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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

that part of the funds from the tampon tax are going to an anti abortion group.

169 replies

HelenaDove · 02/04/2017 00:06

A quarter of a million pounds to Life.

www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/apr/01/tampon-tax-anti-abortion-group-anger?CMP=twt_gu

OP posts:
PhoenixJasmine · 02/04/2017 06:51

Thankyou for sharing this Helena, I am absolutely horrified by this - as graphista has pointed out - this in effect means that women are being forced to fund our own oppression. The majority of us have no choice but to contribute to the 'tampon tax fund' and therefore by extension to fund a charity that actively campaigns against our right to access a safe and legal abortion. That is abhorrent.

I feel so strongly that I've just emailed my MP about it, something I've never actually been moved to do before.

I'd be happy to share the wording of my email if others wanted to do the same.

Fernanie - I've just spent some time reading the Life website. I find it quite disgusting that they actually target vulnerable homeless women to seek to persuade them against abortion. They should absolutely not be allowed to spread their propaganda to children in our schools under the guise of providing SRE education. It is all incredibly disingenuous.

DevelopingDetritus · 02/04/2017 07:02

Who thinks this stuff up. Unbelievable Confused

Coldhandscoldheart · 02/04/2017 07:07

Phoenix, I'd be grateful if you could share your email, I'm rubbish at that sort of thing.

FrancisCrawford · 02/04/2017 07:20

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

MetalMidget · 02/04/2017 07:27

This is utterly, utterly appalling.

Graphista · 02/04/2017 07:30

Yes I'm going to email my mp too. I have done before on other issues but my he's gonna get an eyeful on this one!!

Graphista · 02/04/2017 07:35

And this address:

[email protected]

kalinkafoxtrot45 · 02/04/2017 07:36

There is no way this "charity" should be given money that is intended to support women. Refuges are closing, young women are missing school because they don't have sanitary products, and this horrific government throws money at an organisation that harrasses women for having a legal medical procedure. You couldn't make it up.

PhoenixJasmine · 02/04/2017 07:45

I'm failing to c&p from the sent mail box on my iPhone.... if anyone knows how to do that, please let me know!

I moved last summer and haven't really noticed my new MP much so far (my previous MP was a very vocal feminist and active locally). My new MP is also female and active in local campaigns, she was caught up in the expenses scandal, but does seem to have a pro-women stance, so fingers crossed.

junebirthdaygirl · 02/04/2017 07:46

But surely there are women who support this organisation who use tampons so are happy for their share of the tax to be used for this purpose. Im sure other parts of the tax are used too support areas they may have difficulty with..

Megatherium · 02/04/2017 07:47

I'm amazed that a charity like this with what is essentially a political name qualifies for public funding at all. It's extraordinary that it even occurred to anyone that this was appropriate.

PhoenixJasmine · 02/04/2017 07:49

Those women are free to donate to Life of their own volition june, and if public money is funding something else you vehemently feel is wrong, you have the right to campaign to change that.

Women being forced to fund an anti-abortion group is Just Not On. Period. (pun intended)

LemonSqueezy0 · 02/04/2017 07:57

Absolutely abhorrent - if you do figure out how to copy and paste would you mind sharing the wording.. Thank you... If not, I'll have a go at pulling something together in the week
Angry

RoseAndRose · 02/04/2017 08:05

Back in December 2015, I started a thread on what the priceeeds of the tampon tax should go towards.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/2521563-AIBU-to-think-this-is-what-the-tampon-tax-should-fund

mainly because I thought this charity was a good one, and particularly appointed to support it that wat.

I felt absolutely flamed at the time (though reading back it wasn't as harsh as I remember) on the grounds that the tax was so iniquitous that it was utterly wrong to engage with the process of where to spend the proceeds.

Only those who were ready to to engage wit the process wil, have been heard.

hangingkebab · 02/04/2017 08:11

Read the article this morning and it made me really angry, glad to see I'm not alone!

Writing to MP is a great idea, I'll be doing that...although mine's a bit of a twat.

Cherrypi · 02/04/2017 08:11

I think the money should he spent providing every girl with a mooncup. I know that not everyone would use them but it would be great for the environment.

PhoenixJasmine · 02/04/2017 08:20

I asked google Grin feeling all clever and techie now!

Re: government funding of anti-abortion group 'Life'

Dear Ms XXXX MP

As a constituent I would like to draw your attention to this disgraceful issue and ask that you join your colleague MP Paula Sherriff in condemning the government's allocation of a quarter of a million pounds to fund a charity which advocates against women's rights to bodily autonomy. For a summary please see this article from The Guardian:

www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/apr/01/tampon-tax-anti-abortion-group-anger?CMP=twt_gu

I urge you to press the government to review this funding decision at the earliest opportunity. I feel very strongly that public money specifically hypothecated to fund organisations that improve the lives of disadvantaged women and girls, should not be allocated to a charity who actively campaigns on an anti-abortion platform - which by its very nature inherently devalues the rights of women and girls - especially disadvantaged women and girls who may be less able to access private pregnancy counselling and support services. Life seeks to deny women their right to access a safe and legal abortion should they choose to, and it is especially concerning that this organisation specifically targets vulnerable women with this propaganda, under the guise of support, with it's program for pregnant homeless women.

There is a wider philosophical concern highlighted by this issue also - that a public fund for organisations seeking to improve the lives of disadvantaged women and girls, be sourced specifically from tax revenue from female sanitary products - which women have no choice but to purchase. This means that whenever any woman in the UK purchases tampons, sanitary towels or their alternatives, which the vast majority of women have to do by virtue of our biology, we are being forced to fund our own oppression by tax from these products being channeled to fund an anti-abortion campaign group. This situation is an absolute disgrace. It is vital that government does allocate funding to causes that truly seek to improve the lives of women and girls - but that this money be directly sourced from a tax that only women are forced to pay, implies that it is up to women only to work on women's issues, rather than a duty of society and therefore government as a whole.

I would like to seek reassurance from you that you will advocate on this issue in parliament, both on the urgent matter of government funding of Life, and the wider concern on the sourcing of funding for women's organisations. The government has pledged to abolish the so-called tampon tax - I urge you to pressure the government to not only honour this pledge at the earliest opportunity, but to additionally pledge that once the tax has been abolished, funding for organisations supporting disadvantaged women and girls be not only continued but increased, but sourced from central funding, rather than asking women and girls to fund our own support.^

I look forward to your response on this matter,

Kind regards

PhoenixJasmine · 02/04/2017 08:24

Clearly not that clever, formatting fail there Confused

SexTrainGlue · 02/04/2017 08:32

"The majority of us have no choice but to contribute to the 'tampon tax fund'"

Less than 2 years and it can be changed. Is that something to start mentioning to MPs?

WelshMoth · 02/04/2017 08:37

I've emailed my MP. She usually replies too. I will let you all know what she says.

Birdsgottaf1y · 02/04/2017 08:53

Whilst their Counselling service was heavily criticised, their other work is valuable.

This is what the funding is for:

""the organisation appears on a separate long list, which says it will receive £250,000 for “housing, practical help, counselling, emotional support and life skills training for young pregnant women who are homeless”.""

The consensus on MN is that you shouldn't be having a baby under 30 and especially not in your teens, but pro choice means supporting Women in difficult situations to see that they don't have to abort.

TBH, this from an MP, angered me:

""While we appreciate the work Life does to support homeless pregnant women and care for children with life-limiting or terminal illnesses, we are very disappointed to see the allocation of such significant funds to this one charity while many others struggle, particularly those supporting black and minority ethnic women and disabled women who experience some of the highest rates of violence against them and yet are consistently at the bottom of the list for funding.""

The needs of those two groups are a matter of Government funding/cuts/policies/law changes and shouldn't be reliant on Charity provision, anyway.

Life provides different services, some can't be criticised and are very much needed. They're what the funding is to support.

Graphista · 02/04/2017 09:14

No the funding is only available to homeless pregnant women who agree not to abort.

It's abusive! If an individual said 'I'll put a roof over your head but only if you don't abort that pregnancy - regardless it was the result of rape/baby is severely disabled/puts your life or health at risk' they would rightly be accused of emotional blackmail/financial abuse. It's no different a 'charity' doing the same.

Pro-CHOICE means allowing women to actively choose whether to continue with an unplanned, dangerous or unwise pregnancy.

I'm with all those who say 'pro-life' people are NOT pro life they're pro forced birth and ANTI- choice.

Plus as I said, sanitary products shouldn't be taxed anyway it's ridiculous.

Graphista · 02/04/2017 09:17

That email to mp is excellent I will with your permission Phoenix use it as a template to email my mp?

My email to George will be somewhat more abrupt Angry

PhoenixJasmine · 02/04/2017 09:18

The consensus on MN is that you shouldn't be having a baby under 30 and especially not in your teens, but pro choice means supporting Women in difficult situations to see that they don't have to abort.

Going c&p crazy now Smile

This is a straw person argument: at least speaking for myself, being pro-choice does NOT mean that I think women in difficult situations have to abort. The clue is in the word choice. Absolutely pregnant homeless women should have access to housing, practical help, counselling, emotional support and life skills training. These things should NOT come from an organisation whose clear stated aims and campaigns are anti-abortion. They are partisan; they are not providing these services out of a primary concern for the women's welfare, they are doing so in order to prevent abortions. This is disingenuous at best.

PhoenixJasmine · 02/04/2017 09:22

Feel free graphista, its out there in the public domain now. Never done activism like this before - I'm a discussing online, talking to people in real life, donating and petition signing kinda feminist. Directly engaging with a politician is a new level for me Smile