by Artemis

Sculpture conmemorating Mary “May” Mcgee in Dublin. Photo: FrankFlanagan, CC BY 4.0

On Oct. 28, in Ireland, Mary “May” McGee died at age 81. In her twenties, she suffered life-threatening complications from three pregnancies. Her health made hormonal birth control inadvisable. Her doctor prescribed a diaphragm with spermicide, which had to be ordered from the UK. Importing contraceptives was illegal, and she was told she would face prosecution if she tried again. She and her husband, Seamus “Shay” McGee, won a 1973 Irish Supreme Court case legalizing contraceptives on grounds of marital privacy. This paved the way for complete legalization years later. Justice Gerard Hogan hailed the ruling as “the legal equivalent of the moon landing,” starting a “social revolution.” It interpreted the Irish Constitution as based on human rights, not Catholic church teaching. It gave women more control over their lives and lifted families out of poverty.

***

The Parliament of Latvia voted, on Oct. 30, to exit the Istanbul Convention—a treaty ratified by much of the European Union. The treaty facilitated much legislation preventing violence against women and protecting victims. This vote was made in spite of a protest the night before of about 5,000 people in Riga, the capital. Instead of signing the bill, the President returned it to lawmakers, postponing the next vote until October 2026. On Nov. 6, over 10,000 protesters demonstrated what one marcher stated: “We’ll keep coming out, even a year from now.”

Protest organizer Beata Jonite, of the Latvian feminist organization MARTA Center, called it an ultimately unsuccessful tactic by the right-wing Latvia First party to divide the people. Many demonstrators’ handmade signs depicted Riga’s 140-foot Freedom Monument—a female figure nicknamed “Mila.” One sign read: “The Daughters of Mila are Crying – Protect Them.” Latvia has a per-capita femicide rate higher than Russia and the rest of Europe.

***

On Nov. 21, South African organization Women for Change urged women to “withdraw from the economy for one day,” to protest a femicide rate five times higher than the global average. In 15 locations countrywide, protesters wore black, lying down for 15 minutes in “mourning and resistance” for the 15 women murdered per day. Allies in the countries of Eswatini, Kenya, and Namibia held “lie downs” in solidarity. An online campaign and petition resulted in over a million signatures. In response, the National Disaster Management Centre upgraded gender-based violence (GBV) and femicide from a “national crisis” to a “national disaster.” This allows government departments to use budgets to “implement every measure possible.” Women for Change stated: “We have written history together and finally forced the country to confront the truth.” Spokesperson Cameron Kasambala said previous legislation has lacked implementation. “We’ve integrated violence into our culture and social norms. Once the government truly reacts to this issue, I feel like we’ll already be able to see a reaction on the ground. Because they set the precedent and the tone for how the country responds.”