This contraception scandal in Israel is rather timely news in light of the recent discussion concerning racism:
The director of the Ministry of Health in Israel, Roni Gamzo, has
issued a formal directive instructing that gynaecologists should not
inject women with the contraceptive Depo-Provera without their knowledge
or consent.The directive, issued last week, comes after around 30 Ethiopian Jews
who had emigrated to Israel said they had been told that they would not
be allowed into the country without receiving the contraceptive drug. Within Israel, Ethiopian Jews make up the majority of those given the
drug, according to a report published in 2010 by Isha le’Isha, a
women’s rights organization; 57 percent of women who had received the
drug in Israel are Ethiopian Jews, although they account for less than 2
percent of the overall population.
I found it to be particularly interesting in light of how American Jewish support for third world immigration is largely based on their parents’ and grandparents’ experience in America. Perhaps the Southern Poverty Law Center, which is deeply concerned with all things even potentially racist, will find the time to look into who is responsible for this involuntary contraceptive program.