issue 11// vol 45 DSU Coffee House chat tackles reproductive rights » ‘The Right to Choose’ Tania Arora Staff Reporter he latest DSU Coffee House addresses the age-old struggle for women’s rights. The Douglas Students’ Union organized its DSU Women’s Collective Weekly Coffee House event on November 7 with the theme The Right to Choose. The event focused on the controversial topic of reproductive rights. The history of Canada and the rest of the world is filled with legal, mental, and emotional challenges that affect a pregnant person’s right to terminate a pregnancy. The Coffee House focused on the historic background of these issues, with attention on the pro- choice movement, governmental policies, and the X-ile project. Tracy Ho, Organizer for Advocacy for the DSU, and Aahelee Bandyopadhyay, Women Students’ Representative for the DSU, moderated the event. The coffee house was a platform for students to come up and share their personal experiences on what they think or feel about how reproductive rights have changed from the past up to now. Worldwide, there are people who face the traumatic experience of choosing between giving birth to a new life or BC government set to create new their own life—if they have a choice at all. Policies like those in China regarding population control, the death of Savita Halappanavar in Ireland due to the denial of abortion, and high death rates in countries like Rwanda and sub-Saharan Africa—issues like these have sparked national and international debates demanding action. The organizers at the Douglas event discussed these issues alongside videos that further shed light on the topic. According to a 2017 report from the UN Human Rights Office, in 2013 62 percent of women and girls who died from preventable childbirth and pregnancy complications were African. According to the same source, there are 130 million instances of female genital mutilation still going on today worldwide. “Tf current trends continue, almost half of the world’s child brides in 2050 will be African,” wrote the UN report. Tracy Ho shared the experience of her friends who took maternity leave while working in corporate sectors. When they came back, Ho said her friends felt that they were treated differently. “On taking a leave and coming back to work after one year, [the] behaviour of people changed drastically,” she said. “They news // no. 5 DSU WOMENS COLLECTIVE COFFEE HOUSE SERIES THE RIGHT TO CHOOSE THE EVOLUTION OF EMPOWERING WOMEN % UM GAS Cy oo 4 Women's Collective | if) Pid were given ‘what do you expect’ looks because they were away while [the] rest stayed back. The whole process did affect the pace of career growth” In Ireland this year, 66.4 percent voted yes on a referendum to lift the ban on abortion. The movement was historic, and the victory signified that more people are in support of protecting reproductive rights. The movement led to the creation of X-ile project, which was also discussed at the Coffee House. The project is an online gallery showcasing portraits of people human rights commission >» Revamped commission part of legislative changes Naomi Ambrose Staff Writer he BC government will be introducing legislative changes to the provincial Human Rights Code. These changes will aid with the recreation of a human rights commission for British Columbia that will serve the human rights of residents. According to a press release from the BC government, the province's previous commission became defunct in 2002. Currently BC is the sole Canadian province without a body governing human rights. Ina previous release in August, David Eby, BC’s Attorney General, shared his perspective about the purpose of the commission. “This new human rights commission will work with people throughout BC to promote equality and fairness,” he said. Eby also noted the length of time that BC has not had a human rights commission: “The 16 years of British Columbia being the only province without a provincial organization dedicated to the promotion and protection of human rights are coming to an end.” A key aspect of the new act would be the introduction of a human rights commissioner. As per the recent release, “The proposed Human Rights Code Amendment Act, 2018 will create an independent human rights commissioner who reports to the legislative assembly.” The commissioner’s duty would include informing British Columbians about human rights matters and tackling discrimination concerns. The commissioner would be able to implement “educational tools, policies and guidelines to promote human rights and combat widespread patterns of inequality and discrimination in society.” Details about the history of the proposed legislation were also included in the release. The upcoming legislation emerged after a public consultation in fall of 2017 that lasted eight weeks. The consultation involved the responses of British Columbians about their desires from a human rights commission. The consultation, led by Ravi Kahlon, Parliamentary Secretary of Sport and Multiculturalism, ended in December 2017 and resulted in a report titled A Human Rights Commission for the 21st Century: British Columbians Talk About Human Rights. The report contained 25 recommendations regarding the new commission as well as the BC Human Rights Tribunal and the Human Rights Clinic. Kahlon also shared his insights about the upcoming commission. “This piece of legislation is a victory for the thousands of British Columbians who have fought for years to bring this bl 41%) "=~ i e ee i, wakage oe + Have your say on B.C. Human Rights “e flared Baill ial Ma ney Ans en a aN ore See eeereeneennn eke CXOUNGLAS STUDENTS Image via Douglas Students' Union on Facebook who went beyond the borders of Ireland and Northern Ireland to access abortion services. The project provides a face to the victims of the policy that did not allow individuals their reproductive rights—the ones who were exiled or oppressed. Students at the Coffee House also discussed other stories and topics that demonstrate change in society. One topic discussed is that it’s not just one partner who is expecting a child. Rather, it should be the couple that shares the responsibility and benefits of childbearing. about,” Kahlon said in the press release. “As we increasingly become a more diverse society, it is critical we have a commission that will proactively and passionately uphold the rights of all British Columbians.” ff iF = — + = Photo by Province of British Columbia on Flickr