In a move that was nothing short of bizarre, White Ribbon last week decided to celebrate Queensland’s decriminalisation of abortion by withdrawing their position on reproductive rights and declaring themselves “agnostic” on safe, legal termination.
Within a day of the immediate backlash (and who could have seen that coming?) White Ribbon’s new CEO issued the kind of frantic back-peddalling to which observers of contemporary federal politics are now inured: we didn’t say [thing we’re being slammed on] but if we did say [thing we’re being slammed on] we didn’t mean it unless you are someone who likes [thing we’re being slammed on] in which case we’re going to consult with all our stakeholders about [thing we’re being slammed on].
The irony that an organisation allegedly dedicated to men taking a staunch position on violence against women flip-flops so weakly on reproductive safety is not lost on any of us. Particularly when then CEO, Libby Davies, told Buzzfeed last year that the organisation “would not compromise” on their reproductive rights position.
White Ribbon was subject to a scorching backlash late last week for pulling its stance on reproductive rights.Credit:Alex Ellinghausen
Now, they’re going to “consult with their stakeholders”, because that’s what you do when you have principles and absolute clarity of purpose, you consult with stakeholders on what you’re supposed to believe.
Who are White Ribbon’s “stakeholders” anyway? The people who donate? Organisations who purchase their services? Ambassadors and advocates? Women who’ve been subjected to male violence? The community in general?
According to their 2017 Annual Report, White Ribbon received just under $1.3 million in donations. White Ribbon does not publish information on the individuals or organisations who provide those donations so it’s impossible to know whether pressure to “consult” on reproductive freedom came from them.
White Ribbon also received just under $3 million from sales and workplace accreditation. Nearly half or the organisations listed as having White Ribbon accreditation are state or federal government, most of them state governments who have now decriminalised abortion. Only a very few of the other organisations appear to have obvious religious affiliation, something that in itself cannot be proof they oppose decriminalising abortion.
The website lists 170 ambassadors (who identify as men) and 119 advocates (who identify as women). Hopefully most of them signed up because they wanted to support a grassroots movement dedicated to opposing men’s violence against women. Those supporters, such as Luke Ablett, were left feeling angry and betrayed by this latest in the series of White Ribbon failures to live up to its goals.
From the information on the website, the ambassadors and advocates appear to come from a wide range of backgrounds. While a few have obvious religious connections, they are rare and again, this cannot always be taken to assume an anti-abortion position.
The reproductive freedom position was first posted on the White Ribbon site in February 2017. Libby Davies said at the time that a “handful” of ambassadors resigned on religious grounds, but presumably the ones who remain support the position, or at the very least, didn’t object to it.
Marie Stopes Australia recently released a paper on reproductive coercion, saying more research is needed to understand the full prevalence and repercussions, but that denying women safe, legal control over their own bodies puts them in significant danger. Women subjected to sexual or family violence (or a combination of both) are particularly at risk.
A 2010 study published in the Medical Journal of Australia showed 87 percent of Australians support legal access to abortion. There were slight differences by age, gender and religious affiliation, but not enough to be significant.
So, while we don’t know about the financial motivation, it appears all their other “stakeholders” either support the reproductive rights position or are safer because of it.
Tim Dunlop, in his book, The Future of Everything, writes about the power of grassroots organisation, which is different to advocacy (dealing only with people already in power) and mobilising (rallying people who already agree with you). Organising he says, “forces movements into the broader community, reaching those who might not normally involve themselves in actions designed to create change”.
This was what White Ribbon set out to do, but somewhere along the way it lost sight of its purpose. It was not meant to be a brand or an advertising campaign or a twibbon. And it was most certainly never meant to be a PR agency for men looking for a pat on the head for doing nothing.
It started as a grassroots movement dedicated to men taking action against male violence. It was a good idea. It still is. Which makes it even more disheartening that the group has lost its purpose and credibility so thoroughly.
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