories puts on raising up women’s own voices and bringing to light women’s experiences spoke to me as a Jewish feminist.  When we look to Jewish text for inspiration, lessons, and role models for our own lives, we realize the many ways in which women’s voices and experiences have been de-emphasized and even hidden in the stories of our people.  The task for Jewish feminist scholars has been to uncover those stories and bring women’s histories back into focus.  What we find when we read our sacred traditions through this lens, is that there are many role models to be found among the women of our past.  Strong women like Rebekah and Hannah faced difficulties in their lives, but they faced them bravely and head-on.  Neither was afraid to address God directly and ask for what they needed.  These and other strong, courageous Biblical women inspire us and show us that we, too, can have the strength to face diversity and find our own solutions to life’s problems.  I hope the Jewish texts and prayers in Fistula Stories will likewise inspire the Jewish community to get involved in the effort to end obstetric fistula.

Rabbi Bonnie Margulis, Contributer to Fistula Stories Multi-Faith Supplements,  holds a Masters Degree in Judaic Studies from New York University, and was ordained at Hebrew Union College (HUC), Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1992.  She currently works as a Jewish educator in Madison, WI.  Read more about her and check out the Jewish Fistula Stories Supplement.

Recently, my friend Seth, accompanied by his buddy Pete, began a pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago de Compostela, a venture they describe as “Two dudes taking a very long walk in the staggering summer heat of northern Spain to tell the world about the plight of women with obstetric fistula.”

Seth and Pete figured out that it will take each of them about 1 million steps to walk the Camino–that’s one step for each woman in the world suffering from fistula.  Their goal is to raise 1 cent for each step–symbolically raising money and awareness.  Seth’s organization, Operation OF, is an excellent beneficiary that combines treatment with micro-lending to strengthen advocates who return to their communities and spread the word about maternal health.

This is not the first of Seth’s forays into “adventure fundraising”–in the past he has scaled mountains–and he wants to continue doing this kind of outreach that he feels particularly speaks to young men:  “Everyone has a mother.  Lots of us have sisters and many of us have girlfriends or wives.  How is the health of women not of fundamental importance to every man?”

Check out more and follow Seth and Pete along their 2 million steps at www.millionsteps.org!

Have you heard about the International Violence Against Women Act (IVAWA) in congress right now?  This video, from our friends at WomenThrive Worldwide, is a great introduction:

Violence against women, especially rape as a weapon of war, is intimately linked to fistula and maternal health.  Traumatic fistula is a type of fistula caused by violent rape.  And women who are the most poor or vulnerable, and more likely to be raped, abused, or married off early, are also the least likely to receive the maternal health care they need.  By helping to pass IVAWA, you can help prevent fistula from occurring.

Want to get involved?  Here are WomenThrive’s action steps:

• Donate (your status). Post this as your Facebook status: Elephants, Polar Bears and Ivory have more preservation rights than women. http://bit.ly/cnkzV2
• Create (a video) explaining why you believe in IVAWA. Check out the 31 Days video and post your video as a response.
  

• Change (key Representative’s minds). A phone call makes a larger impact than an email. Here are tips on making an effective call.

• Advocate (with friends). Last week, you helped to get Congressman Reichert’s (WA) sponsorship for the bill. This week, let’s focus on Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN) and Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL). Post a note on their Facebook wall.

• Share (what you know). Post the 31 Days flyer around town when you visit your local coffee shop, place of worship, library, or university. 
  

“The annual Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) Report, released by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on 23 June 2010 in New York, reveals that the world has made huge strides in reducing extreme poverty, tackling HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases, and boosting access to clean drinking water, but is still not progressive enough in critical areas including improving maternal health and reducing child mortality.”

Read the full article online here: http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/newsletter/2010/july/feature.shtml#fea1

And check out the latest report on the Millennium Development Goals here: http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/area-of-work/mdg.shtml

The Magburaka Maternal and Child Health Clinic, photo courtesy of The Sierra Leone Ministry of Health and Sanitation

Healthcare in Sierra Leone, West Africa, a country of almost 5 million people, has always been dreadful as far as I can remember growing up in Freetown, the capital city.  The Time magazine, June 14, 2010, story of Mamma Sessay titled The Perils of Pregnancy: One Woman’s Tale of Dying to Give Birth by Alice Park reminds me of some of the painful cases of maternal mortality, which has growingly worsened in this African nation.  A co-worker, Meagan Manas of Women’s Ministries at the National Council of Churches (NCC) approached me to respond to Mamma’s story, which shows graphic images of this fourteen-year old, who hemorrhaged to death while giving birth.  In watching the photo gallery, I was angry, yet, relieved to know that maternal mortality and the issues of cultural beliefs and family pressure, teen pregnancies, survival, patient care, access to resources, fistula, and sometimes death are common and critical concerns for support and discussions, especially in communities of faith.
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This Article (whose title we stole for our own blog post this week) from Rev. Jill Wiley, follows the quilt made as part of Operation Healing Hope–a project of the United Methodist Church to raise awareness of fistula, and raise money for the cause.  What fun it has been to follow this project!

Traditional Birthing Attendants in Liberia pose with the “Operation Healing Hope” quilt that has traveled nearly 50,000 miles promoting a campaign to end obstetric fistula, a birth disorder affecting millions of women, primarily in poor countries. (credit: Rev. Jill Wiley, UMC)

this report from TIME magazine this week?  Although maternal mortality affects many more than the one woman who dies, sending shock waves out into her community, the victims of maternal mortality cannot speak up for themselves and advocate for the changes that would have given them life.  That is, not until TIME documented one woman’s story of dying to give birth.   Mamma Sessay, age 18, tells her own story–even though she is dead.  Let us listen well and take heed.

Not so prominently featured on the same page, is this photo-essay about the perils of childbirth in Afghanistan.  These hidden stories must continue to be told!

This report from Women’s e-News gives a run-down of this week’s Women Deliver conference which focused on Maternal Health.  Energy is building towards the G-8 summit in Canada later this month where gender equality will be front and center.  Stay tuned!

Check out this article from Reuters about Bill and Melinda Gates’ pledge of $1.5 Billion towards women’s and children’s health worldwide.  Great, right?  Ban Ki Moon says it could take  as much as $45 Billion before 2015 to make a difference.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
June 2, 2010

CONTACT:
Jon Houston, Maloney, 202 225-7944
Kate Dickens, Castle, 202 225-4165

Reps. Maloney, Castle introduce bill to prevent and treat obstetric fistula

-Legislation could save lives of millions of women and babies globally-

WASHINGTON, DC – Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) last week introduced legislation, “The Obstetric Fistula Prevention, Treatment, Hope and Dignity Restoration Act of 2010,” H.R. 5441, which would authorize funding to prevent and treat women suffering from obstetric fistula, a horrific and debilitating condition that occurs in women after prolonged labor, predominantly in sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Arab States.
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